Alvin Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
Grade: A-
I can’t poke any holes in this. I had Dupree going much higher, and he’s a great fit for Pittsburgh’s defense. Standing up at linebacker last year should make an easy transition to playing on the left side opposite James Harrison and Jarvis Jones. The athletic wildcat linebacker brings some power back to Pittsburgh’s pass rush that looked weaker on paper than it had in year. I can’t believe they passed on Landon Collins and Randy Gregory however. Both those picks would have been A’s.
Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss
Grade: B
I messed up evaluating this pick until the draft. The tape I watched, Golson was making highlight reel plays in man coverage and not playing much in run support. I had him figured for an island corner who made up for being short with leaping ability and range. Still, 5’9’’ 175 is too small. That’s an injury risk waiting to happen and a liability playing the run. The Steelers got an outstanding cover man who teams will want to run towards.
Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
Grade: B
Yes, he’s got bad hands. Yes, he’s one dimensional. No, the Steelers didn’t need him. Other than the last complaint, those are the kinds of things that make prospects fall to round 3, so it’s actually not a reach really. Coates speed and great ability to time the jump ball make him useful in a limited way. The fact that he’s 4th on the depth chart makes it puzzling in round 3. I know Weaton might leave next year, but you can’t count on that or really use it to justify a pick for a contender.
Doran Grant, CB, Ohio State
Grade: A+
Now the Steelers got their run stopper. Grant and Golson are very much opposite style players, and by adding both the Steelers revamped their secondary. Grant is still good in coverage and anchored a national championship defense. The one question mark is why he didn’t make as much of an impact until his senior year. This is a phenomenal late 4th round pick.
Jesse James, TE, Penn State
Grade: B
James is an athletic right tackle who can catch a football. He’s not fast enough and runs some really poor routes even for a tight end where the expectations aren’t as high. He’s a great blocker with size and hands, and that gets you drafted. James is a special threat in the end zone.
Leterrius Walton, DT, Central Michigan
Grade: C
Walton is big and mean. He’s a 3-4 run defender who doesn’t bring much ability to get to the quarterback. He gets off the snap too slowly for the 3-4 and needs a lot of coaching. He’s more like an oversized 3 technique with awkwardly short arms at 32 inches. He’s also at risk of not making the roster since Pittsburgh runs an uneven front with only one logical side of the line for him.
Anthony Chickillo, DE, Miami
Grade: B
Why would you draft him and Walton? Do you really want to gut your current backups or start these guys on the practice squad? In addition, Chickillo was an oversized 4-3 defensive end. That’s a wild transition to a 5 technique that I can’t remember any college player successfully making. He’s too big and slow to play 3-4 OLB. He was highly productive, so I can’t go lower than a B, but I also can’t understand this pick.
Gerrod Holliman, FS, Louisville
Grade: A+
The best pick of round 7 and maybe the best value of the entire draft, the Steelers struck gold. Holliman is probably the best cover safety in the draft and maybe the best cover safety in years. He can start day 1 as a single high safety. Don’t listen to the rhetoric that he can’t tackle. His technique is raw and it’s certainly not a strength, but at 6’1’’ 220, using that to right him off is stupid. I have frankly no clue why he fell. One GM said this year that “some great players just get lost in the process.” Holliman was one of them. I would give this a B or B+ if Holliman had been the Steelers first round draft pick. I rarely even consider the seventh round in grading the whole team, but this is Pittsburgh’s best selection.