2017 Steelers Draft Preview: Part 1

Believe it or not, the 2017 NFL Draft is well on its way, with the combine and pro days behind us. Like in prior years, I've put together a list of players who could be dressing up in the black and gold come the '17 season. These players are connected either through mock drafts (mainly Bleacher Report's Matt Miller), or Steelers visits. The profiles are summarized from NFL.com.

DE Charles Harris - Missouri   (6'3'', 253lbs)

2016: 2nd All-B12, 12TFL/9scks

Combine: 4.82s 40/ 21reps/ 32in vert jump

Strengths: Has loose, fluid hips. Explodes out of his stance.Good first step quickness. Plays with energy through the whistle. Athletic, long strides in the open. An effective spin move, uses early speed to power to create movement before attacking tackle's inside shoulder. Showed some ability to drop into space.

Weaknesses: Gives ground on the edge and can be widened out of his run fit. Hands must get better at the point of attack. Plays with slow reaction time to counters and misdirection, can lose track of the ball. Slows to activate his counter spin back inside.

Comp: Connor Barwin

Grade: 6.0 (Chance to become a good starter)

CB Adoree' Jackson - USC (5'10'', 186lbs)

2016: Thorpe Award, All-American/PAC-12, 5INTS/ 11PBUs/ 4 return TDs

Combine: 4.42 40/ 36in vert jump

Strengths: Shows greater pattern recognition and is able to maintain coverage around the field. Plays in a variety of coverage techniques. Able to mirror and match from the press. Features a closing burst. Excellent ball skills with well-timed leaps and aggressive tactics at the catch point. A consistent tackler. Has high end return talent.

Weaknesses: Might be limited to just work in the slot. Very slight hitch in transition going forward from his pedal. Can be leveraged when without safety help. 

Comp: Jonathan Joseph

Grade: 5.89 (Could become an early starter)

G Dorian Johnson - Pittsburgh (6'5", 300lbs)

2016: 1st All-ACC

Combine: 5.27 40/ 21reps/ 30in vert jump

Strengths: Solid when asked to play in space. Plays with a leg drive as a run blocker. Operates with quality balance. Accurate radar in seeking out second level targets. Excels on short pulls. Sets up with a good base & anchor in pass protection.

Weaknesses: At times is too aggressive when he moves up to the second level. Needs to improve patience on his climb. Needs to let his hands go more quickly in the run game.

Comp: Jack Mewhort

Grade: 5.83 (could become an early starter)

RB Samaje Perine - Oklahoma (5'11", 233lbs)

2016: 1,060yds/12 TDs, 2nd All-B12

Combine: 4.65 40/ 30reps/ 33in vert jump

Strengths: Toughness to handle a heavy workload. Very powerful through his hips & thighs. Drives through initial contact. Decisive in downhill charge.

Weaknesses: Lacks loose hips to make sudden lateral escapes. Doesn't have a big first to third level burst. Needs a clear path, plays speed is very average. Could have trouble getting to the edge.

Comp: Michael Turner

Grade: 5.64 (backup/eventual starter)

OLB Deon Hollins - UCLA (6'0, 230lbs)

Strengths: Very good slant quickness to disrupt blocking assignments. Can be tough to redirect  as a pass rusher. Good change of direction to charge scrambling QBs.

Weaknesses: Appears to be without a true position. Had a dramatic reduction in playing time. A grab & hold tackler. Gets pulverized when tackles center him up.

Grade: 4.85

OLB Ryan Anderson - Alabama (6'2", 253lbs)

2016: 1st All-SEC, 61tckls/ 19TFL/ 1INT - TD/ 9scks

Combine: 4.78 40

Strengths: Disciplined in assignments. Has NFL-caliber hand work. Possesses a sturdy edge, relentless charge as a pass rusher. Leverages runners to the sideline. A tackle finisher.

Weaknesses: Lacks desired pursuit speed. Hips are a little stiff and he lacks plus range of motion. Missing desired traits consistent of NFL pass rushers. Can flatten out as a rusher.

Comp: Ahmad Brooks

Grade: 5.89 (Could become an early starter)

WR Carlos Henderson - Louisiana Tech (5'11", 199lbs)

2016: 82rec/ 1,535yds/ 19TDs

Combine: 4.46 40/ 13reps/ 36in vert jump

Strengths: Maintains play speed through directional route changes. Can elevate his catch focus. Sells double moves. Can dip to adjust to low throws. Competitive runner after the catch. Can slip the first tackle and power through the second. Has return skills.

Weaknesses: Short strider. Play speed is inconsistent. Too reliant upon speed & talent over fundamentals. Tight hipped and average at changing directions. Below average ball tracking on deep throws. Waits on throws rather than come back.

Comp: Quinton Patton

Grade: 5.52 (backup/eventual starter) 

QB Brad Kaaya - Miami (6'4", 214lbs)

2016: 62% compl, 3,532yds, 27TDs/ 7INTs

Strengths: Pro style pocket passer. Has ability to read the entire field. Throws to an area in front of the route when blitzed. Rarely takes unnecessary risks throwing into space. A rhythm passer. Well-timed climbs and slides to maneuver away from pressure.Footwork is consistent. Throws on balance with an easy delivery.

Weaknesses: Will rush throws into tight windows. Passes can sail. Consistently poor accuracy on intermediate work. Under-throws deep throws. Throws hang in the air, or nose-dive prematurely field side. Lacks improvisational skills on the move. Lacks mobility outside the pocket and will give into pressure.

Comp: Cody Kessler

Grade: 5.59 (backup/eventual starter)   

CB Cameron Sutton - Tennessee (5'11", 188lbs)

2016: 23tckls/2 TFL, 1INT/4PBUs

Combine: 4.52 40/ 11reps/ 34in vert jump

Strengths: Man-cover corner with feet to mirror & match off the line of scrimmage. Desired fluidity of movement with ability to open and run from backpedal. Good acceleration. Soft hands and smart angles to the ball. Punt-return talent.

Weaknesses: Too passive in press coverage. Plays a little tall in backpedal. Issues with his back to the QB, late to turn and find the ball. Unreliable in run support.

Comp: B.W Webb

Grade: 5.72 (Could become an early starter)

SNL Season 42: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson joined the 5-timer's club. How did Scarlett do? Onto the review

Alien Attack Cold Open: A notable difference from last week's cold open, as Alec Baldwin was front and center as Trump. You could just spot the energy difference as the crowd erupted at the sight of Baldwin. In this cold open, we saw a futuristic alien invasion in 2018, with Trump tasked to rally the troops...but with middling results. The best line may have been Sasheer Zamata's "oh, ok, no" as Trump posits that Leslie Jones and Zamata could be aliens. A pretty out there cold open (though I liked how it featured the entire cast). (7.1)

Monologue: (6.8)

Zoo Pornographer: A classic miscommunication style of sketch, we see a news interviewer with a "Zoo Photographer", but chyron hilarity ensues. Scarlett and Mikey Day brought this to a different level there. (7.5)

Fire Island (short): (7.7)

Translator: When you add live animals, it seems you're always going to get a top-grade sketch. That was the case here, as a tech team tries to translate Scarlett's pug. This sketch hit on a number of issues; how would we react to our pet's political opinions, and how we try to immediately shut down opinions that go against ours. Instead of trying to reason with 'max', they just dismiss him. This all goes to a larger point of how we can become uncomfortable with differing views, instead of trying to understand and defend one's own views. (9.1)

Olive Garden: Beck Bennett tries to film reaction shots for an Olive Garden ad. There were so many great moments here, from some awkward asks of Leslie Jones and Kenan Thompson, to bewildered takes from Scarlett and Mikey. Just in general a perfect parody of Olive Garden. (8.5)

Complicit (ad): A spot-on take of Ivanka Trump. In this ad for her new fragrance "complicit", it points out how she's mostly looked the other way on some of her father's more questionable comments. It isn't a personal attack, but more on how she's reacting and benefiting to the Trump presidency, without really saying a lot. (9.2)

(Lorde): (8.6)

Weekend Update: With the energy of the show, Jost and Che came out firing on Update.

The first guests were Al Franken (Alex Moffat) and Jeff Sessions (McKinnon). This was a perfect duo, as Kate gets to play Sessions more and more. And Alex's Franken impression was picture perfect. Who knows, we may be seeing a lot more of it come 2019 and 2020.....

Then Pete Davidson returned, giving some of his first impressions of Trump's surrogate team. It was nice seeing Pete back as an Update guest, as its seemingly been a little while. (8.2)

Shud The Mermaid: This was a recurring character I wasn't expecting. Kate took on her role as the blobfish mermaid 'Shud'. She can pull off any character it seems. (7.5)

Shanice Goodwin - Ninja Rivals: (7.4)

(Lorde): (9.0)

A Sketch For The Women: "A Day Without Women" was this past week, and to recognize that, Kyle and Beck "wrote a sketch recognizing it". They go on to mansplain women's problems as Scarlett and Aidy watch on, interjecting with agreements. Paired with last week's "Girl At A Bar", this goes on to show how representation is a problem that affects both sides of the political spectrum. (Which you know must be true, given how I loathe 'both sides' takes). (8.7)

Funeral Service: (6.4)

Scarlett entered JT/Melissa McCarthy territory with this episode. She's a reliably solid host, who always seems to bring a ton of energy to a show. She has those comedic nuances, where she can drive a sketch just with her delivery, even if she isn't the main player in it. (7.98)

Dave Chappelle: 8.83
Kristen Stewart: 8.13

Tom Hanks: 8.03

Scarlett Johansson: 7.98

Aziz Ansari: 7.82

Lin Manuel Miranda: 7.74

Felicity Jones: 7.62

Alec Baldwin: 7.58

Emma Stone: 7.56

Casey Affleck: 7.40

Margot Robbie: 7.38

John Cena: 7.19

Kristen Wiig: 7.09

Emily Blunt: 7.07

Benedict Cumberbatch: 6.60

Octavia Spencer: 6.49

SNL Season 42: Octavia Spencer

SNL returned from a 2-week break. In this current day and age you can miss a lot even in a couple of weeks. So how did SNL catch up? Onto the review

Jeff Sessions Gump Cold Open: Kate McKinnon reprised her role as Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He waits on a bus, Forrest Gump style, working his way around his visits to the Russian ambassador with strangers. Of course a shirtless Putin (Beck Bennett) showed up, along with Octavia reprising her "The Help" role with a special pie of sorts. This was a fairly decent cold open, though it felt somewhat lacking (especially without Alec's Trump). (7.3)

Monologue: We got a "Hidden Fence Light" joke, so that was something. (6.6)

Republican Movie Trailer: A trailer about that heroic Republican who spoke and took action against Donald Trump.......TBD. This trailer parody was pretty brilliant and right to the point. Yes, we've had a small handful of Republicans, like Senators Graham and McCain speak out....but without any real action backing anything up. But one thing is for sure......it certainly won't be Paul Ryan. (8.5)

Drug Company Hearing: (4.5)

Girl At A Bar (short): Another short that was brutally honest. Cecily Strong sits down at a bar...and is confronted by "bro feminists", guys who confess their support of the women's march, Sen. Kamala Harris, etc, and then feel that its an obligation for you to go out with them. This acted as both a sketch....and sort of a PSA. I usually hate the "both sides" -ism of the beltway, but in this case, forms of misogyny certainly are on both sides of the political spectrum. (9.0)

Zoo-opolis Voice Actors: A look into a vocal studio of "Zoo-opolis", this was a take off of Zootopia, It was mainly just a vehicle for celebrity impressions. This came pretty close to sinking, but turned out to be a good jumping off point for new cast-members Melissa Villasenor and Alex Moffat. Melissa has a pretty vast collection of impressions, from Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig....to cast-member Kate McKinnon. (6.9)

Youngblood (short): (6.8)

(Father John Misty): (6.8)

Weekend Update: Colin Jost and Michael Che picked it back up with Update. They've gotten really good at covering what's been a regular crazy week...every week in political news. Also had a few edgy jokes thrown in there that I thought played off well (what Jost does pretty well).

The first guest saw Alex and Mikey Day making their first Update appearance as Eric and Donald Trump Jr. Their takes on these two are absolutely hilarious (especially Alex's facial expressions).

Finally, we got Vanessa Bayer returning as Laura Parsons. You could make the case that this character is starting to reach Stefon levels (just in its unpredictably every time she comes out).(8.0)

Sticky Bun: (5.4)

Wine Bar: (4.0)

(Father John Misty): (7.0)

The Chocolate Man: In what turned out to be a poor post-update run this week, this stood out just for Beck Bennett's bizarre character. He's pretty great in his range of who he's able to play. (7.0)

Spencers Gifts HQ: (3.0)

So being completely honest here....Octavia Spencer isn't a particularly good host. She tried and had a positive attitude towards it, but her timing just always seemed off. The newbies Melissa Villasenor and Alex Moffat/Mikey Day were able to step in and somewhat salvage the show, but no live sketch really hit the mark

The commercial cutaway gag of Kate as Kellyanne Conway awkwardly sitting randomly on the set was the best live work of this show. (6.49)

Dave Chappelle: 8.83
Kristen Stewart: 8.13

Tom Hanks: 8.03

Aziz Ansari: 7.82

Lin Manuel Miranda: 7.74

Felicity Jones: 7.62

Alec Baldwin: 7.58

Emma Stone: 7.56

Casey Affleck: 7.40

Margot Robbie: 7.38

John Cena: 7.19

Kristen Wiig: 7.09

Emily Blunt: 7.07

Benedict Cumberbatch: 6.60

Octavia Spencer: 6.49