The Renegade: 2019 Draft Review

We could’ve kicked off our inaugural Steelers entry with the drama, instead we decided to save

that for our first book deal. Instead TGYK decided to start with the high point of the offseason -

the draft. Needless to say April 25th was a great night for Steelers nation.

(By the way if you were at Stage AE on that night and heard a random guy yell,

“THEY DID IT! THE STEELERS MADE A BALLSY MOVE!,” hope you had the time of your life too)

Goodell and the Rooney’s may as well have had Styx show up in downtown Nashville to play the

second it was announced the Steelers traded up to the #10 pick because we all knew what was

coming!

With that pick GM Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin chose University of Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Speculation and hopes led many to connect the Steelers to Bush as perfect matches after failing to fill the void left by the tragic injury to Ryan Shazier. Every Big Blue game I watched this year, quickly reminded me of how perfect Bush would be for the black and gold but realistically the hopes never got too high knowing he was a talent that wouldn't fall. The trade itself- swapping the #10 for the #20, 2nd round and 2020 3rd round picks - seemed like too much for some analysts. When in reality many of these analysts who write for national outlets and thus weren't able to narrow-in on what actually was given up --> only the 2nd round pick! Seeing as they had to move up ten picks and will get a 3rd round compensation for Le'veon Bell while also keeping the other eight picks, Colbert won big time here, plus steal Bush from the Bengals was the cherry on top. Bush may be the franchises' most exciting 1st round pick since Ben for what I'm sure many of you what what he brings to the field, including being the last piece in a very formidable starting 11. I reached out to noted Michigan fan and 'Guy You Know,' Aaron for his thoughts:

“I’m a huge fan of his, he’s probably my all-time favorite Michigan player!”...My apologies to Denard Robinson.

Of course we will go deeper into Bush and the defense as a whole as we approach September.

So let’s dive into the rest of the class:

Round 3 - #66 WR Diontae Johnson (Toledo)

One of Toledo’s primary targets in an air-raid offense, Johnson instantly got comparisons to

Antonio Brown (*hiss*) in terms of skill set. While this is exciting as Juju is in line to become

the new #1 receiver and has much unproven talent around him, I don’t expect Johnson to

come into week one as an immediate star. Come November I hope he can mesh with Ben

to make a real impact. If not, remember that Mr.Big Chest guy took three years to come into his own.

Round 3 - #83 CB Justin Layne (Michigan State)

May be the steal of the draft for Tomlin and co. as a projected 2nd round pick. Layne is a big CB that

the defense has sorely lacked since Ike Taylor, but with the ability to actually catch a ball.

Not saying he’ll be as good as Taylor off-the-bat, but he offers great talent for the #83 pick and

a new dimension for secondary.

Round 4 - #122 RB Benny Snell (Kentucky)

I didn’t think a RB was needed this early in the draft but at this point, you pick the highest-ranked

guy on your board and Snell was just that. What really won me over was talking in the third person,

referring to his style of football as “Benny Snell football.” At Kentucky he was a bruiser,

but he may need to add more than that being that James Conner led the league in running over

an average of 2.3 defenders per play (according to Not PFF).

Round 5 - #141 TE Zack Gentry (Michigan)

Day three is where you pick the developmental prospects and that is what Gentry is to a tee.

At 6-8 he can be a matchup nightmare once he puts the tools together. Being a converted QB,

Gentry will need to sure up his hands and especially his blocking to see regular time. With the

Vanimal, Grimble, and increased usage of the 6th OL, this pick makes a ton of sense.

Round 6 - #175 OLB Sutton Smith (Nothern Illinois)

If I had to pick a sleeper pick to be most excited about Sutton Smith is that guy. While not

playing in a P5 Conference (MAC) and being undersized (6-1, 234 lbs) discouraged scouts

and analysts from putting a lot of stock into his numbers, this kid PRODUCED as a pass-rusher

for the Huskies with 30 sacks in three seasons (including 14.0 as a Sophomore and 15.0 as a

Junior). Plus when I see tweets on defensive stats his name is right next to 1st round picks Bosa,

Sweat, Ferrell, etc. I see the potential.

Round 6 - #192 DE Isiah Buggs (Alabama)

A Karl Dunbar pick through-and-through as Buggs played a season under Dunbar at Bama.

He received less attention than many Crimson Tide defenders due to being a transfer (2 years at Bama)

and primarily a pass-rush specialist. With time to sit and learn from Heyward, Tuitt, and

Hargrave, Buggs could become a nice value pick come 2020-2021.

Round 6 - #207 Ulysees Gilbert (Akron)

Not much to say about Gilbert other than he was a tackling machine. One of those classic MLB’s

who was everywhere. Same thing was said for Tyler Matakevich when he was drafted and

I imagine they may be fighting for special teams time and a roster spot in preseason.

Round 7 - #219 Derwin Gray (UMD)

UMD’s starting LT last season will likely be thrown into guard with the Steelers. Gray is a big boy

standing at 6-4 320 lbs and may prove a useful swingman down the line. He may be shoe-in

for the practice squad given the current OL depth but I believe the Steelers are looking

for successors at 3-4 of the positions on the o-line and he is a new candidate.

Overall, this draft is an exciting one that could elevate the defense at all three levels and to elite

status. While not as exciting on paper as the 2017 draft, the talent is there. Not only were Colbert

and Tomlin aggressive in the draft, we saw an unusual urgency in free agency due to the final

season of “Keeping Up with the ‘Lers” plaguing Steelers nation for years. Stay tuned for our

breakdowns of the rest of the offseason.

- Ryan, TGYK