With the 2015 NFL Draft approaching, its time for another installment of the Steelers draft prospect series. As with last year, I'll profile draft prospects who have been connected to the Steelers, through mock drafts or visits/workouts. The profiles come from nfl.com.
SS Landon Collins - Alabama (6'0'', 228lbs)
2014: Unanimous All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, Finalist for the Nagurski & Thorpe Awards, 103tckls, 3INTs
Combine: 40- 4.53s, 35in vert jump
Strengths: Decisive against the run. Gets high to low quickly and is all over the ball. He leverages RBs to the sidelines and keeps contain. Explodes into his tackles with purpose. Not easily moved around the field by the QB. A wrap-up tackler. Physical enough to match up against TEs and has the feet to carry big slot targets. He transitions to throws quickly in zone coverage and limits yards after the catch. He times his leaps well.
Weaknesses: Has average hands, dropping easy INTs. Can be beaten in a foot race. Average recovery speed. Gets caught peeking into the backfield and can be beaten over the top after a late jump. Inconsistent route recognition. Shows some hip stiffness when asked to open up & run.
NFL Comp: Jonathan Cyprien
Score: 6.33 (Should become an instant starter)
TE Cameron Clear - Texas A&M (6'5'', 277lbs)
Combine: 40- 4.98s, 32in vert jump
Strengths: Looks the part. Flashes adequate athleticism in routes. Has shown adequate ability to sustain run blocks and help with the edge.
Weaknesses: He struggled to find playing time & production in college. Inconsistent as a blocker. There are concerns when it comes to his personal character (2012 felony theft)
Score: 4.87 (Should be in a training camp)
OT T.J. Clemmings - Pittsburgh (6'5'', 309lbs)
2014: 2nd Team All-American, 1st Team All-ACC, Voted team captain
Combine: 40- 5.14s, 22reps, 32.5in vert jump
Strengths: Has great foot quickness (former H.S basketball player). Moves like a TE in space. Elite change of direction talent & knee bend. Can peel off a block to pick up a delayed blitzer. Can secure a shoulder to torque a defender out of a run play. His hands carry jarring power. Explodes out of his stance into defenders. Has the talent to make any block asked of him in the running game.
Weaknesses: Inexperienced and still raw at the position. Will fall off blocks when his base gets too narrowed on angle blocks. Will duck his head into contact in the run game. Gives away length with his wide hands. Has to scramble at times to redirect around the arc. Has shown a lack of technique & confidence after being beaten.
NFL Comp: Duane Brown
Score: 6.07 (Should become an instant starter)
WR Jamison Crowder - Duke (5'8'', 185lbs)
2014: 1st Team All-ACC, 2 punt returns TDs, 2nd in ACC w/ 85rec
Combine: 40- 4.56s, 10reps, 37in vert jump
Strengths: Has great instant acceleration. Will gain separation when working underneath. A good route runner who consistently gets on top of defenders quicker than they expect. Will give effort as a blocker.
Weaknesses: Not an authoritative runner after the catch. Can be redirected in his routes by physical CBs. A high number of his targets came from bubble screens & quick hitters. Has focus drops.
NFL Comp: Eddie Royal
Score: 5.30 (Backup/Special teams potential)
OLB Kyle Emanuel - North Dakota St (6'3'', 255lbs)
2014: 19.5scks, FCS All-American, Missouri Valley DPOY
Combine: 40- 4.77s, 27reps, 34in vert jump
Strengths: Fires out with forward lean and low pad level. Has the ability to bend the edge & turn the corner abruptly. Isn't easily redirected when he gets to the shoulder of the tackle. Has quick feet. A frenetic, moving target who is hard to sustain against. Pursues runners with outstanding angles and never believes he is out of a play.
Weaknesses: Has an average burst to the edge. Struggles to find his way back into the rush when he is quick-set. Might be a 3-4 OLB only. Needs to increase pass-rush repertoire. Rarely breaks off the pass rush at high point to come underneath the tackle.
Score: 5.50 (Chance to become a starter)
DE Markus Golden - Missouri (6'2'', 260lbs)
2014: 2nd Team All-SEC
Combine: 40- 4.90s
Strengths: Plays with toughness and is a fighter. Can set & hold the edge against the run. Has an extended motor down the field. Holds his ground at the point of attack. Shows good awareness and locates the ball quickly. A heavy tackler.
Weaknesses: Lacks average get-off after the snap. Has a limited tackle range. Doesn't use hands to shed & win often enough. Doesn't have a pet pass rush move. Stiff & must gear down to change direction. Lacks a closing burst to finish off his pass rushes.
Score: 5.42 (Backup/Special teams potential)
RB Matt Jones - Florida (6'2'', 231lbs)
2014: Led team in rushing yds. Had 6 rushing TDs
Combine: 40- 4.61s, 20reps, 31.5in vert jump
Strengths: Above-average swivel in hips & perimeter quickness for a runner his size. Has slippery-lower body with angle-tackle attempts sliding off. Keeps shoulders square to line for max power. Difficult to stop for a loss. Flashes capable hands if asked to catch in the pros. He's aggressive in protection.
Weaknesses: More of a grinder than an every down back. Very little feel for maximizing run creases. Drops his head & burrows into blockers and defenders rather than seeing open space. Must improve patience in setting up blocks. Doesn't show much creativity & shiftiness once he's on the second level. Has fumbling issues.
NFL Comp: Benjarvus Green-Ellis
Score: 5.30 (Backup/Special teams potential)
OLB Lorenzo Mauldin - Louisville (6'4'', 259lbs)
2014: 1st Team All-ACC
Combine: 40- 4.85s, 23reps, 32in vert jump
Strengths: Gives a second effort and doesn't quit on plays. Can make OTs look foolish in pass rush. Protective & active against the run. Will get hands in the passing lane when the rush stalls out. Straight-line burst upfield to the QB when he has him in his sights. Can change direction quickly to beat tackles inside.
Weaknesses: Doesn't consistently utilize power in his hands. Plays too upright. Doesn't dip & turn the corner as tightly as you would like for a 3-4 edge setter.
NFL Comp: Akeem Ayers
Score: 5.64 (Chance to become a starter)
WR Breshad Perriman - Central Florida (6'2'', 212lbs)
2014: 1st Team All-AAC, 9TDs, 1,000+yds
Strengths: A quick accelerator off the snap. Able to break routes off sharply, or go form stop to start instantly. Gets consistent separation at the top of the route. Always gets over the top of CBs on verticals. Varies route speed. An explosive leaper with timing and catch radius to make the difficult catches look easy. Shows off plus body control & ball tracking on the deep ball. Gives good effort as a run blocker.
Weaknesses: Raw in his routes, relying on speed/athleticism over precision. Sits & waits on the throw rather than working back to it. Redirected in his routes more than expected for his size. Slow catch readiness, allowing too many throws to beat him. Has a problem with focus drops.
NFL Comp: Josh Gordon
Score: 6.27 (Should become an instant starter)
TE Clive Walford - Miami,FL (6'4'', 251lbs)
2014: 3rd Team AP-All American, 2nd Team All-ACC, Mackey Award finalist
Combine: 40- 4.79s, 20reps, 35in vert jump
Strengths: Becoming a very reliable blocker. Bends & explodes from his hips into his targets and sustains with a good base. Has lineup up in-line, slot and as a H-back. Enough quickness to threaten the seam. Turns his head & locates the ball quickly. Can make contested catches. Has run after the catch ability.
Weaknesses: Focus drops were a big problem. Needs work sinking his hips into breaks. Will round off routes and allow defenders angles to break on the pass. Not the same factor in run blocking when asked to play a move-TE role.
NFL Comp: Dwayne Allen
Score: 5.51 (Chance to become a starter)
WR DeVante Parker - Louisville (6'3'', 209lbs)
2014: 2nd Team All-ACC, 43rec, 855yds, 5TDs (dealt with injuries in '14)
Combine: 40- 4.45s, 17reps, 36.5in vert jump
Strengths: Consistently plays with outstanding body control. Has soft hands & elite concentration. Comfortable with a man on his hip. Has a daunting catch radius. Produces explosive plays without top-end speed. Works his way back to the ball and gets open during scrambles. A snatch & secure receiver. Came back from injury & regained form.
Weaknesses: Has to prove he can beat a more physical press coverage. Routes are inconsistent and sometimes lacks sharpness. Not a blocker.
NFL Comp: Hakeem Nicks
Score: 6.26 (Should become an instant starter)
DE Shane Ray - Missouri (6'3'', 245lbs)
2014: SEC DPOY, Consensus 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, 14.5scks, 22.5TFL, 2FF
Combine: 21reps
Strengths: Explosive athlete in every sense. Has fast, violent hands with advanced understanding of how to use them. Uses rip to get under OL & out-leverage them. Once he gets to blockers' edge, they struggle to recover & redirect. Excellent change of direction talent. Works hard to stand his ground versus power. Was able to drop into space with no issues when asked.
Weaknesses: At times was engulfed and glued to the bigger tackles he faced. Can get too focused on hand fighting if he doesn't with with his hands early in the pass rush. Will occasionally stunt himself out of a play. Needs more variety to pass rush.
NFL Comp: Chris Clemons
Score: 6.69 (Chance to become pro-bowl caliber)
CB D'Joun Smith - Florida Atlantic (5'10'', 187lbs)
2014: 2nd Team All-Conference USA
Combine: 40- 4.45s, 18reps, 36in vert jump
Strengths: Very good foot quickness & footwork in general. Can flip hips and get to top speed quickly. Has very good ball skills. Has good eyes & feel for the game. Turns & locates the ball downfield. A willing tackler. Will jump routes and try to flip the field.
Weaknesses: Shows tightness at the top of the route. More of an off-man corner who is till learning to play near the line of scrimmage. Lacks long speed & could be targeted for double moves on the next level. Technique as a tackler needs sharpening.
NFL Comp: Ross Cocknell
Score: 5.58 (Chance to become a starter)
FS Derron Smith - Fresno St (5'10'', 200lbs)
2014: 2nd on team with 93tckls. 1st Team All-Mountain West
Strengths: Modern-day safety with the ability to play near the line or in single-high coverage. An easy mover. Has outstanding coverage skills and a mirror in coverage over the slot. Instinctive with plus field vision and ability to track the ball. Has playmaking potential. Has burst to close on boundary throws down the field.
Weaknesses: Will take questionable angles to the ball against the run & pass. Short-armed with limited high-point ability. Overly reliant on body positioning against big WRs when the ball is in the air. NFL TEs too big for him to cover. Too wild as a tackler.
NFL Comp: Marcus Gilchrist
Score: 5.60 (Chance to become a starter)
WR Phillip Dorsett - Miami,FL (5'10'', 185lbs)
2014: 2nd Team All-ACC
Combine: 40- 4.33s, 13reps, 37in vert jump
Strengths: Elite explosiveness. Gets to top speed quickly and is a seamless glider on crossing routes. Can work outside and from the slot. Elevates & attacks contested catches. Adjusts to the ball mid-air. More than just a vertical WR.
Weaknesses: Still raw in his routes, relying on pure speed. Inconsistent with his hand placement to catch & lets the ball get on top of him.
NFL Comp: John Brown
Score: 5.87 (Chance to become a starter)
OG Sean Hickey - Syracuse (6'8'', 309lbs)
Combine: 35reps
Strengths: Can get good movement when he locks in. At his best in jump sets with a good punch and leverage inside. Walls off defenders effectively in the run game. Will take a stand against power rushers when needed.
Weaknesses: Looks lost when he gets to the second level. Plays with low, wide hands on pass protection. Turns his shoulders and opens up too quickly in pass protection. Doesn't look for work downfield.
NFL Comp: Andrew Gardner
Score: 5.10 (Better than average chance to make a roster)
RB Karlos Williams - Florida St (6'1'', 230lbs)
Combine: 40- 4.48s, 16reps, 33.5in vert jump
Strengths: A former safety with aggressive, physical temperament. Has an angular running style. Makes subtle change of direction without gearing down. Has good top-end speed. Will body up in pass protection. Slams it between tackles when asked & doesn't look to bounce outside. Shows patience and uses head fakes to freeze defenders in space. Hard to tackle and keep feet churning at impact.
Weaknesses: Has issues with leverage when challenged suddenly in the hole. Not much experience at the position. Instincts & feel are very hit and miss. Might not fit all the running schemes. Doesn't make many defenders miss at the second level. Character will be combed over carefully (Investigated for domestic battery, no charges filed).
NFL Comp: Alfred Blue
Score: 5.45 (Backup/Special teams potential)
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