NFL Draft thread....
- Thread starter GregInPitt
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King: should he have returned? Would it have helped? Was his 1st rd aspirations just noise to hype a guy to get eye balls on an article between spring and fall?
I think that the draft results answer your rhetorical question. He’s the latest victim of delusions of grandeur.
I don't know, but he couldn't have gotten drafted lower if he had come back. And if his NFL career turns out to be just a training camp, he would have at least made $50K-100K in NIL if he had come back for 2024, wouldn't he? Maybe left PSU with a nice car, paid off. Could have played another year with his brother. It was hard for me to believe how slow King ran at the combine. Never heard any excuses, but surely a year working on his speed could have gotten a few ticks off of that which would have helped his case to get drafted higher. And he might have rebounded from his less than stellar season.
Didn't some that looked critically at game film believe that Dixon played better in 2023? I still believe if Dixon and King would have played in the bowl it would have resulted in giving up less passing yards and may have helped PSU to the win. Cam Miller played pretty well but still gave up a good many catches on great throws. Maybe a more experienced CB takes a penalty or two to prevent those longer catches, or gets away with a couple penalties. But Dixon was out of eligibility to he wasn't going to play much in the bowl anyway.
And what about Jacobs? The write ups on him for the draft were pretty complimentary.
King just gets taken near end of 7th..... by the Packers.
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At draft's end ESPN has Jacobs as the best available overall.
257 players take and Jacobs was rated the 108th overall, 7th best LB and didn't get called.
CBS Sports had Jacobs at227 overall, 18th best LB
257 players take and Jacobs was rated the 108th overall, 7th best LB and didn't get called.
CBS Sports had Jacobs at227 overall, 18th best LB
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More than one of the NFL network analysts have taken the Steelers as one of the big winners of the draft. Some comments:
best Center
Best LB
One of couple best OT's
Continued major reworking previous weak OL
....
Also getting love:
KC - fastet WR, ....
Da Bears - top end players
LA Rams - defensive front, Corum at RB,...
So PSU finishes with 8 players drafted. Only behind the playoff teams and a couple others.
best Center
Best LB
One of couple best OT's
Continued major reworking previous weak OL
....
Also getting love:
KC - fastet WR, ....
Da Bears - top end players
LA Rams - defensive front, Corum at RB,...
So PSU finishes with 8 players drafted. Only behind the playoff teams and a couple others.
I truly dont care about bowl games (nice reps for kids coming back but that's it). I thought King was one of our weakest defensive starter last year. He was overhyped and it showed on the field. His 40 time wasn't the only reason his stock plummeted. It's almost better to go undrafted at that point so you have some control.
The issue for Jacobs is he's a two down linebacker and that lacks value today.
The fact that a few of the PSU players were not drafted might serve as a warning for next year's draft eligible players. Might make a few return for another year.
Tough for this year's undrafted players.
Frazier wasn't the best center. That's insane but Steelers got 4 starters in theory so solid draft.
Penn State did well the least 3 days.
It shouldn't. Why should what happened to someone else impact them? Honestly, they should all enter the draft as soon as they're ready to move on mentally.
Great draft for PSU. It is further proof that we were probably just an experienced QB away from making the playoffs. King made a huge mistake. I do feel bad for him. Someone should have advised him to stay. He obviously knew what his 40 time was prior to making that decision to leave. I’m happy we are able to fill his spot internally and with portal players.
Yep, but some young men that have given their all are just ready to move on.
I feel bad for Jacobs as he seemed like a good enough athlete to play some in NFL, and he still might as a FA signing. But he was a 2020 class recruit so at least he was at PSU 4 years. King was a 2021 class player so he was only at PSU for 3 years and it seems his decision to leave was a poor one. Leaving after 3 years to be one of the last picks in the last round does not seem like a great plan, especially when your twin brother is in the same class and stays for his 4th year.
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Yeah no beef with Jacobs. I think Jacobs could make a team tbh.
I always like Jacobs and has been one of my favorites over the last few years. I think he has a future in the NFL. Hell, he ran a better 40 than Kalen King.
Supposedly the Steelers had Frazier as the 2nd best Center behind the kid from Duke, and ahead of the Center from Oregon that the Raiders took. If the Steeler start the 2 olinemen, the WR Wilson and the LB Wilson that will be great, but they need them to play well not just start because there is no one else. The LB's film was crazy good. Even if Ramon WIlson can play decent in the slot they still need to find another WR somewhere. Trade for a good one or pick up someone on the down side of their career like they did last season with ARob.
Yep, PSU did well. The two DE's, even though they are big time talents, seem like the easiest to replace of the top players lost especially now with Carter at DE. Trautwein will have to come through as having 3 olinemen drafted reasonably high seems like the toughest position loss a team can have. Before the 2023 season it was worrysome looking ahead to losing the 3 CB's but with the transfers and getting the 2023 true freshmen experience it seems that the secondary can recover nicely. Especially with all the Talent at Safety.
But what I believe I liked the best about the draft, aside from the Steelers doing well, is that Michigan had 13 players drafted, including their whole oline. Maybe they take a big dive next season. Wish PSU was playing them in 2024 instead of oh-high-ya as it might have been a chance to put a whoopin on them......
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He's a tweener on so many levels.
Curtis Jacobs Signs With Kansas City Chiefs As UDFA
Jacobs would join Hunter Nourzad, who was a fifth-round selection, with the Chiefs.
onwardstate.com
He's signed at least.
2024 NFL Draft picks by conference
- SEC -- 59
- Pac-12 -- 43
- Big Ten -- 42
- ACC -- 41
- Big 12 -- 31
- Independent -- 8
- Sun Belt -- 6
- American -- 5
- Conference USA -- 3
- Mountain West -- 2
- MAC -- 2
2024 NFL Draft pick by school
- Michigan -- 13
- Texas -- 11
- Alabama -- 10
- Florida State -- 10
- Washington -- 10
- Oregon -- 8
- Georgia -- 8
- Penn State -- 8
- Notre Dame -- 7
- USC -- 7
- Missouri -- 6
- LSU -- 6
- Clemson -- 6
- Utah -- 5
- Auburn -- 5
- Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio State, Miami, South Carolina, Texas A&M -- 4
- Arizona, Duke, Kansas State, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pitt, TCU, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Washington State -- 3
- Arkansas, Boston College, Kansas, Marshall, Maryland, NC State, Purdue, South Dakota State, Texas Tech, Troy, Tulane, UCF, UCLA, UTEP, Wisconsin -- 2
Keaton Ellis Signs With Tennessee Titans As UDFA
Ellis was the second Nittany Lion to sign a UDFA, after Curtis Jacobs signed with Kansas City.
onwardstate.com
Ellis now UDFA with Titans.
Did staying help Jacobs? Should he have transferred, gone to a different school or leave early?
Did Jacobs get drafted? If King made a huge mistake what does that say about a 5* Jacobs?
If you don’t object, for discussion purposes I must disagree on a couple points you made.
First, unless a bowl game is part of the CFP format, it is an irrelevant and meaningless game. So, players opting out of irrelevant bowls (no playoff implication), are making a personal decision which is perfectly fine. The Peach Bowl was a non-playoff game.
Second, Cam Miller got torched repeatedly in the Peach Bowl. In fact, Miller and Zion Tracy were so bad, the staff immediately hit the portal and brought in multiple defensive backs as an insurance policy. I doubt Miller will receive the majority of snaps in the 2024 season unless there are some major injuries to the other DBs.
Players not drafted simply means the NFL didn’t think those players were good enough. This is normal. Marginal players don’t get better by playing one more year. They have physical limitations called a ceiling.
King didn’t make a mistake. Staying one more year at Penn State would not have improved his skill set. King is a marginal player whose skill set was way overrated by the media. It was no accident King’s best year happened to be when the aggressive and penalty prone Joey Porter Jr. was playing the opposite corner. Once Porter left, King was exposed.
I respect your opinion but bowl games, like any competition participated in by competitive people, are not irrelevant to the players that play.
And Cam Miller was in great position on a number of throws that just went over him for completions. Perfect throws against good coverage. Their QB had a great game, but I believe Cam will learn from that game (not irrelevant to those that played) and come back better. But against those throws and the very good WR he faced, I don't believe from a coverage standpoint King or Dixon could have done much better.
JMO
Actually, I used the word irrelevant to mean the bowl game had no impact and was not relevant in deciding a National Championship like the CFP. I was not questioning the personal importance to players or their families. I hope this context helps.
I do agree Cam Miller and all players can learn from their mistakes. However, I was just objecting to your original post stating Miller “played pretty well” in the Peach Bowl. We can agree to disagree about Miller.
I hope it was a good learning experience for Miller. He didn't play so awful that he was 5 yards trailing every pass, but he literally was in decent position and never:
1. Turned his head to find the ball
2. Used his hands to swipe at the hands and cause a drop
3. Displace the WR off the path at all
You can get by with that against 80% of our opponents in any given year, but the cream of the crop adjust and exploit this type of weakness.
For as much credit as we give Manny for 2 years, he coached similarly in that we never adjusted with anything drastic to stop a team. I know he didn't coach the bowl, but it's not like he would bracket a WR or hide a zone and disrupt those timing routes either.
The game stats paints a very, very bad picture that says otherwise.
Penn State’s secondary gave up 3 TDs and nearly 400 yards passing by Ole Miss.
Ole Miss 38-25 Penn State (Dec 30, 2023) Box Score - ESPN
Box score for the Ole Miss Rebels vs. Penn State Nittany Lions NCAAF game from December 30, 2023 on ESPN. Includes all passing, rushing and receiving stats.
I hope Miller and Tracy improve. I am pulling for them as a Penn State fan. However, I can’t bury my head in the sand and pretend I did not witness both Penn State cornerbacks getting abused by Ole Miss.
Have to disagree with this conclusion. JPJ was a great cover corner that was one spot shy of a NFL first round pick, became an NFL starter and was on the NFL All Rookie first team.
When a team faces a CB that good they avoid him and work on the opposite. So if King was a sub par corner he ‘would have been exposed’ while playing opposite JPJ instead of after he left.
The more accurate conclusion, IMO, is that he was an adequate corner in college but lacks the skills necessary for the NFL where every receiver was all star quality in college.
Porter is aggressive and the penalties are a product of a completely different style of play in college vs professional football.. Regardless, he has already proved that he belongs in the NFl and could be a star in the making.
Yes we can agree to disagree. What I saw was Miller in blanket coverage a number of times with the talented WR catching a perfectly thrown ball. I'm not sold on Miller being all B10, or even a starting CB for PSU in 2024, but I'm not writing him off because some great plays were made by an offense that was making plays either.
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I agree with most of this but JPP was covering 1s. King couldn't do that which explains him being exposed
From CBS--I think this is best breakdown. Even if Fautanu ends up at guard they got 4 immediate starters/contributors.
Worst Pick: Taking center Zach Frazier in the second round is a need pick, but I wasn't as high on him as some others. But who am I to question the Steelers when it comes to the center position?
The Skinny: They took a lot of quality players, including three offensive linemen in their first five picks. It started with tackle Troy Fautanu in the first and then got Frazier in the second and guard Mason McCormick in the fourth. Wilson and third-round receiver Roman Wilson will play early.
Pittsburgh Steelers: A
Best Pick: I love the pick of third-round linebacker Payton Wilson. He might have some medical issues, but the Steelers fans will come to love him and his style of play. He will start early.Worst Pick: Taking center Zach Frazier in the second round is a need pick, but I wasn't as high on him as some others. But who am I to question the Steelers when it comes to the center position?
The Skinny: They took a lot of quality players, including three offensive linemen in their first five picks. It started with tackle Troy Fautanu in the first and then got Frazier in the second and guard Mason McCormick in the fourth. Wilson and third-round receiver Roman Wilson will play early.
I appreciate you posting this but these people know about as much as a toothpick. Wilson could be great or, if he can't stay healthy, will be gone in a year. Anyone who says anything other than that is just making it up. Nobody knows. The jump from college to pro is massive. Add in 17 games against world class athletes and that you know have money in the bank are variables that cannot be accounted for.
When Theo Johnson was drafted the announces said he had "first round talent and measurables but dropped due to lack of production in college." Did he see our dysfunctional passing offense? Does he know that the other TE was just as good so they shared a lot of responsibilities?
There is a reason why they don't make statues of critics.
