Along the lines of my previous post, to show some of the variability in the draft this year, I looked at a lot of edge rushers. There's a ton of guys, the class is deep, but I'm not sure that outside of Myles Garrett, I'd take a too many of them in the first round. But I bet four or five get drafted.
Obviously, outside linebacker is a serious need for the Steelers, which is why I was looking. Let's explore some of the top guys.
Myles Garrett - Amazing physique and great athlete. He simply doesn't show up on film very often. I'd still take him first overall, but he's not a sure thing.
Haason Reddick - Great tape, great athlete, probably too small to play outside in the league.
Derek Barnett - Great tape, average athlete. Seems committed to the cause, though.
Takk McKinley - More of an effort guy. Has chronic shoulder issues.
TJ Watt - Limited experience. Great athlete. Big potential with 4 torn knee ligaments.
Carl Lawson - Great tape. Probably my favorite tape, in fact. Limited athlete with a bad hip.
Charles Harris - Great tape, bad athlete. Jarvis Jones 2.0
Jordan Willis - Would have to learn a new position to play on the Steelers. Incredible athlete.
Derek Rivers - Great athlete. Played at Youngstown State, so you have to take his tape with a grain of salt.
Samson Ebukam - I'm in love with this guy! Hope the Steelers draft him in the fifth.
So, how do teams have these guys ranked? In an average year, there would be some consensus. At least an inkling. The same issues crop up at almost every position, too. What's the order of the quarterbacks? The running backs? The wide outs? The safeties?
TL;DR - The Steelers should pick the edge defender that falls to them in round 2. Take the bpa in round one.
