The Steelers Are Smart

Eleven picks in the 2010 draft. This draft is one of the deepest of all times. Why? Because of the number of under-classmen that entered the NFL draft. Many were concerned about the possible strike that may occur during the 2011 season. The Steelers have 11 choices, 4 picks in the 5th round and 2 in the 7th round. A team can do a lot of maneuvering when you have Four 5th round selections. It would not surprise me if they picked up more draft picks with another trade prior to the draft. Kevin Colbert and company are very smart. I would like to see them consider drafting a young man out of the U. of Massachusetts in the early rounds named Vladimir Ducasse. Ducasse is a 6'5"/330 OT who can play OG. He came over from Haiti and played his high school football in Stamford, Connecticut. He just keeps getting better and better and will get better in the NFL. He is a true football player and I hear a great young man. Always referring back to the "Legend" Chuck Noll, who continually said, maintain and build your team through the draft. This could be the year with right now 11 selections. Believe me when I tell you this, the draft War Rooms will be buzzing to grab those Undrafted Free Agents, especially in such a strong year.

One Week From Tonight

How far the NFL Draft has come in the past 50 years is phenominal! When the Steelers Coach Bill Austin looked at All-American Teams to today a total evaluation of the player in terms of athletic ability & skills, personality, medical concerns, and background. The draft used to have 20 rounds and now it has 7. In the 2009 draft, 256 players were chosen of which 234 were selected from Division 1A schools, 19 from Division 1AA schools, and a mere 3 from Division 2 schools with Division 3 and NAIA getting shut out. Out of the 3 from D-2 schools, two players were from Abilene Christian in Texas named WR Johnny Knox taken by the Bears and he had a
solid rookie season and Bernard Scott. Out of the remaining 149 Division 2 schools, only 1 player

was chosen. But if you go over NFL rosters, there are many Division 2 players that contribute to numerous teams. One of the best and very consistent players on the Steelers is D-2 DT Aaron Smith from Northern Colorado and another Northern Colorado guy is is real good is WR Vincent Jackson from the Chargers. One of the most under-rated O-Linemen in the entire league is Left Guard Todd Herremans of the Eagles from D-2 Saginaw Valley State. Let me tell one thing that the gurus DO NOT look at. They are the undrafted free agents that teams sign. This is where you find your Willie Parker's and James Harrison's and Kurt Warner's. Hey draftniks who study the draft need to also look at the Undrafted Free Agents.

How far has the draft come. On prime time Thursday April 22 at 7:30 PM to battle Grey's Anatomy which posts at 9 PM. What would you rather watch, a doctor talk to a nurse about their dating potential or who the Steelers will chose in the 1st Round

Draft Arthur Moats

Who is Arthur Moats? He has arrived last season from obscurity. The Steelers right now have Four picks in the 5th round. This is awesome considering the draft is heavy with talent. The 3rd through the 7th rounds is where you get your meat and potato guys(you thought I was going to spell potato "POTATOE"like Dan Quayle did). Remember the 2008 Steelers Offensive Line that carried them to the 2009 Super Bowl. Left Tackle-3rd round, Left Guard-6th Round, Center-5th Round, Right Guard-Undrafted FA, Right Tackle-4th Round. Hey draftniks, this tells you that the later rounds are LARGE. Arthur Moats, by the way, is a clone to James Harrison. He hails from Harrisonburg, VA James Madison University, a 1AA solid program. I know some people from the Steelers like him. Use one of the four 5th rounders on him unless they use the 5th rounders to trade up in the draft. Since we brought up Dan Quayle, a political question for someone to answer. Who is the last Option Quarterback to become a Congressman?

I like Moats so much, I talked about him below.

Top Local Players That Could get Drafted

Before we get started, the Pittsburgh Steelers now have 11 choices in this April's draft with the trade of Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a 5th rounder. Some may say only a 5th rounder but this draft is loaded with players. The Steelers have 4 5th round selections this year. If available, I would like to envision the Steelers selecting DE/OLB Arthur Moats from James Madison with one of the 5th round choices. Moats has numerous similarities to James Harrison and I know they like Moats. But he may not be available in the 5th round. A 5th round choice this year would be similar to a late 3rd-early 4th rounder in past years.

By the way, if I leave someone out of the following list, please advise me and I will take a look at the omission. Onward for the guys with Local ties to this years draft.

TE Rob Gronkowski Arizona Woodland Hills HS(from Buffalo, played at Woodland Hills only for his Senior season)could go in the late First or Early Second Round, out as a Junior but possible injury issue. Soft sure hands, has speed, blocks, and big.

LB Sean Lee Penn State Upper St. Clair HS shame he suffered knee injury in Spring 2009 but this instinctive athletic Will linebacker can play. Quote Tom Bradley"he is the smartest player I ever coached." Has 1st round written all over him but in a strong draft probable 2nd or 3rd round.

HB/TE Dorin Dickerson Pitt West Allegheny HS super athletic powerful pass catcher who has nice hands, runs good routes, and is willing to block. Might be a tad short for a TE but put him in motion, get him in space, and get him the football. Dorin had phenominal measureables at the combine, 4.41/40, 43.5" vertical, on and on. Could go fairly high in draft. Tough to gauge right now but someone might take him in 2nd round, maybe the 3rd, probably the 4th depending on teams needs and how much they like Dorin. It is hard not to like him.

SS Barry Church Toledo Penn Hills HS had an excellent career at Toledo. Nice sized safety that plays the run like a linebacker. Has quicks to the ball and shows real good instincts. Ran 40 at pro day better than Combine. He has real good game speed. Later middle rounds but could be a steal in the draft because of his abilities.

TE Nate Byham Pitt Franklin Area included because the WPIAL has expanded into Northwest PA. Excellent in-line blocking TE, big strong guy is like an extra Tackle. Even though some think he is strictly a blocker, Nate can really catch the ball. He could go in the Later Middle Rounds and even higher because of his blocking abilities and great attitude.

CB Terrence Johnson California U. PA Woodland Hills another Woodland Hills guy, why is he at Cal. U, well he was 5'9"/156 out of high school. At 5'10"/191 even Mel Kiper is talking about him as a shut down aggressive corner. Cal. U has not had a player drafted since the 1950's(Mr.Elmo Natalie). The NFL covets shut down corners that can run and defend.

DT Mick Williams Pitt Monessen a quick twitched guy who is just a tad undersized but can really be a disriptive 1 gap player in a 4-3 defense. Can he make the switch to a DE in a 4-3, possibly because he is quick and has explosion. Late round guy who could be a steal.

QB Bill Stull Pitt Seton LaSalle displayed his talents with an outstanding Senior campaign in 2009. Has good ball placement, can throw deep and across the middle with a very nice release and spin on the ball. With only 12 QB's drafted in 2009, 13 drafted in 2008, and 10 drafted in 2007, QB seems not to be a high draft priority for the NFL. More corners were drafted in the 2009 draft (38 total)than quarterbakcs were taken in the past 3 drafts(35 total). Stull has a shot of going late in the draft because of his skill level.

LB Adam Gunn Pitt Kiski Area got 6th year in 2009, a very productive linebacker that plays smart and has a shot of getting drafted late.

TE Wes Lyons West Virginia Woodland Hills, Woody High pumps them out, great sized guy with tremendous upside 6'8"/245, played wide out, blocks well and could get drafted as TE.

SS Brad Phillips Northwestern Franklin Regional HS, had great career at NU, solid secondary prospect who plays like an extra linebacker. Could go in late rounds.

OG John Malecki Pitt Franklin Regional HS, moved from D-Line to OG, maybe a tad undersized for OG but an excellent blocker with balance. I like as OC. Late round possible.

OG Matt McCracken Richmond Mt. Lebanon HS, had stellar career for the Spiders, solid interior lineman with good body control and surge. Possible later pick.

OLB Brandon McLaughlin Maine Schenley HS when to Maine as a safety and developed into a solid OLB, a sure tackler off the edge and can defend the pass. Looked by NFL late rounds.

SS Ashton Cobb Kentucky Center HS has really good career for the Wildcats in the secondary, forte is defending the pass and supporting the run, looked as a possible late rounder.

FS Ross Ventrone Villanova Chartiers Valley, similarities to Cleve.Browns brother Raymond Ventrone. Tough aggressive speedy style can take him a long way. Possible late rounder.

RB Dan Brown Youngstown State Clairton Iowa transfer to YSU, has nice senior campaign as a solid gutty interior runner and shows he has the speed to turn corner. Late round possible.

Remember Sports Fans, these are players with local ties. If I left someone out, it was not on purpose, please just let me know.

9000 Seniors in College Football

Every year there are about 9000 Seniors that are viable candidates to be evaluated by NFL scouts every football season across the USA from the 699 colleges that play competitive football. With only 256 getting drafted in this 2010 NFL Draft which includes the underclassmen who entered the draft, you are in a very unique group if you are one of the 256 who's names are called by the NFL commissioner and assistant commissioner on the now 3 day draft. Let's go even further. In the 2009 NFL draft, out the of 256 players selected, 234 were chosed from NCAA Division 1A Schools, 19 from NCAA Division 1AA schools, and only a mere 3 from NCAA Division 2 schools. The U. of Southern California had 11 players selected which was the highest of any school. There were 57 Defensive Backs chosen and only 12 Quarterbacks. Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer was not selected, signed with New England as an undrafted free agent, and presently is Tom Brady's back-up. New England released their other QB's and kept Hoyer as a back-up to Brady. What this tells all interested parties, that undrafted free agents(UFA's)can become very valuable candidates in the overall scheme of the draft process. Ask Steeler's James Harrison(UFA)and see what happened to his meteoric rise after bouncing from the Ravens to the Steelers. Ask Shippensburg U. of PA Corner Brent Grimes(UFA)who starts at Corner for the Atlanta Falcons. The NFL draft is an inexact scientific process similar to meterology(remember February 5 & 6, 2010 when 5 to 8 inches were predicted and this region got 2 feet). As an NFL prospect, keep moving forward, and hope for the best.

Blount Force

This is the guy got suspended by Coach Chip Kelly for a few games during the 2009 football season. This is the guy that punched a Boise State player after the first game of the season on national television. This guy is the RB from U. of Oregon that was rated a first round pick last Spring by NFL scouts. This is LeGarrette Blount, a 6'0"/247 pound tailback that can play. He runs downhill, catches the ball well, and is willing to block in pass protection. Where does LeGarrette Blount fit in. Possibly the late rounds because he lacks great speed but he is a bull to tackle and he is a powerful runner and he has speed with his football equipment on. He fits into a scheme of a power running team like the Steelers and he can carry the ball a multitude of times each and every game. He is not a sleeper because football fans know him from coast to coast but he is a guy that could make an impact with his abilities.

Background of Joe Butler

As a young college student at California U. of PA, Joe Butler always discussed being a football scout. Injuries curtailed his career but his enjoyment of the game was not compromised by not playing football. Joe used to go to the California State College practices(called Cal State back in the 1970's)and walk around, watch practices, and absorb the analytical aspects of football. After coaching and teaching at a top Catholic Grade School for education and football prowess named St. Bernard of Mt. Lebanon, Joe started a scouting service named Metro Index for both football and basketball in the Western PA. region. After working 14 hour days to get Metro Index off the ground, the scouting business starting looking up. A basketball camp and a football camp soon started around 1980 and 1981 and with fortitude, hard work, and assistance from other qualified coaches and teaching professionals, the camp and scouting business began to blossom. With 33 years in the scouting business and 18 years in the basketball camp business and 29 years in the football camp business, Joe Butler feels qualified to discuss all that is involved in the scouting, evaluation, and the dissemination of the information involved surrounding the wonderful world of athletics and all its components not only at the high school and collegiate levels but also inclusive of the professional level.