Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Draft Recap and Grades
Round 5-Terry Hawthorne-CB- Illinois
Oct 6, 2012; Madison, WI, USA; Illinnois Fighting Illini defensive back Terry Hawthorne (1) during the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
He’s big, fast and has an attitude defensive coaches love. He also throws his body around the field with abandon which has led to some injury concerns. Hawthorne missed some time in college due to foot and concussion injuries. He loves to go for the kill shot, which sometimes leads to him lunging, and leaving him hitting absolutely nothing at all. The biggest area of concern is like most of the CB’s currently on the roster, he has problems catching the ball when going for the pick. You either have good hands, or you don’t. No matter how many times a ball is thrown at you and you catch them in defensive drills in practice, game situations are different. Could he find his way into a starting role? Because of his physicality and ability to help stop the run, it’s not out of the question. Grade- C +
Round 6, 1st Pick- Justin Brown- WR- Oklahoma
Brown was one of the few players who left Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He is the size guy they had been lacking since Plaxico Burress left (I can’t really count last year as having Plax back as he only contributed three catches.) Brown is 6’3″, and has the height that Big Ben has been looking for years. He runs in the low 4.5 range in the 40. While he is tall, he is not a “leaper” for someone of that size. I see him more as a project, and even though they lack significant depth at the receiver spot, I don’t see him on the field much if at all this year. Grade- C-
Round 6, 2nd Pick-Vince Williams ILB-Florida State
The Steelers would love nothing more than to have Williams turn out like the last linebacker they drafted from FSU. In my opinion, Lawrence Timmons is not only the Steelers best defensive player, he is there unquestioned leader. Williams has a mean streak, and is constantly flying to the ball. At 6’1″ and 250lbs, he always tries to punish the ball carrier. This leads to him often biting on play fakes, and simply taking himself out of the play. He needs to improve his field vision as well. He becomes so focused on what he is trying to do, he leaves himself open to getting blown up by blockers that he does not see. Williams has nice height, but most definitely needs to hit the weight room as he has the frame to add more muscle. His pass coverage skills definitely need work, but he has a great burst to the quarterback. Depending on how or if Sean Spence comes back from his severe leg injury from last year, Williams has a great chance to make the roster if for nothing else in his first year, special teams. Grade- B-
Round Seven-Nick Williams-DT Samford
Williams is listed at 6’4″ and 309 lbs. Combine that with a 4.97 in the 40 and that’s pretty impressive. Even though he played collegiately at small school, he has the physical makeup that belongs in the NFL. The question being can he make the jump to the caliber of opposition that he will be up against? While he does not put much pressure on the opposing quarterbacks, he is solid against the run and uses good foot technique and his balance to take on double teams. The Steelers found a kid from BYU in the last round in 2002- Brett Keisel has done pretty darn well for himself. Steeler fans are hoping they can get similar results from Williams. I think they may have a chance. Grade- B-
2013 Pittsburgh Steelers Overall Draft Grade- C
There you have it Steeler Nation .Only time and a great deal of hard work will tell what will become of this year’s Steelers Draft class. It was a crucial draft for Pittsburgh. Let’s hope their front office hit it out of the park, and they have added several key players for years to come.