Round 2 – Senquez Golson (CB-Ole Miss)
Golson was one of the Steelers pre-draft visitors, continuing the trend of the Steelers drafting players that come to town for a visit. The big story of this pick was that the Steelers had their eyes on Minnesota TE Maxx Williams (who had drawn comparisons to Jason Witten, Heath Miller and Todd Heap) but the Ravens traded up one spot ahead of the Steelers and took Williams. The day started with the Steelers reportedly pursuing a trade up, but they were unable to get one worked out for one of the 3 CBs that went ahead of them (Eric Rowe, Jalen Collins, Ronald Darby) and couldn’t get something worked out to get Williams.
The story on Golson is that he is a ballhawk with great hands, recording 10 interceptions last year. He is a willing tackler but is tiny. He is 5’8″ 176 pounds. I am not overly thrilled with this pick, I had Golson rated as a 3rd rounder at best.
Data I Track
Golson is yet another pick from a power conference school in the first 3 rounds. In his 16 drafts, Colbert has only used 2 picks in the first 2 rounds on players from non-power conferences.
Ole Miss finished the year ranked 17th in the AP Top 25. The Steelers have drafted a higher percentage of players from ranked schools than any other team. Golson is the 63rd player (in 124 picks) that Colbert has taken from a ranked school.
Interestingly, Golson was not highly ranked according to the SPARQ rankings. He was only the 57th cornerback in this class.
Videos
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EvBhc4zg5g] 1 INT, 2 tackles
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCGblegWx7U] 2 INT, 1 PD
Twitter Reaction
Mel Blount can pull that hat off. You and I can’t.
— Doug Farrar (@SI_DougFarrar) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Steelers were going to take TE Maxx Williams until Ravens traded with AZ to jump in front of them. — Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Yikes lol RT @thesteelersnat: Let’s see how the “We have to draft a CB” crowd feels about us taking a 5’8″ corner
— Ja’Mar Montgomery,MS (@Maaaaaaster_J) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAND HOW DID THEY REACT?
Sucks the CB is only 5’8″. That’s a tad on the short side, no? — Suck Meter (@SuckMeter) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Oh my god just like I said Steelers draft a fucking Shrimp for a Freaking CB & not even a good one! WTF is wrong with this team!
— CAB (@Iceburgh24) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
@Perphection He looks solid but man, 5’8″ — #DoubleDipAtCB (@Ukbasketballftw) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
EVEN MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA THAT WERE ON THE “MUST DRAFT A CB” BANDWAGON WERE SALTY
Mel Blount was 6-3. Golson is 5-8.5
— Chris Bradford (@BCTBradford) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
And @Steelers take a corner: Senquez Golson of Mississippi. He’s 5-8 1/2. — Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
BASICALLY THIS
You said you wanted a CB, you never said what size #Steelers
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
A lot to like about Senquez Golson, but one big thing not to like. He’s 5’8” 3/4. If he was 6’1” he might have been first CB off the board. — David Todd (@DavidMTodd) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Wow. I love Senquez Golson, but not over Rollins or Steven Nelson. That is insane to me
— Jon Ledyard (@jledgePFS) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
AJ Green: 6-4. Marvin Jones: 6-2. Marlon Brown: 6-5. Breshad Perriman: 6-2. … And the #Steelers draft a 5-8 corner. — Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Q Rollins, now that is who Pitt should’ve taken
— Andy Miley (@AndrewMiley) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Don’t worry Steeler folks, it’s not too early to start complaining about the 2018 draft — Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
CB Steelers picked looks tough. If he’s 2 in taller hes a 1st rounder. Unfortunately if he’s another inch shorter he can’t ride Thunderbolt.
— John Giammarco (@escape3) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
What I Said About Golson
Draft Prospect Visits – Day 1
Senquez Golson CB – Ole Miss
Measurables:
5’8-1/2″ 176 lbs
4.46 40-yard dash
Rankings:
CBSSports: #16 CB (#127 overall)
Draft Breakdown: CB rankings not published yet
Mocking The Draft: #16 CB
Scott Carasik: #10 CB
SPARQ: #20 CB
Analysis: Golsen was a two-sport athlete at Ole Miss, excelling in both football and baseball. Golson was a first-team All-American after hauling in 10 interceptions for the Rebels. He was drafted in 2011 by the Boston Red Sox as a centerfielder (which should tell you something about his range) but decided to stay at Ole Miss and pursue football. The biggest knock on Golson is that he is undersized and extremely light – measuring in at under 5’9″ and 176 pounds. There have been plenty of undersized DBs that have made their mark in the NFL and Golson has the fluidity and quick route-jumping ability to be a very solid corner. Ole Miss primarily played zone defense so he will have some learning to do to adjust to the man concepts in the NFL and he will likely come off the board somewhere in the middle rounds of the draft.
Round 3 – Sammie Coates (WR – Auburn)
Coates is a speedster from Auburn who put up 40s in the low 4.4s. He is basically a clone of Martavis Bryant, which makes him an interesting selection considering the Steelers already have Martavis Bryant on the roster. Coates has a great story off the field and will fill in as the Steelers 4th WR in 2015. He will have time to develop and work on his route-running and improve his hands (he did have some drop issues).
Data I Track
Not only was Coates the 3rd player from a power conference the Steelers drafted this year, he was the 3rd player from the SEC. Colbert has only used 4 picks in the first 3 rounds (over 16 drafts) on players from non-power conference schools. Auburn finished the season ranked 22nd in the AP poll, making him the 2nd player from a ranked team that the Steelers took this year. Colbert has now used 51.2% of his picks on players from ranked schools – the highest percentage in the league. Coates was a SPARQ monster, putting up the 2nd highest score in the WR group. The Steelers have been heavily invested in SPARQ players the last few seasons and Dupree and Coates both reinforce this fact. Coates did come to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit, making him the 25th player in the last 6 years that the Steelers have drafted who they brought in for a visit.
Videos
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBazszxuGOI]
Twitter Reaction
CALLED IT RT @thesteelersnat · 4m 4 minutes ago Sammie Coats still available, right?
— The Steelers n’at (@thesteelersnat) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I’ll trust the Steelers when it comes to 3rd-round WRs (Ward, Wallace, Sanders). Though this hands talk is Sweed-esque
— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
When did the steelers become all about the measurables. Bud Dupree, Sammie Coates, Martavis Bryant, Ryan Shazier, Dri Archer — Ian Kenyon (@IanKenyonNFL) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Are Sammie and Tavis on the same team? Did I dream that? No one’s talking about this.
— Zach Whitman (@zjwhitman) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
YES – I LOVE SAMMIE COATES …. Been mocking him to the #Steelers for weeks in the 3rd round too … GREAT SELECTION — Simon Chester (@SteelersWarRoom) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
New Steelers WR Sammie Coates is a deep threat – 41.9% of his targets came on throws of 20+ yards
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Steelers loving the SEC conference in this draft ! — mike vukovcan (@mvukovcan) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Coates had some monster catches against that BAMA secondary. He’s got a solid skill set. I respect talent even on a rival, he’s got it
— Go Hawks Go (@CrimsonTider74) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Steelers fans rejoice! You just got a massive steal in Sammie Coates!!! — NFL Draft Geek (@NFLDraftGeek) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Huge fan of Sammie Coates Jr. Not only athletically but off the field makes him a very special human.
— Troy Beck (@troybeck) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Coates not a bad pick, but an arrogant one in the third round. Same as last year. — Chris (@ChrisG_BR) May 2, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
What I Said
Draft Prospect Visits – Day 4
Sammie Coates
WR – Auburn
Measurables:
6’1-3/8″ 212 lbs
4.43 40-yard dash
Rankings:
CBSSports: #10 WR (#59 overall)
Draft Breakdown: #11 WR
Mocking The Draft: #11 WR (#81 overall)
Scott Carasik: #5 WR (#22 overall)
SPARQ: #2 WR
After I just got done writing in Part 3 of my Draft Visits posts about how the Steelers have been entertaining some of the top WRs in the draft, Sammie Coates comes to town. As you can see from the rankings, Coates is somewhere around one of the top 10 receivers in this draft class. He isn’t a first round pick and is a bit raw with some suspect hands. That said, NFL.com has his “Comparison Player” listed as “Martavis Bryant,” which is interesting. Could the Steelers really use a high draft pick (likely 2nd or 3rd round) on a player with excellent straight line speed but questionable hands? Are the Steelers gearing up to just run Da Bomb every play while Le’Veon Bell is suspended?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
