Following up on my previous “cream” of the linebackers draft class article, the “crop” or mid-tier of this class is still filled with solid players, potential starters, and maybe even potential Pro-Bowl caliber players.  Here are the players I think fit into the “crop”.

• Jarrad Davis – 6′ 1″ 238 (ILB)
• Raekwon McMillan – 6′ 2″ 240 (ILB)
• Zach Cunningham – 6′ 3″ 234 (ILB)
• Ryan Anderson – 6′ 2″ 253 lbs. (OLB)
• J. Watt – 6′ 4″ 252 lbs. (OLB)
• Jordan Willis – 6′ 4″ 255 (OLB)
• Tarell Basham – 6′ 4″ 269 lbs. (OLB)
• Tyus Bowser – 6′ 3″ 247 lbs. (OLB)
• Alex Anzalone – 6′ 3″ 253 lbs (OLB)

That’s how deep this draft really is on the defensive side of the ball. There are a couple of players in here who some would argue belong in the “Cream” (Davis, Cunningham, Watt), and they could be right. I had to make a cutoff somewhere, though!

There may even be a couple of players who go in the first round, but I wouldn’t take them there. That doesn’t mean there aren’t players here who could be of value to the Steelers. I’m not going to call all of these players out directly – just the ones I think can be of value to the Steelers. Remember, I’m basing this on players who fit either one of two specific needs: OLB/EDGE or ILB’s who are more Will than SAM.

Jarrad Davis – 6′ 1″ 238 lbs. (ILB)

This is maybe my favorite quote on any player’s NFL.com draft profile page:

“He’s good. I don’t care about some of those holes you are talking about. Kill him so maybe somebody will listen to you and he can fall to us. The Steelers will take him.”

Honestly, Davis probably isn’t the best fit for the Steelers. He’s a little small, but this kid is a player. He an excellent work ethic and reminds me of Lawrence Timmons… from eight years ago. He’s a sure tackler, which the Steelers have targeted in recent draft picks, but he might be a bit of a stretch to risk Pittsburgh taking with pick 30. I’m not sure he’ll make it to pick 62 either, but if he’s there, Davis is definitely worth a consideration, depending on other needs which may or may not have been addressed.

T.J. Watt – 6′ 4″ 252 lbs. (ILB)

T.J. is the third Watt brother to make his way into the NFL. I believe that T.J. could fit what the Steelers do at OLB, even though he really only had one full season of football at Wisconsin. He performed at a high level, and with production.

Watt is a player I’d look at in the second round if I’m the Steelers, but he will probably be gone by 62. I’m not sure I’d take him with 30, but if both Lawson and Rivers are gone, I’d consider it (although at that point, assuming a solid CB isn’t available, I’d consider trading down and taking Watt high in the second).

Tony Pauline of draftanaylst.com reported in this tweet that Colbert and Tomlin had dinner with Biegel and Watt.

https://twitter.com/DraftAnalyst1/status/842109977619791872

Tarell Basham – 6′ 4″ 269 lbs. (ILB)

Seriously, (and I know Eric has this player on his All-Name Team) but is there a better linebacker name than “Basham”. I can’t swear that his name is pronounced “Bash-em” but it should be!  (I did look at a lot of tape, and the announcers called him Bash ’em, so I’m going with it).   Basham is growing on me day to day, and he’s also climbing draft boards at the same time.

He didn’t blow anyone away at the combine, but if you want to compare his numbers to say, Charles Harris, who is up there in the Cream, he had a better 40 time, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone and 20 yd. Shuffle. The only thing Harris out did him in was the bench.

The issue of strength is going to be addressed at the next level, we all know that, and Basham has the frame to add muscle. He shows moments of explosiveness, and he can get tackles to move off their anchor with his speed-to-power move. He has a good motor, and plays through the whistle. He relishes the contact of setting and edge against a tackle or tight end, and wins those battles more often than not.

An NFC scout had this to say about Basham on his NFL.com draft profile:

“He is similar to Carl Lawson but I think you can get him probably a couple of rounds later or maybe more. I think he can still get a lot better as a pass rusher.”

I understand the comparison. Like Lawson, Basham is a strong and powerful player at the point of attack. He’s not as polished as Lawson is, but he has more room for improvement. He can be a 3-4 OLB and like Lawson, he’s probably more of a Joker than a player who is going to drop out and cover.

He has some “Boom or Bust” characteristics, and isn’t a player who is going to sniff the first round, but he could be a value pick in the 3rd round, and if business ends up being “Boomin” for him, he will be a steal.

You know Mike Mitchell is going to love having another OU player on the team, and if I’m the Steelers, and he’s around when the Steelers pick late in the third or fourth rounds, I might take him. I put him into the Crop because I believe more in his upside than I do his potential to be a bust. I doubt he’s around for the Steelers in 4, so he’s a third round player at best, and might even go in the second if another team falls in love with his upside.

Tyus Bowser – 6′ 3″ 247 lbs. (ILB)

Draftniks are all over the place on Bowser. Some view him as a 3-4 outside linebacker, some as a 4-3 outside linebacker, and some think his lack of size will move him inside in either scheme. I’m projecting him as a WILL inside linebacker because that fits what I see with his size and athleticism.

Bowser was a player who came to football late, so he still is developmental. He is an explosive, quick-twitch player, who has great burst out of his stance when his hand is in the dirt. He can challenge the edge and has pass rush skills, but his size plays against him and he tends to be engulfed by larger offensive linemen,  and as we all know, they don’t get smaller when you make the jump to the NFL.

That’s why I think he can be moved inside. He had a good 3 cone score at the combine (6.75 seconds) and a decent 40 (4.65 seconds), and his explosiveness was demonstrated by good vertical (37.5″) and broad (10′ 7″) jumps. The 3-cone score makes me think he can adjust to an inside role, and be a WILL backer.

An AFC Scouting director thinks Basham has potential too, saying this on his NFL.com draft profile:

“His tape from last year and this year are way different. He’s getting better. There will be some teams who miss him because their scouts are too lazy to keep an open mind that they will have written him off. He will be an early NFL starter. Watch.”

He could fall down to the 4th or possibly even the 5th round, and if he is there, and assuming the need hasn’t been filled earlier, I think he has the potential for the Steelers, with a lot of upside and potential for growth.

To be continued

Yes, there are still more linebackers the Steelers could be looking at adding to their roster via this year’s draft. Stay tuned as we continue to dig into more player who could fit the various linebacker roles for Pittsburgh’s defense.