Round 4 – Doran Grant (CB-Ohio State)

Grant is the second corner that the Steelers have taken in this draft. I love this pick. To be honest, I had Grant pegged as a possibility in the 3rd round and I’m thrilled that he was still available in the fourth. Grant has more size than Golson at 5’11” and is a solid tackler who can contribute on special teams.

Data I Track

• Grant is the Steelers 4th pick from a power conference school.
• Ohio State won the National Championship and finished the year at the top of the AP Poll, making Grant the 3rd selection from a ranked team.
• Grant is the 3rd player the Stelers selected that came in for a pre-draft visit.
• Grant was the 21st ranked CB in SPARQ rankings, ahead of Alex Carter and just behind Trae Waynes.
• As a bonus, Grant is yet another player from Ohio State (the 6th in the last 6 years for the Steelers).

Videos

What I Said

Draft Prospect Visits: Day 9

Doran Grant
CB – Ohio St

Measurables:
5’10-3/8″ 200 lbs
4.44 40-yard dash

Rankings:
CBSSports: #12 CB (#94 overall)
Draft Breakdown: CB rankings unpublished
Mocking The Draft: #14 CB (#104 overall)
Scott Carasik: #14 CB (#143 overall)
SPARQ: #21 CB

Videos

Grant is an athletic corner with good ball skills who simply lacks the size to man up with bigger receivers. He is a very good tackler and is aggressive against the run. His best traits are in a zone cover scheme where he can sit back and drive against the ball. His NFL future might be in the slot against smaller receivers. Grant is likely a mid-round corner that will come off the board in the 3rd round.

5th Round – Jesse James (TE-Penn St)

After the Steelers missed out on Maxx Williams in the 2nd round, the TE market was relatively slim. That said, getting Jesse James in the 5th round was a great value. James was under-utilized at Penn State and has a decent all-around game that he could develop into a solid #2 TE. To make things better, James was a WPIAL standout at South Allegheny High School.

Data I Track

• Five picks, five players from power conferences. Check, check, check.
• Penn State did not finish the season ranked in the Top 25, giving the Steelers 3 of 5 picks from Ranked Schools.
• The Steelers did bring James in for a pre-draft visit, in addition to attending his Pro Day.
• James was the 4th highest scoring tight end in the SPARQ rankings.

Videos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMOeHH8YvgE&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcWY5SMCWw&w=420&h=315]

What I Said

Top 10 Draft Picks For Bloggers

Jesse James
(TE-Penn St)

It’s a good thing the Coward Robert Ford does not play in the NFL. Endless Train Robbery jokes.

6th Round – Leterrius Walton (DT-Central Michigan)

Who? This guy wasn’t even on my radar. He’s 6’5″ 319 pounds and a bit of a project player. That said, he adds depth to the defensive line and has the size to be a “swing” player that could make Cam Thomas insensible. I can’t believe Cam Thomas and his $2.5 million cap hit are still on the roster to begin with, but Walton gives us depth on the D-line.

Data I Track

• Walton was the first pick in the draft not from a Power Conference school. While Colbert’s tendency is to draft players from Power Conferences, 20% of his picks do come from outside of power conferences so it makes sense that at least one pick per draft comes from a non-power conference.
• Central Michigan did not finish the year in the AP Top 25.
• Walton did not come to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit and was not on any list of players that the Steelers spent any time on either at the Combine or Pro Days.
• Walton was the 64th ranked interior defensive lineman in the SPARQ rankings. That said, it should be noted that all interior linemen are combined for SPARQ rankings so nose tackles and 4-3 DTs are rated in the same group as 3-4 defensive ends.

Videos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGwJJzetF_s&w=420&h=315]

What I Said

I didn’t write anything about Walton in the pre-draft process because he was completely off my radar. That said, NFL.com compared him to Ricky-Jean Francois who is a productive 3-4 defensive end. Walton has some growth to do in his game but he is an athletic player who has good hands and feet thanks to a background in basketball.

6th Round (Comp Pick) – Anthony Chickillo (OLB-Miami)

Chickillo played in a 4-3 at Miami and is a bit undersized for a 4-3 defensive end, weighing in at 260 pounds. The Steelers have said he will be a project outside linebacker conversion. The Steelers have had success in converting 4-3 DE’s to outside linebackers in the past, but it is not a transition that can happen overnight. The good news here is that the Steelers did not use a 2nd or 3rd round pick on a DE-to-OLB conversion project but rather a very late 6th round pick.

Data I Track

• After using a selection on a player from a MAC school, the Steelers went right back to the power conference well and took a player from the ACC.
• Miami did not finish the season ranked in the Top 25.
• Chickillo did not come to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit but the Steelers did attend his Pro Day.
• Chickillo was the 21st-ranked EDGE rusher in the SPARQ rankings.

Videos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFYvdbP6uGM&w=560&h=315]

What I Said

Since Chickillo did not come on a pre-draft visit, I didn’t write anything about him before the draft. That said, in my “Steelers Draft Preview” posts, I said outside linebacker and cornerback were the two positions the Steelers might double-dip and they took two of each. The depth chart looks a lot better at outside linebacker after this draft.

7th Round – Gerod Holliman (S-Louisville)

With most 7th round picks, there isn’t much anticipation of contributions. However, Holliman is an incredibly polarizing prospect. He led the nation in interceptions last year with 14 and obviously has a knack for finding the ball. The problem with Holliman is that he is allergic to contact. He will go out of his way to avoid making a hit or being part of a tackle. When he does try to make a tackle, he misses – badly. Holliman missed more tackles than any player in college football last year. So what did the Steelers get? A safety with some ball skills that is terrified of contact. The problem here is that Holliman won’t help them at all on Special Teams so it’s hard to see him getting a roster spot over someone like Ross Ventrone, even though Holliman’s ball skills are obviously superior.

Data I Track

• Holliman was the Steelers 7th selection from a power conference. Interestingly the picks went SEC-SEC-SEC-B1G-B1G-MAC-ACC-ACC. In his first 15 drafts, Colbert averaged 80% of his picks from Power Conferences, just over 1 per draft. This year fit the bill with 7 of 8 picks coming from power conferences.
• Louisville ended the year ranked in the Top 25, giving the Steelers 4 of 8 selections from ranked schools, right in line with their average of 50.8% (which is the highest percentage in the league).
• Holliman did not come to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit but the Steelers did attend his Pro Day and had dinner with him afterwards.
• Holliman is the 144th-ranked safety in SPARQ rankings, well below average.

Videos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E3cEpXVHek&w=560&h=315]

What I Said

I didn’t write much about Holliman in the lead-up to the draft, but at this point he’s a developmental safety that every team in the league passed on because he can not tackle. Holliman has good ball skills and can be a “centerfield” free safety, but he’s also going to be a worse “last line of defense” than Shaun Suisham would be.