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Pittsburgh Steelers
Posted: Sun April 19, 1998 at 9:51 p.m.
* compensatory pick
QB - Kordell Stewart is starting to develop into a solid frontline starting QB... he will be a complete QB when he can consistently play 4 solid qtrs. of football. He got off to a lot of rocky starts this season, but was able to get things turned around late in the game... he became the new "captain comeback" last season. The Steelers better hope the loss of FA WR Yancey Thigpen doesn't hinder Stewart's development. In those comebacks, he was the go-to guy, and without him, Stewart may have been mediocre. Stewart does not have a proven/quality #1 WR on his roster right now... some could even question whether they have a quality #2. Jim Tomczak will backup, with Mike Quinn at #3. If they fell Quinn can be a #2, they may relaese Tomczak, and add another young guy.
RB - "The Bus" is back. He ran wild again last season. He has been a completely different RB since leaving St. Louis... the biggest reason for his turnaround has been that he now runs behind a quality OL. Bettis is a big power back, who needs running lanes to be effective... the loss of FA LT John Jackson may make those holes a little bit more narrow. George Jones is a quality backup. He has good speed, and it is tough for defenses to adjust when he comes in for the powerful Bettis. They need to get him the ball more out of the backfield. They have 2 quality FB's in Tim Lester and Jon Wittman, they need to get them more involved.
WR - Huge ? heading into the draft. The Steelers lose quality FA's every year, but the loss of WR Yancey Thigpen may be the most hard felt yet. Thigpen was the only WR on this roster last season that could be counted on in crunch time. #2 WR Charles Johnson has shown improvement, but nowhere near the production you would expect from a 1st rd. pick. Courtney Hawkins is more of a possession guy. Will Blackwell is young an untested... he was also hurt a lot in his first NFL season. Jahine Arnold spent his 2nd NFL season on IR. Andre Coleman is a better RS than WR. Curtis Marsh, Mike Adams, Henry Bailey, and Corey Holiday are all no better than #4's. They could draft another guy, but they already have a lot of young bodies... This unit is in big trouble if Will Blackwell doesn't develop into a big play threat.
TE - Mark Bruener has good combination of size and hands... he runs fairly well, and has soft hands... they like to use him in the red zone, but may have to involve him a lot more this season with so many problems at WR. Depth is marginal with Mitch Lyons, Troy Sadowski, and Kirk Botkin. They need to add an athletic TE type in the draft.... they need someone here who can stretch the defense.
OL - Solid unit returns intact except for the key LT spot... John Jackson has spent his entire career over there, and his FA loss may hurt this team some early on. Look for RT Justin Strzelczyk to move over to the LT position. This will leave a hole at RT, where 1997 rookie Paul Wiggins, and 1996 draft pick Jamain Stephens will compete. Neither has seen any extensive action. Both looked very average in last year's preseason, and it will take a lot of work for either to be ready to pull full-time duty. OC Roger Duffy was added as a FA from the Jets, and will backup at OC and OG. Could add some more depth in the middle rds.
DL - With the re-signing of NT Joel Steed, this unit will be the same as last season... this is good news for a group that had an exc. 1997 season. Steed may be the best run stuffing NT in the NFL. More importantly, he takes up 2 blockers, allowing ILB Levon Kirkland to get into gaps and make plays. DE's Nolan Harrison and Kevin Henry are solid run stuffers... both do an exc. job of getting off blocks at the POA. There is some decent depth here, but they might add a DE in the middle to late rds.
LB - They are solid inside, but have big concerns at OLB... Jason Gildon has yet to re-sign, and both sides are far apart. Gildon is looking for close to $4M per season, while the Steelers are looking for close to $2.5-3M. Other OLB Greg Lloyd wasn't the same player last season... he looked in a fog for much of the season, and wasn't as effective coming off the corner. His season also ended prematurely with a staph infection in his ankle. It's possible age, plus this injury will take away from his skills. At this point, re-signing Gildon is a must. Don't be surprised if they draft an OLB in the 1st rd. too... Recent draft picks Steven Conley and Donta Jones have been busts for the most part.
DB - Problems at DC hurt his team early in the year. Rookie Chad Scott got off to a horrible start, but may have been their best cover DC by the end of the season. FA acquisition Donnell Woolford has lost at least a step, and he was beaten often late in the year. FA Randy Fuller has signed with Atlanta. They added FA DeWayne Washington from Minnesota, but he has been picked on regularly his last 2 seasons in Minnesota. He has trouble putting mistakes behind him, and if he doesn't improve, he won't be the answer. Carnell Lake can be used at DC, but is best suited at SS. Look for them to grab a DC or two in this draft.
ST - FA PK Norm Johnson has not been re-signed yet, and PT Josh Miller might be waived. Miller was Bill Cowher's "whipping boy" all season, and his confidence looked shattered by the end of the season. Johnson is still an effective PK despite his age, and may be re-signed shortly. They need to find some help in the return game. Will Blackwell could help, but they can't bog him down, as he will have to be their go-to WR with Thigpen gone.
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