Steelers Draft

[Swervin27]

Until someone points out a pitt player that the steelers could have drafted, at a position of need, then chose another player that played that same position, I cant respect this opinion. Not once, that I can recall, did steelers pick a player at position X that played for another school other than pitt..

The only "screw up" I see is Marino but they didn't even draft a QB, that's more playing "Monday morning QB" pun intended.. I mean had they drafted blackledge or Tony Eason then OK, we might be onto something but we mentioned before, multiple reasons to believe they weren't in market for QB at the time..

BTW, didn't the steelers sign Jenkins in '98, white safety that played for Walt, local kid from East Allegheny. Not sure but doubt he had too many offers from other teams. That could be seen as giving local kid a shot.. And Pistol Pete played for the steelers for a few years, again, not exactly a hot commodity that had a lot of options.

 

[Swervin27]

HTP is onto something with the steelers propensity to pick buckeye players though.. Some good and some not so good.. Can we call Holmes a bust? I don't think so, heyward is a bad dude, Adams was a bust of epic proportion. We drafted a CB last year, don't know his name so that tells you all you need to know..

BUSTS: Adams, the '15 CB, Thaddeus Gibson, DT in same class of '10 forget his name, Rodney Bailey

GREAT PICKS: Heyward

TO BE DETERMINED: Shazier, Holmes (cant decide what to call him),

 

[HailtoPitt]

Bro, there's not an "expected rate" of players to be drafted, certainly not the way that you're implying. OSU and PSU have had a lot of players drafted because they've been good teams in the past 15 years. Pitt, mostly, has not. Pitt also has not had a large number of NFL-prospect players. Are you factoring in teams that run a 3-4 defense? That prefer power-blocking OTs like Jeff Otah instead of more zone-oriented Tackles and Guards? Are you factoring in the fact that many of Pitt's players have been taken well ahead of the Steelers' corresponding draft pick? Or that they play positions which the Steelers don't need at that time?

This isn't a task made for statistical modeling. Even if it is, you're not doing it right. Please, as several of us have asked, go through the list and identify which Pitt Panthers the Steelers should have taken and we can further this discussion. If you're not going to do that, I suspect that many of us are done with it.

It wasn't meant to be a statistical model. Just adding numbers quickly and showing the percentage.

Ohio State's players represented 2.35% of the overall number of players drafted these last 15 years. The Steelers drafted 8.8% of them. The Steelers are clearly drafting OSU players at a much higher rate. I'm not saying that is right or wrong, but it has absolutely happened, and in at least one case because the guy was local and the Steelers gave him a chance.

 

[Swervin27]

It wasn't meant to be a statistical model. Just adding numbers quickly and showing the percentage.

Ohio State's players represented 2.35% of the overall number of players drafted these last 15 years. The Steelers drafted 8.8% of them. The Steelers are clearly drafting OSU players at a much higher rate. I'm not saying that is right or wrong, but it has absolutely happened, and in at least one case because the guy was local and the Steelers gave him a chance.

its wrong, I broke it down for you. Quit drafting buckeyes. actually we can pick them, we just seem to be picking the wrong ones..

 

[Chairman Moe]

My two cents, for what it's worth, is that I keep college football and pro football separate as a fan. I have been a Panther and Steeler fan for the exact same number of years; 46. I enrolled at Pitt in the fall of 1970. I grew up in south eastern PA, where most of the locals were Penn State and Baltimore Colts (or Philadelphia Eagles) fans. I essentially started a new slate when I matriculated at Pitt. After graduating from Pitt, I moved from the 'Burgh, and haven't lived anywhere close for the entire time since. Yet I've still remained loyal to both my alma mater and the Stillers. I am always rooting for the "present", not the past.

As much as I respect and root for the Blue and Gold, once a player graduates, I rarely follow them, unless of course they were to be wearing Black and Gold. And since that hasn't happened too often, the point is moot. And while I never wish a former Pitt player bad fortune, I was not thrilled to see Fitz catch what could've been the winning TD in Super Bowl XLIII, nor was I happy to see D Revis celebrate as a New England Patriot when they beat the Seahawks a couple years ago. And going back even farther, seeing T Dorsett in a Dallas Cowboys uniform was pretty vile. The Cowboys, Pat's and Ravens are my three least favorite NFL teams of all time, and any former Pitt player on their team is one I'd not root for. OTOH, as much as I dislike Penn State and Notre Dame in college football, rooting for Franco and the Bus when they were Steelers was a no brainer.

 

[HailtoPitt]

its wrong, I broke it down for you. Quit drafting buckeyes. actually we can pick them, we just seem to be picking the wrong ones..

Not meant to be right or wrong. Just that it has happened. Any one team would be expected to pick 3% of a college's draft picks over time, since each NFL team is slightly more than 3% of the league.

I'm pointing out that it is strange that the Steelers have pick OSU players at such a high rate, and even PSU players at a higher rate, than average. But no Pitt players in the same time period.

Seems strange.

 

[lilspainishflea]

Not meant to be right or wrong. Just that it has happened. Any one team would be expected to pick 3% of a college's draft picks over time, since each NFL team is slightly more than 3% of the league.

I'm pointing out that it is strange that the Steelers have pick OSU players at such a high rate, and even PSU players at a higher rate, than average. But no Pitt players in the same time period.

Seems strange.

No, they wouldn't, because OSU and PSU produce many more (and better) draft picks than Minnesota and Purdue. I'm out, bro, can't handle this conversation anymore.

 

[Swervin27]

Not meant to be right or wrong. Just that it has happened. Any one team would be expected to pick 3% of a college's draft picks over time, since each NFL team is slightly more than 3% of the league.

I'm pointing out that it is strange that the Steelers have pick OSU players at such a high rate, and even PSU players at a higher rate, than average. But no Pitt players in the same time period.

Seems strange.

I need to go back and review here psu players.. Cant recall too many. WHitman a long time ago, and goofy awkward white WR that was cut, deservedly so, Rochester kid. Oh and Jesse James. That's all I can think of. Whitman was mid 90's and I am not going back to franco or Hamm days.. Who am I missing??

 

[HailtoPitt]

No, they wouldn't, because OSU and PSU produce many more (and better) draft picks than Minnesota and Purdue. I'm out, bro, can't handle this conversation anymore.

Are you this dense? The total amount of picks a college produces doesn't matter here. And to even try to suggest that PSU produces better quality draft picks then other schools is laughable.

 

[Swervin27]

Are you this dense? The total amount of picks a college produces doesn't matter here. And to even try to suggest that PSU produces better quality draft picks then other schools is laughable.

did he really try to sneak in psu with Ohio State in terms of quality draft picks? Did he seriously try and get that in, like anyone outside of Sandusky land wouldn't notice?

 

[Pittbaseball11]

So basically all the Steelers have to do is pick 2 Pitt players in the next 37 Pitt players drafted and all is well. If they pick 3, though, then we'd have to start talking biases.

Wonder if LSU and Alabama worry about the Steelers not having picked their players since 2001. They have a much larger sample to draw conclusions from.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I need to go back and review here psu players.. Cant recall too many. WHitman a long time ago, and goofy awkward white WR that was cut, deservedly so, Rochester kid. Oh and Jesse James. That's all I can think of. Whitman was mid 90's and I am not going back to franco or Hamm days.. Who am I missing??

James.

Shipley in 2009

Kranchick in 04.

 

[HailtoPitt]

did he really try to sneak in psu with Ohio State in terms of quality draft picks? Did he seriously try and get that in, like anyone outside of Sandusky land wouldn't notice?

He tried.

That's an entire different argument that anyone can soundly destroy with some simple stats.

 

[Swervin27]

James.

Shipley in 2009

Kranchick in 04.

Shipley, forgot about him. No idea who kranchick is but i'll take your word for it.. As much as I love the steelers, I actively and openly root against the tight end james..

 

[OH Pete]

James.

Shipley in 2009

Kranchick in 04.

You have time to research that and do all of statistical analysis and data gathering to support it, but don't have the time to make a case where Pitt would've made a better decision drafting a Pitt player than who they drafted. Lies, damned lies, statistics. Show me individual player facts, then maybe I'll agree there is a bias.

 

[lilspainishflea]

Are you this dense? The total amount of picks a college produces doesn't matter here. And to even try to suggest that PSU produces better quality draft picks then other schools is laughable.

So what the **** are you arguing about then? We've been begging you for 20 posts to count the picks where the Steelers could have taken a Pitt player, and you're stuck on this dipshit 0 for 37 argument.

Finally, I hate PSU but they produce better prospects than Minnesota and Purdue. Get over yourself.

 

[lilspainishflea]

James.

Shipley in 2009

Kranchick in 04.

LMAO who are these scrubs. How about Allen Robinson? Tamba Hali? Navarro Bowman? Those are 3 of the best players in the NFL at their position. Sean Lee, Aaron Maybin, Poz, Justin King, and Quarless have all been decent pros.

 

[wbrpanther]

Here is a list of Pitt players the Steelers didn't draft in the last 15 years. Sure, there are some that the Steelers did not take because of draft position and need, but 37 Pitt draft picks in a row and none going to the hometown team is amazing. In fact, one might say it is intended.

2015 4 110 T.J. Clemmings T Minnesota Vikings
2014 1 13 Aaron Donald DT St. Louis Rams
2014 4 135 Tom Savage QB Houston Texans
2014 5 146 Devin Street WR Dallas Cowboys
2011 1 26 Jonathan Baldwin WR Kansas City Chiefs
2011 2 37 Jabaal Sheard DE Cleveland Browns
2011 5 149 Dion Lewis RB Philadelphia Eagles
2011 5 150 Jason Pinkston T Cleveland Browns
2011 7 226 Greg Romeus DE New Orleans Saints
2010 6 182 Nate Byham TE San Francisco 49ers
2010 7 227 Dorin Dickerson WR Houston Texans
2009 2 53 LeSean McCoy RB Philadelphia Eagles
2009 5 146 Scott McKillop LB San Francisco 49ers
2009 7 240 LaRod Stephens-Howling RB Arizona Cardinals
2009 7 251 Derek Kinder WR Chicago Bears
2008 1 19 Jeff Otah T Carolina Panthers
2008 4 109 Mike McGlynn G Philadelphia Eagles
2008 7 251 Kennard Cox CB Jacksonville Jaguars
2007 1 14 Darrelle Revis CB New York Jets
2007 4 136 Clint Session LB Indianapolis Colts
2007 6 179 H.B. Blades LB Washington Redskins
2006 3 65 Charles Spencer T Houston Texans
2006 6 174 Josh Lay CB New Orleans Saints
2005 6 209 Rob Petitti T Dallas Cowboys
2004 1 3 Larry Fitzgerald WR Arizona Cardinals
2004 2 58 Shawntae Spencer CB San Francisco 49ers
2004 2 61 Kris Wilson TE Kansas City Chiefs
2004 5 147 Claude Harriott DE Chicago Bears
2004 6 188 Andy Lee P San Francisco 49ers
2004 7 247 Brandon Miree RB Denver Broncos
2003 3 70 Gerald Hayes LB Arizona Cardinals
2003 6 205 Torrie Cox CB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2003 7 261 Bryan Anderson G Chicago Bears
2002 2 63 Antonio Bryant WR Dallas Cowboys
2002 5 153 Ramon Walker DB Houston Texans
2002 5 165 Bryan Knight DE Chicago Bears
2001 3 80 Kevan Barlow RB San Francisco 49ers

OK now post a list of who the Steelers drafted while those players were still sitting there. You can't discuss this in a vacuum. Who the Steelers took while having a shot at the Pitt guy is very relevant.

 

[HailtoPitt]

So basically all the Steelers have to do is pick 2 Pitt players in the next 37 Pitt players drafted and all is well. If they pick 3, though, then we'd have to start talking biases.

Wonder if LSU and Alabama worry about the Steelers not having picked their players since 2001. They have a much larger sample to draw conclusions from.

Do you not find it odd that the Steelers have no picks from Bama or LSU in the last 15 years, but have 8 picks from Ohio State?

 

[HailtoPitt]

OK now post a list of who the Steelers drafted while those players were still sitting there. You can't discuss this in a vacuum. Who the Steelers took while having a shot at the Pitt guy is very relevant.

It took a few minutes to add up the totals for teams. Easy to do with excel and the NFL's draft filter. It will take much longer to look at each individual pick.

Perhaps I am wrong and there were no good reasons to draft all 37 of those players. The likelihood would be low, though.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Do you not find it odd that the Steelers have no picks from Bama or LSU in the last 15 years, but have 8 picks from Ohio State?

Not really. Small sample noise more than anything else, if we're looking at this solely from a statistical perspective.

As you can see with the Pitt thing, the margins are so small and the numbers are so tiny (even though 37 Pitt players apparently seems large) that an extra pick here or there makes a huge difference.

I mean, the Steelers were rumored to be pretty heavily in on Revis. If the Jets don't trade up and the Steelers take him, then they're pretty much in your statistical expected range.

And, as always, context does matter.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Not really. Small sample noise more than anything else, if we're looking at this solely from a statistical perspective.

As you can see with the Pitt thing, the margins are so small and the numbers are so tiny (even though 37 Pitt players apparently seems large) that an extra pick here or there makes a huge difference.

I mean, the Steelers were rumored to be pretty heavily in on Revis. If the Jets don't trade up and the Steelers take him, then they're pretty much in your statistical expected range.

And, as always, context does matter.

Of course we can't do a statistical analysis with much accuracy with such small numbers. I know that. But I find it strange that the Steelers did not draft any Pitt players in 15 years, when there have been 37 of them drafted by other teams. Of course someone can try to look at each pick one by one if they would like, but just picking out 3 or 4 guys and saying I'm wrong doesn't convince me.

And I think the Ohio State data, while not proof of anything, does show that the Steelers like them some Buckeyes. And Nittany Lions to a lesser extent.

I find it odd that those two teams have accounted for a combined 11 Steelers picks in 15 years, while Pitt has had none, and I don't think it is just coincidence. I think that the Steelers likely shy away form the Pitt guys for one reason or another, but you might think that they would see something in at least one players that the other teams' didn't have the opportunity to see. You would expect that they know about a guy who is an extremely hard worker, not a trouble maker, acts as a leader, etc and that info would serve as a tiebreaker for the Steelers. But nope.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Counted for a combined 11 Steelers picks in 15 years, while Pitt has had none, and I don't think it is just coincidence. I think that the Steelers likely shy away form the Pitt guys for one reason or another.

And the final sentence is where you need to give examples. If you don't think it's coincidence, when it very clearly is most likely a coincidence/small sample noise when you crunch the numbers, then examples need to be given.

 

[HailtoPitt]

And the final sentence is where you need to give examples. If you don't think it's coincidence, when it very clearly is most likely a coincidence/small sample noise when you crunch the numbers, then examples need to be given.

And I already said that I'm not going through each pick, comparing the Steelers' need and position in each round, and then figuring out who could have been taken from Pitt. I think it is incredible odd that the Steelers did not take any of those 37 players but took 11 OSU and PSU players during the same time frame. Did all 11 of those guys just happen to fall to the Steelers at the right time, while none of the Pitt players fell to them at the right time? That is extremely unlikely. What is more likely is that the Steelers just put a premium on the OSU and PSU players.

 

[Piranha]

Pete Gonzalez and John Malecki played on the Steelers for a brief period of time.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

And I already said that I'm not going through each pick, comparing the Steelers' need and position in each round, and then figuring out who could have been taken from Pitt. I think it is incredible odd that the Steelers did not take any of those 37 players but took 11 OSU and PSU players during the same time frame. Did all 11 of those guys just happen to fall to the Steelers at the right time, while none of the Pitt players fell to them at the right time. That is extremely unlikely.

Just eyeballing the list -- it really isn't. You can probably knock 20-25 guys off the list right off the bat and not think twice.

If anything, that list shows that Pitt has either produced high level first rounders (all of whom were drafted before the Steelers picked) or late round fliers. There hasn't been a whole lot in between that would be in the range where a team might still care about "Best Player Available".

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Pete Gonzalez and John Malecki played on the Steelers for a brief period of time.

Ray Vinopal as well last year.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Just eyeballing the list -- it really isn't. You can probably knock 20-25 guys off the list right off the bat and not think twice.

If anything, that list shows that Pitt has either produced high level first rounders (all of whom were drafted before the Steelers picked) or late round fliers. There hasn't been a whole lot in between that would be in the range where a team might still care about "Best Player Available".

Ok, then what about those late round guys? Why no Pitt players there either?

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Pete Gonzalez and John Malecki played on the Steelers for a brief period of time.

And they invited Anthony Gonzalez for a tryout. He played near where we live and my wife and I ran into him in a restrauant one night and he was telling us about his Steelers attempt.
Jarred Holley another local guy in our neck of the woods also made an attempt to make the Steelers team based on an invite.

 

[Las Panteras]

Rod Rutherford

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Ok, then what about those late round guys? Why no Pitt players there either?

Bad fits, not at need positions, both.

I think any LB/DL from Pitt is going to be pretty quickly disqualified from a fit perspective (or, at least, they should be disqualified quickly from a fit perspective). They haven't really needed players on offense outside of the OL that they haven't addressed prior to the 5th/6th/7th rounds recently so that eliminates guys like Dickerson, Byham, LSH, etc..

The only ones maybe they'd reasonably take from that list would have been Hayes, Wilson, Spencer, Spencer, Bryant?

The 2nd and 3rd round types seem to be more in the Steelers' wheelhouse when it would come to drafting a Pitt player outside of the 1st round.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Not meant to be right or wrong. Just that it has happened. Any one team would be expected to pick 3% of a college's draft picks over time, since each NFL team is slightly more than 3% of the league.

I'm pointing out that it is strange that the Steelers have pick OSU players at such a high rate, and even PSU players at a higher rate, than average. But no Pitt players in the same time period.

Seems strange.

Why is it strange? How many Ohio State players have been drafted in the same time span? I would be it is 4-5 or more times the 37 you listed for Pitt. Same with PSU, I am guessing at least twice as many.

So this really isn't the same statistical phenomena that you are trying to claim. Again, you are pretty poor at debating.

 

[Jpripper88]

Again, 37 Pitt players drafted in a row, and none to the Steelers. Hard to argue against that fact, unless you bleed black and gold, then it's pretty easy.

Intentional or not, the Steelers aren't drafting Pitt players. You would think that they might at least have drafted one Pitt player over this period just by happenstance. They haven't. Why is that? Does practicing at the same facility, where maybe the Steelers hear every single rumor, affect the draft likelihood of Pitt guys?

There has to be a reason, and it has nothing to do with the Steelers being successful, since they have missed on plenty of guys over the same period.

Pitt hasn't had very good players, who the Steelers had the opportunity to pick. You still can't come up with one situation where the Steelers clearly passed on a Pitt player that made sense and was successful.

Just an unbelievably dumb and biased attempt. This is PSU Joebot type stuff.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Why is it strange? How many Ohio State players have been drafted in the same time span? I would be it is 4-5 or more times the 37 you listed for Pitt. Same with PSU, I am guessing at least twice as many.

So this really isn't the same statistical phenomena that you are trying to claim. Again, you are pretty poor at debating.

4-5 times? OSU had 90 players selected, of which 8 of them (8.8%) were selected by the Steelers. PSU had 50 some players selected.

I stand by what I said. The Steelers have drafted 11 OSU and PSU guys in 15 drafts, and no players from Pitt. I find it hard to believe that each of those 11 times the Steelers had each been available at a position of need, while none of the 37 Pitt players did so. Nope, something else is going on here.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

4-5 times? OSU had 90 players selected, of which 8 of them (8.8%) were selected by the Steelers. PSU had 50 some players selected.

I stand by what I said. The Steelers have drafted 11 OSU and PSU guys in 15 drafts, and no players from Pitt. I find it hard to believe that each of those 11 times the Steelers had each been available at a position of need, while none of the 37 Pitt players did so. Nope, something else is going on here.

You stand by what, that the Steelers haven't picked a Pitt player? Okay, pretty hard to refute that. Or are you saying they are biased, which is childish, infantile and stupid. If it is the latter, you are an idiot. Sorry. A friggin pom pom waving, cheerleader idiot.

 

[Cap pitt]

Who ya got?
I personally think they'll trade back, as after Vernon Hargreaves, the rest of the CB's are not that much different. I'd love to see them trade back with lets say Jacksonville and get the Jacksonville 2 and 3. 2 players who I don't mention that I like are Karl Joseph from WVU and Eric Murray from Minnesota.

1 - Andrew Billings - DT Baylor
2 - Kendall Fuller - CB Va. Tech
3 - KJ Dillon - S WVU
4 - Dadi Nicolas - OLB Va. Tech
6 - Kolby Listenbee - WR TCU
7 - Some Guard
7 - Some TE

Take this thread to the steeler'lair site

 

[PhPanther1]

Hank Poteat and Tyler Palko say hello with their black and gold jerseys.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Not really. Small sample noise more than anything else, if we're looking at this solely from a statistical perspective.

I was wondering if someone was going to point this out before I got to the end of the posts. It's as if someone can use statistics, but they surely do not understand them.

I mean look at it this way. In the specified time frame there have been 37 Pitt players drafted. The Stillers are one of 32 NFL teams. That means that if everything were perfectly evenly distributed we should have expected the Stillers to have drafted ONE Pitt player. ONE. And of course everyone knows that everything is not perfectly evenly distributed. But that's what we are arguing about. ONE draft pick. Over the last 15 years.

Good god.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

I was wondering if someone was going to point this out before I got to the end of the posts. It's as if someone can use statistics, but they surely do not understand them.

I mean look at it this way. In the specified time frame there have been 37 Pitt players drafted. The Stillers are one of 32 NFL teams. That means that if everything were perfectly evenly distributed we should have expected the Stillers to have drafted ONE Pitt player. ONE. And of course everyone knows that everything is not perfectly evenly distributed. But that's what we are arguing about. ONE draft pick. Over the last 15 years.

Good god.

Exactly.

Like I said, if Pitt picks only 2 of the next 37 Pitt players, meaning 2 out of 74 draft eligible Panthers, then they are in the "expected" zone.

If they wind up with 3 out of 74, then they're pretty much at PSU's rate.

It's just silly.

And, again, that's without taking context into account. It's like talking about how incredible some guy who plays half his games at Coors Field is -- yeah, on paper he's really effing good, but at some point that additional piece of information matters and needs to be taken into account to some extent.

 

[BFo8]

LMAO who are these scrubs. How about Allen Robinson? Tamba Hali? Navarro Bowman? Those are 3 of the best players in the NFL at their position. Sean Lee, Aaron Maybin, Poz, Justin King, and Quarless have all been decent pros.

Justin King had a decent career? 20 starts with 1 INT in a short career. Maybin was voted one of the top 3 Bills draft busts ever. #11 overall pick who was out of the league in a couple years. Total trainwreck.