by Tim Campion
Tim's Corner
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Post Draft Jottings - Quick Thoughts - 04/30/06
Just a few thoughts here on each of the Steelers’ draft picks before I call it a weekend.
- Santonio Holmes WR Ohio St.
Hard to find anything bad about the #1 rated player at a position of need for the Steelers so I won’t. In an effort to replace Antwaan Randle El, the Steelers probably found a better WR who will add some needed speed to the lineup. I like the guy, who I’ve seen many times over the years (I watch a lot of Big Ten football) because he always manages to make a contribution to a game and quite often, turns small plays into big ones. He’s elusive at top speed, has fairly good hands (probably his weak spot) and runs good routes. Although he is probably best suited to be a #2-type of receiver in the league, I could see him developing into a player who could step up and assume the #1 role as Hines Ward’s career winds down. It’s no secret that I haven’t been a big fan of the receivers the Steelers have drafted high in the past (hated the Troy Edwards pick and would have rather skipped Plex and drafted Chad Pennington) but this one I like. In the end, how often can the Super Bowl champs be able to not only draft a top player but to fill a hole that had developed as well? Nice move on the Steelers FO part and in the end, it didn’t really cost them all that much to move up.
- Anthony Smith FS Syracuse
I thought I was alone on this one but apparently the Steelers liked Smith too. I liked him from a game I saw earlier in the year and had it confirmed at the Senior Bowl where he was really the only guy who stood out to me during the game. He’s a playmaker who can actually catch the ball if it’s in his vicinity. While not a big hitter, he can actually bring guys down that he encounters. I thought he might be a good pick in round four if the Steelers had a chance but they evidently didn’t want to chance it. By the way, kudos to the scouting staff on this pick and their ability to keep it secret. Everybody I was listening to was sure that the Steelers loved Darnell Bing and I was dumb enough to believe it. One last note, for those of you who are all still believing that Smith is slow because of his 40 time at the Combine (4.7), please don’t be. He had a bad start and finished strong. He’s had other times recorded as low as 4.5 and some even higher than 4.7. What this tells me is that he can’t run the 40, not that he cannot play. He’s a football player, not a track guy and I like that just fine. I think y’all will too.
- Willie Reid WR/KR Florida St.
Well, Santonio Holmes used to be the fastest WR on the Steelers’ roster, which was until they drafted Willie Reid (both run in the 4.3s). If Holmes was brought in to replace Randle El’s production at WR (what there was of it), Reid was brought in to replace his punt returning. Reid had a 17.5 yard per return average in college and if that is any indication of what we can expect this season, we will probably remember Randle El fondly but not miss him. Reid also has the makings of a nice slot receiver, which is a nice possibility for a guy with his speed. Ben Roethlisberger should enjoy his new toys.
- Willie Colon OT Hofstra
Hooray! I actually got a pick right with my mock draft. The Steelers have really liked this guy and since I never had the chance to watch too much Hofstra action on the tube this year, I’ll just have to trust them. The good news is that this may finally end the tenure of Barrett “lunge and flop” Brooks as the Steelers reserve RT. By the way, his name is pronounced cu-LONE.
- Orien Harris DL Miami (Fl)
Not my favorite pick of the draft but many in the draft world considered this to be a great “value” pick. To me, Harris is a bundle of talent without enough production and that means lack of drive. You can teach a player a lot of things but it’s hard to teach a guy to want it. Maybe the Steelers can, I have my doubts. If they do, they’ll have themselves a nice 3-4 defensive end.
- Omar Jacobs QB Bowling Green
Wow, I thought the Steelers were going to grab a QB to fill the third string role but I had no idea that they were actually going to get a good one. I mean, I was thinking somebody like Bruce Gradkowski, a guy who will never be anything more than a reserve in the NFL. Nope, they went and got a guy who could actually start and be successful down the road. So why is a he a fifth rounder then? Well, the big dummy came out a year early after having an injury-plagued season and had to hope his off-season would boost his draft stock back up. Well, it didn’t do as much as he would have hoped so instead of being a first or second round pick next year, he ended up as a fifth rounder this year. Bad news for his pocket book equals good news for Steelers fans.
- Charles Davis TE Purdue
The Steelers need a third TE and I had a feeling they would draft one in the last few rounds. I don’t remember much about Davis, even after seeing Purdue play a couple of times this year. Once again, I’ll just trust the Steelers scouts on this one. After all, they do have a pretty good track record.
- Marvin Philip C Cal
I look at it like this; one of the most important aspects of the center position is intelligence. Not too many dummies get into Cal-Berkeley. That and he was a pretty highly rated center by most folks I’ve read (usually top 5). I’ve never watched him play so I can’t say too much but I do like the effort to give Chukki Okobi a little competition and hopefully add the Steelers’ next starting center for years to come. I can hope, can’t I?
- Cedric Humes RB Virginia Tech
I liked this guy all season long and am amazed he was still available in the last round. I figured he was a fourth or fifth rounder. My guess as to the reason he fell down where he did was because he is a bit one-dimensional. He runs over people, not around them. In other words, he was the exact kind of back the Steelers were looking for in an effort to replace some of the Bus’ production. He will have a good chance to make the Steelers’ final roster, which is not something you can normally say about the last of nine draft picks made by the Super Bowl Champions.
Overall, after initial inspection, I’ll give the Steelers a solid B for their effort the last couple of days. Keep in mind I reserve the right to change that after I get a good nights sleep. I’ll wrap it up now so I can hopefully get this thing posted tonight. Until my next effort…
Nuf fer now
Tim “not looking at next year’s draft quite yet” Campion