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The Pittsburgh Steelers are up in the 2016 BRB NFL Mock Draft. GannonNash is here to let you know what the Steelers are doing and why they did it.
First off, I'd like to start this analysis by saying: I was extremely tempted to take Paxton Lynch with this pick, to groom another massive QB behind ODB (Ol' Dirty Ben) but then Elway, being the almighty higher deity of football wizardry that he his, duped the Cincinnati Bungholes into trading with him. So kudos to you, Denver.
The Steelers are a team that is pretty set on offense. They have the aforementioned ODB at QB, and the gods of offense Le'Veon Bell (who I plan on drafting for the fourth year in a row in fantasy football this year, even with one knee) and Antonio Brown. Their WRs and RBs are perfectly fine, and it feels wrong and a little dirty to say that a Steelers team is more set on the offensive side of the ball than the defense.
With that being said, there are two HUGE needs for this Steelers team that if they don't address this offseason they won't find themselves in the Super Bowl mix this year. Those two needs are DT and CB. Considering I've never even heard of any of the players the Steelers currently have on the roster and the corners are dreadful at best, after careful consideration, I've decided that...with the 25th pick of the 2016 BRB Mock Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers will select
Jared GoffAndrew Billings (DT--Baylor).Oh, shocking, the Baylor guy chose the Baylor defensive tackle. Yeah, so what? Up yours. Andrew Billings is a player who can play all three downs for the Steelers, who currently have a pass rush made up of Bud Dupree, Jarvis Jones, Lawrence Timmons (who is solid), Cameron Heyward, and Stephon Tuitt. Out of those players I mentioned, about 3 of them I would consider fairly above average.
Billings is not a prototypical nose tackle, but he played NT at Baylor on some run-heavy teams like Texas and Kansas State and managed to hold them considerably. He has great speed for someone who weighs 300+ lbs. and could come right in and play on the first snap on defense of the season. I see the obvious need for a cornerback for the Steelers, and it's not so much that I'm blatantly ignoring it, so much as it is that I see other cornerbacks in this draft who if they fell to the Steelers in the second and third round would be formidable for their defense. Also, Andrew Billings is one of the youngest players in the draft, having turned 21 last month. So having a young, quick, and big boy in the middle of the line for the Steelers would help them for years to come.
Thanks and have a Sic ‘Em day
(no one actually says that)
Calling thepencilneck: You are on the clock to draft an offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks. Your pick is due via email tonight by 7 pm CDT.
1. Tennessee Titans--Laremy Tunsil (OT--Ole Miss)
2. Cleveland Browns--Joey Bosa (DE--Ohio State)
3. San Diego Chargers--Jalen Ramsey (CB/S--FSU)
4. Los Angeles Rams (via trade with the Dallas Cowboys)--Carson Wentz (QB--NDSU)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars--Myles Jack (LB--UCLA)
6. Baltimore Ravens--DeForest Buckner (DL--Oregon)
7. San Francisco 49ers--Jared Goff (QB--California)
8. Philadelphia Eagles--Vernon Hargreaves III (CB--Florida)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Ronnie Stanley (OT--Notre Dame)
10. New York Giants--Ezekiel Elliott (RB--Ohio State)
11. Chicago Bears--A'Shawn Robinson (DE/DT--Alabama)
12. New Orleans Saints--Sheldon Rankins (DT--Louisville)
13. Miami Dolphins--Eli Apple (CB--Ohio State)
14. Oakland Raiders--Jack Conlin (OT--Michigan State)
15. Dallas Cowboys (via trade with the Los Angeles Rams)--Noah Spence (DE/OLB--Eastern Kentucky)
16. Detroit Lions--Laquon Treadwell (WR--Ole Miss)
17. Atlanta Falcons--Darron Lee (LB--Ohio State)
18. Indianapolis Colts--Cody Whitehair (OG--Kansas State)
19. Buffalo Bills--Emmanuel Ogbah (DE--Oklahoma State)
20. New York Jets--Leonard Floyd (OLB--Georgia)
21. Washington Redskins--Corey Coleman (WR--Baylor)
22. Houston Texans--Vernon Butler (DT/DE--Louisiana Tech)
23. Minnesota Vikings--Josh Doctson (WR--TCU)
24. Denver Broncos (via trade with the Cincinnati Bengals)--Paxton Lynch (QB--Memphis)
25. Pittsburgh Steelers--Andrew Billings (DT--Baylor)
26. Seattle Seahawks--thepencilneck
27. Green Bay Packers--FeedEmToTheWolves1099
28. Kansas City Chiefs--Senor Stan
29. Arizona Cardinals--HovaFlow
30. Carolina Panthers--Vance87
31. Cincinnati Bengals (via trade with the Denver Broncos)--Summer of Watt