Still a Round 1 talent even for Pittsburgh because he has an array

The Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 of the NFL Preseason. See how it went down!" Latest News2019 Preseason Week 2: Steelers vs. ChiefsSteelers vs. Chiefs Final Score: Steelers defeat Chiefs 17-7 in sloppy preseason gameNew T. J. Watt Jersey White ,41commentsThe Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 of the NFL Preseason. See how it went down!EDTThe Pittsburgh Steelers were slated to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Due to thunderstorms in the Pittsburgh area, kickoff was moved back an entire hour before these two AFC powerhouses finally got the game underway.The Steelers elected to receive the football to start the game, and Mason Rudolph was first under center for the black-and-gold with the first team minus players like Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro.After back-to-back runs to James Conner, the Steelers dialed up a pass with Rudolph on 3rd and 2, only to see it fall incomplete and punt the ball away. The Chiefs’ starters, including Patrick Mahomes, started the game and wasted little time going to work. But when their drive reached the midfield mark, it stalled. The Steelers were forced to punt again, and Mahomes and company took over with good field position, but on a 2nd down run by Carlos Hyde, Terrell Edmunds got his hands on the football, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Sean Davis. The very next play from scrimmage, Rudolph hit Donte Moncrief for a short gain, but Moncrief fumbled the ball back to the Chiefs.Chad Henne took over for the Chiefs, but both teams failed to register any points on the scoreboard before the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was more of the same for both teams until Rudolph started to get into a rhythm with his college teammate James Washington. Two big completions to Washington got the Steelers into Kansas City territory for the first time in the game. Diontae Johnson’s first professional reception set up a Jaylen Samuels run into the endzone for the first score of the game. Boswell’s point-after was good, making the score 7-0 with 6:39 left in the first half.Chad Henne wasn’t about to be outdone by Mason Rudolph, and he put together a drive of his own. With 1:11 left in the half Henne hit Mecole Hardman for a 17-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.Joshua Dobbs came into the game to try and move the Steelers into at least field goal range before heading into halftime, and he delivered a long 40-yard strike to James Washington on the first play from scrimmage. However, the Steelers failed to get into field goal range and turned the ball over on downs. Instead of just kneeling out the half, Mike Hilton caused a fumble while blitzing and Skipper Tuzar recovered the football with 25 seconds left in the half.A pass to Eli Rogers aided by a personal foul set the Steelers up inside the 10-yard line, but Dobbs threw an interception at the goal line which was returned to midfield. The Chiefs’ completed a quick pass before giving Harrison Butker a 58-yard attempt which sailed wide right. The first half ended with a 7-7 tie Terrell Edmunds Jersey White , and the Chiefs due to get the ball after the break.The Chiefs, led by Kyle Shurmer at quarterback, put together a nice drive to start the third quarterback, but resulted in another punt. Diontae Spencer had a 38-yard return to give the Steelers tremendous field position. However, the quarter continued to be nothing but punts. Nonetheless, Dobbs finally got the team into Kansas City territory and looked as if he threw a touchdown to Diontae Johnson, but the play was brought back after Offensive Pass Interference was called. The booth challenged the call, but the penalty was upheld. The drive resulted in a Matthew Wright field goal, making the score 10-7.Pittsburgh’s defense continued to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard, and when Devlin Hodges came into the game he quickly moved the offense down the field, hitting Diontae Johnson for his first professional touchdown of his career. After the point-after it made the score 17-7 with 4:22 left in regulation.Kansas City was threatening to add to their point total, but a Marcus Allen hit caused a fumble which was recovered by the Steelers with 1:31 left in the game. Both teams failed on their final possessions, and the game ended with the final score 17-7 in favor of the Steelers.The Steelers’ win moves their preseason record to 2-0 as they prepare to play the Tennessee Titans in Nashville in Week 3, their first road game of the preseason. Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as the regular season inches closer. Article No. 3 in my effort to put on the blinders and look forward, only forward, and not in any other direction that could lead me to remember that I rooted hard for the Browns! [Sigh]. At least this one promises to be extra fun and extra interesting because adding talent on the Edge is one of the sneakier ways Pittsburgh could really improve. The tea leaves suggest that the F.O. is going to smell so much talent that Colbert & Co. will invest some serious capital into the position. It might be spent in free agency. It might be spent in the draft. They may even do both. The numbers just look right.Here is the current roster:T.J. Watt. Grade: “Budding Superstar.” Having only one is the main issue. That, and the disaster that we’d face if he ever gets hurt.Bud Dupree. Grade: “Solid Starter,” which is a nice thing to say after some years of frustration. But he’s also going to get really expensive in the near future and few believe that true stardom is still on the table. Bud just doesn’t have T.J.’s ability to bend around the corner and it’s now become clear that he never will.Anthony Chickillo. Grade: “Emergency Starter, Solid Contributor.” Lack of bend is the main issue here as well, but he gets extra credit for his special teams play.Ola Adeniyi. Grade: “Unfinished.” Speculate at will but don’t make any assumptions about the dreams coming to actual life.Moral of the story: Adding another Edge player the caliber of a T.J. Watt would raise all boats in a lot of ways. For one thing, Pittsburgh has gotten a lot of pressure on the QB in the past two years but a lot of that success has been enhanced by a reckless amount of blitzing. A true dynamic duo would seriously strengthen the secondary by allowing the team to regularly keep seven players back in the passing lanes.Another ace pass rusher would also let the team give key players a bit more rest so they are fresher for end-of-game heroics. Drafting another stud OLB would not be the same as sending Bud Dupree to the bench. Third, it might create some really special sub packages in which the third hyper-athletic OLB would move inside to play the Buck position. Pure athleticism is the one thing VW and Dirty Red are missing.FREE AGENCYPittsburgh is going into the offseason cap rich for the first time in forever. Ryan Shazier’s money is going to come off the books. So will Lev Bell’s, and I believe there may even be carry-forward money from Bell’s 2018 holdout as well. The team will obviously spend a big chunk of that cap space to sign young Womens JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , internal talent like Sean Davis, Javon Hargrave and Mike Hilton. That is a given. But there will still be enough to go all in on the sweepstakes that’s likely to emerge over some serious Edge talents who could be hitting the market. Consider these names:Dee FordJadeveon ClowneyFrank ClarkPreston SmithShaq BarrettSplash free agents have never been Kevin Colbert’s style, but neither is going home with money in the team pocket and he’s never had this kind of money to spend on the open market. Just sayin’.THE DRAFT TALENT IS AMAZING IN ROUND 1This is where it gets even more interesting. We saw in earlier articles that the CB talent is clustered around the end of Round 1. The Steelers will likely have plenty of shots at a “solid value” Corner but there won’t be a genuine bargain. There are a few more high-value midfield talents to hope for (ILB’s and Nickelbacks) but it’s a thinner pool overall. The 2019 Edge class has a different distribution. There is such a major cluster of Top 20 talent that it’s easy to see a massive BPA bargain falling into the Steelers’ eager hands. Here is a list from the initial BTSC Big Board that Nick Farabaugh and I have been compiling: [fn]1:01 EDGE Nick Bosa, Ohio State. 6’3”, 270 lbs. Ain’t Gonna Happen, thank heaven. Bosa is a superb prospect as a 4-3 DE, good enough to shape a defense around. The Steelers play enough hybrid formations to do just that, and they would do it for a kid like Bosa. The result would drive us fans crazy as we tried to follow along. Steeler Nation is nutty enough already, so I choose to give thanks for that which is bound to happen anyway.1:05 EDGE/BUCK ILB Josh Allen, Kentucky. 6’4”, 258 lbs. Remember the debates about LVE in 2018? Get ready for a repeat. As an Edge player Allen has all the assets you could want in a Top 10 guy limited by only-adequate technique and strength – which are exactly the things good NFL coaching and training can fix. As a hyper-athletic Buck he features range, ability to play in space, and of course an exceptional talent blitzing when necessary. Here is a solid November scouting profile.1:10 EDGE Brian Burns, Florida State. 6’5”, 231 lbs. The top sack artist in college football and designed by nature to play 3-4 OLB. Not quite as athletic in space as Bud Dupree but waaaay more bendy and polished moving forward, good enough already in run support, and there’s room on his frame to add any strength he’ll need. Watt from one side and Burns from the other would keep opposing coaches up at night with palpitations.1:10EDGE Jachai Polite, Florida. 6’2”, 260 lbs. Explosive, bendy, polished as a rusher, disciplined as run defender, and athletic enough to play in space. Can you have too many pass rushers? This one might be irresistible if the Steelers are sure he’ll stop taking a few plays off. Here is a good Womens T. J. Watt Jersey , gif-supported scouting report from October along with a briefer scouting profile from the same period. This gif-supported January scouting report from our sister site for the Jets examines his tremendous burst, bend and overall athleticism.1:25 EDGE Clelin Ferrell (“Furl”), Clemson. 6’5”, 260 lbs. Has only moderate bend and clearly fits better as a 4-3 DE. of moves already, exceptional length, the athleticism to play in space, and that ineffable way of finding a path to victory when he needs it most; but his value is lower to the Steelers than it will be for other teams.Holy Delayed Christmas Batman! Now you may be wondering: Why do I think there’s any chance in the world that one of those extraordinary talents might fall to 1:20 when Edge players have traditionally been picked at a premium? It’s because there is an even bigger and more impressive cluster of pass rushing Defensive Tackles in this class, and the buzz for ‘interior pressure’ and ‘pure BPA’ is going to absorb a lot of the draft picks that other defense-focused teams would otherwise spend on Edge talent. Find that hard to believe? Come my frinds, and let us count the potential Round 1 DL’s together. In no particular order: (1) Ed Oliver; (2) Quinnen Williams; (3) Jeffrey Simmons; (4) Raekwon Davis; (5) Rashan Gary; (6) Christian Wilkins; (7) Gerald Willis; (8) Jerry Tillery; (9)... I could continue but I trust the point is made. There will be at least - at least - half a dozen DL’s taken in the first 20 or so picks. Someone at a more Pittsburgh-desirable position is bound to fall, if not all the way to the Steelers’ pick then at least within decent trade-up range.As usual the Edge talent falls of something of a cliff after Round 1. Our draft Board has only three players with a Round 2 grade from a Steelers POV:2:01 EDGE Montez Sweat, Miss. State. 6’6”, 245 lbs. Another player who should go in Round 1 to a 4-3 team but needs a discount here because Pittsburgh already has a Bud Dupree. Fantastic first step, great discipline setting the edge, and a ready made array of moves and counters are enough to dazzle, but the fit can really be questioned.2:12 EDGE Christian Miller, Alabama. 6’4”, 244 lbs. As described in this December scouting profile from Jon Ledyard, Miller has all the athletic tools that Pittsburgh will look for but in measured amounts that will drop him into Day 2. Very good but not great with his burst, bend, ability to play in space, sophistication as a pass rusher, and ability to set the edge. Also known as a real team leader whose absence was a genuine issue in the big Bowl game. Almost certainly the best pure, 3-4 OLB outside of Round 1.2:12 EDGE Jabari Zuniga JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey White , Florida. 6’3”, 245 lbs. [UPDATE - HE IS RETURNING TO SCHOOL]2:24 EDGE Jaylon Ferguson, LSU. 6’5”, 265 lbs. Incredible, record-setting sack production but he’s tended to load the stat line against inferior competition and he’s also more of a 4-3 DE. Hopefully some 4-3 team will snap him up early.3:01 EDGE Jalen Jelks, Oregon. 6’6”, 245 lbs. He’s got fantastic length and a great first step but seems to lack the gift of putting it all together at the same time. If coaching can fix this he’ll be a fixture for many years to come. If not, the discipline of NFL tackles will make him a nonfactor.3:01 EDGE D’Andre Walker, Georgia. 6’2”, 240 lbs. An athletic specimen who could test out of the building - and needs to if he wants to hear his name on Day 2. This 2-reviewer New Year’s scouting profile describes Walker as a player who has all the individual assets you want but has never managed to unite them into an organized pass rush. Already good at setting the edge.And one bonus entry for those who want a developmental athlete on Day 3 of their next mock draft:4:01 EDGE Shareef Miller, Penn State. 6’5”, 256 lbs. Possesses a flashy and explosive first step that he can combine with decent bend around the edge, but he’s lacking when it comes to grown man strength, technical skill with his hands and moves, and overall discipline as part of a run defense unit. But those are fixable problems, right? Which means the kid from Philadelphia could end up being a major draft day steal after two or three years of professional development.So, what’s it going to be? It’s clear that there is room for improvement at the Edge position even if it’s just a matter of adding another superb athlete to the rotation. Do you think the team will blow some budget on a splash free agent like Dee Ford or Jadeveon Clowney to play across from T.J. Watt? [Sigh]. If not, what will the Steelers do if they suddenly have a chance to snag a legitimate Top-10 or Top-15 pass rusher, or to enrich the entire Front-7 with a hybrid puzzle piece like Josh Allen? The possibilities are enough to make you [LANGUAGE SUITED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY].Yes, I would concede that both CB and ILB fall a hair or two higher on the “want” list than Edge, but the Board suggests that Edge may offer the clear BPA. Laugh all you want at “Colbert’s Obsession with LB’s” but I kid you not: if Josh Allen, Brian Burns or Jachai Polite are on the Board at 1:20 it will be hard indeed to make a different choice. And probably impossible if it’s Allen.