The 2013 NFL Draft is in the books and naturally, every fan wants to grade their team’s selections. With me being no different, we’ll take a look at the 2013 Steelers’ Draft Class pick-by-pick.
Round One: Jarvis Jones/OLB Georgia: 6’2 245
Admittedly, when I was watching tape on him, I was originally at a crossroads. The production with the Bulldogs was off the charts with 44 TFL and 28 sacks in his two years, including seven forced fumbles his senior season. On the other end of the spectrum, he is a limited athlete with an average first step that was far behind the caliber of other rush ‘backers Dion Jordan, Ziggy Ansah, and Barkevious Mingo.
But ultimately, Jones is an undeniable playmaker. He possesses a ton of upper body strength to the point where he attracted chips and even the occasional double-team. He not only held his own against the run but he excelled there, something that can’t be said for most of the edge rushers who are pure speed ends. Jones has good closing speed, stunted and blitzed in the Bulldogs’ relatively complex defense, and is a high-effort kid. He’s overcome many obstacles in his life from the murder of his brother to a spinal stenosis diagnosis that could have ended his career (It is worth pointing out that the condition has been refuted by orthopedist Craig Birgham).
Jason Worilds has shown flashes as a pass rusher but he lacks the bulk and strength to ever be a force against the run, a prerequisite to be a linebacker for the Steelers. Jones is the opposite in that regard and just as good of a pass rusher.
Grade: B+
Round Two: Le’Veon Bell/RB Michigan St: 6’1/3 230
Aside from Giovani Bernard, every back was on the board for the Steelers at pick 48. But they surprised some, passing up Eddie Lacy to take the former Spartan. To be blunt, in the two games I’ve taken a close look at Bell, I am not impressed. He is blessed with quick feet for a big frame that will surely draw Jerome Bettis comparisons from some (though not me, for the record). Bell can run hard and shows flashes of power at moments and attempts to churn out extra yardage on nearly every carry. He possesses good vision and will sometimes make a downhill safety miss in the hole. In his sophomore and junior years, the Sparty product combined for 67 receptions.
However, as others have noted, Bell needs a compass; he’s too much of a East/West runner for a back of his size. Dancing in the hole too much, he rarely gets his shoulders square and gets momentum going downhill. There are times where he tries too hard to bounce it when he should cut upfield and take what he can get. He isn’t a home run threat either lacking a second gear and only a marginal burst who again, hurts himself by failing to run downhill. It’s Juan Pierre thinking he’s Adam Dunn.
It’s safe to assume the Steelers are drafting him to be a feature back but he’ll fall short of that mark. At best, he’s Jonathan Dwyer and like him, also has his fair share of weight concern. The Steelers’ added no new dynamic and only a little bit of talent with this pick.
Grade: D
Round Three: Markus Wheaton/WR Oregon St: 5’11 189
A track star who reportedly once beat De’Anthony Thomas in the 100m, his wheels translate to the tape. A combination of a quick burst with long speed, Wheaton (unlike Bell) doesn’t dance and gets upfield right after the catch. “Quick to the tuck” as former WRs coach Scottie Motgomery would say. An ultra-productive year for the Beavers with over 1200 yards and finding the end zone 11 times, Wheaton uses his speed to create separation on underneath routes. Cornerbacks will flip their hips early allowing for easy, natural separation for Wheaton on curls and out routes because of the concern of the deep ball. But make no mistake, he can burn defensive backs and seems to understand the nuances of route-running with shoulder and head fakes on double-moves. He also tracks the ball well and while he isn’t the most physical player, is not afraid to get the ball at its high point.
He lacks much strength but is willing to stalk block. Minor concerns include a skinny frame and is a bit of a body catcher on intermediate routes leading to a slight issue with drops.
He’s shown off versatility too, lining up in the slot and on the outside at receiver. Wheaton has 83 career carries including 20 his senior year on end-arounds and fly sweeps. Add in a dash of return work and as Coach Tomlin loves to say, Wheaton wears many hats. He is not identical to Chris Rainey with a much more refined role at WR than Rainey did at RB, but it stands to reason Wheaton will be used in a similar fashion in Year One.
Grade: B
Round Four: Shamarko Thomas/S Syracuse: 5’8/7 213
With the departure of Will Allen and Ryan Mundy, the Steelers had a major gap to fill behind Polamalu and Clark. Enter Shamarko Thomas. A head-hunter with excellent closing speed, Ryan Clark can start calling Thomas his mini-me. A 39 game starter for the Orange with 263 tackles to his name, the explosive safety got looks at free and strong and even the occasional snap at cornerback.
His willingness to get his nose dirty is admirable but Thomas is much too streaky right now and Carnell Lake must get him to become more consistent. He misses too many tackles and takes poor angles to the ball and it feels like bad plays stack each other. Thomas seems like more of an in-the-box type with only two career interceptions.
As Mundy and Allen did, Thomas will probably be a backup at both spots.
Grade: B-
Round Four: Landry Jones/QB Oklahoma: 6’4/1 225
Jones’ story is well-known. Strong sophomore and junior campaigns made him one of the more coveted prospects coming into the year. But a down senior year caused his stock to tumble to 115 overall. I did not take much of a look on Jones before the draft but in general, teams should only be drafting quarterbacks in the first two rounds because they need a franchise one or taking a flier in the 6th or 7th round.
What is the plan for Jones? “Groom” him to be the backup, a sentence dripping in cliches and lack of practicality. How do you groom a player that may rarely see action in regular season games? I’d much rather sign veteran backups with game experience behind Big Ben as the team has done with Byron Leftwich and Bruce Gradkowski in this year’s free agency. For that philosophical reason, I can’t get behind the selection.
Grade: C
Round Five: Terry Hawthorne/CB Illinois: 5’11/6 195
With 26 starts and good triangle numbers (4.44 40 at the Combine) Hawthorne is an intriguing prospect on paper. But the tape does not match up. While he does seem to be a pretty fluid athlete that stays low in his backpedal, the cornerback is allergic to contact. An unreliable tackler who is as physical as a pillow, he’d rather have the action come to him than seek it out. That’s a huge concern for a Dick LeBeau player who as mentioned, must be willing to mix it up to see playing time. It would not surprise me at all to have him pull a Terrence Frederick and be gone as quickly as he came.
Grade: D+
Round Six: Justin Brown/WR Oklahoma: 6’3/1 207
A Penn St transfer after the Joe Paterno scandal Brown had a fairly productive senior season, falling just shy of 900 yards to go with five trips to the end zone leading him to getting Honorable Mention Honors in the Big-12.. This included a monster 15/146 statline against Oklahoma St. A punt returner in addition to being a receiver, he’s a big body with only Plaxico Burress looking down at him. But he is slow (4.6 40) and questions about his ability to get separation at that size/speed remain.
Still, it’s a worthwhile pick after losing multiple skill position players to free agency or injury.
Grade: C+
Round Six: Vince Williams/ILB Florida St: 6’0/6 233
Williams is undersized but has bulk to his frame and broad shoulders. With some short-area quickness, good closing speed, and the ability to pack a punch, it’s likely he’ll get a trial run at ILB. The former Seminole has shown the ability to get his arms extended to get off blocks and overall, takes good angles. However, he is a limited athlete and his 4.76 40 and just 32 1/2 inch vertical shows up on tape.
Unless the team knows that Sean Spence is well ahead of schedule and has a good chance to regain pre-injury form, ILB is still a concern for the Steelers. Larry Foote is a stopgap at best and the team may have waited too long to address the position. Hopefully Williams turns out better than Mike Humpal.
Grade: C+
Round Seven: Nick Williams/DT Samford: 6’4/4 309
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have much on the Samford product. He lit up the Combine with a 4.94 40 and had a better 10 yard split than Sam Monthomery and Bjoern Werner. A two-year starter, Williams had a monster senior season with 8 TFL and six sacks. He’ll likely kick out to five technique for the team to add depth behind Heyward, Hood, and Keisel. I haven’t listened to much of the conference call but John Mitchell was reportedly a big advocate for Williams. Getting a glowing endorsement for one of the best non head-coaches the team has ever had is certainly something nice to have in your corner.
Grade: B-
Overall, this year’s draft was up-and-down. The team got the most important pick, their first rounder, right but the rest of the class is spotty. Truthfully, the Tomlin/Colbert duo have not produced the greatest draft classes the last few years and it would be refreshing to see that change.
