SNR Drive with Matt & Dale (Pittsburgh Steelers)SNR Drive with Matt & Dale (Pittsburgh Steelers)

HR1: QB Tiers

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Published Mar 27, 2025, 9:15 PM

SNR Drive with Matt & Dale (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson tackle the days topics regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers each afternoon, Monday through Friday, on SNR
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Matt and Dale don't have the team taking a first round QB as the guys discuss quarterback tiers, critique the national media mocks, and more in hour one.

At least. He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamsons on your twenty four to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio.

And welcome to the Drive. I am Dale LOLLI he is the Matt Williamson and Matt. It is Thursday here in Pittsburgh, and more and more national mock drafts are coming out that are mocking a quarterback Jackson Dart namely, yeah, namely to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And I'm telling you again and again, you're not seeing that anywhere in Pittsburgh.

Yeah.

Yeah, You're only seeing it from the national guys because the Steelers haven't signed a quarterback yet. It would be such a panic move. I see it happening.

I was just telling these guys that in the last twenty four hours, I've studied these top five quarterbacks more, you know, I made a focus of it. Shock Milrow Dart been the top two. And maybe it's just because it's on the tip of my tongue, but I like them all more than I used to, you know. I mean I can see the path or they all being good players. Then they owe their warts of course, and basically my big conclusion is this quarterback class doesn't stink.

No, I don't think it does either. Don't misconstrue that this is.

A terrible class. This is the ritter or picket, you know, terrible wortst class. Ever EJ. Manual, No, I don't think so. I also think that if you are a national mock drafter, you want to get him in the first round because you think he's going in the first round and there aren't. You're not going to send them to the Chargers or the Broncos or the Bills or whatever.

The one that made sense to me that I saw on I can't remember who did it, had the Rams taking him at twenty six.

Yeah, yeah, that's that's the one that would actually make some sense.

Yeah.

And if you're not allowed to do trades, okay, you just want to cover your button. Say I had Jack Dart in the first round a month ago, you know, but I don't think it makes sense for the Steelers. I really don't. I think the quarterback comes next year and you prepare for that accordingly, and Darts fine. I just don't know that he's special. You know. There's a lot of things I do like about him, but I think as much as any quarterback in this draft. He should sit the entire year, and I'm not giving up a detackle to do that. That's the thing thing.

You had a second round pick.

It's a different world.

It's a different world to take a quarterback who you have no intention of starting right this year at twenty one and then not picking again until eighty three doesn't help your roster out at all this year.

No, No, I mean you're really punning on this. Now.

I get it. If it's if he's a generational talent, it doesn't matter, right, Fine, Yeah, that's fine. Here's being pretty convinced he's special. So Todd McShay, yeah, broke down the last two drafts where he ran the quarterbacks for twenty twenty four to twenty five.

Coincidentally, I was listening to his podcast on the way here and he was all quarterbacks stuff.

The classes combined. He has him in tears.

He has a grade next to him, and all those grades means something.

In Tier one are Caleb Williams, Jade Daniels, Drake May. Caleb Williams is ninety sixth grade, Jayden Daniels is in ninety sixth grade. Drake May a ninety five grade.

There's a out of one hundred.

Out of one hundred, ESPN made him change.

I was part of it. We had to change our grading scale whenever ESPN bought Scouts, inc. When Todd and I became full time employees ESPN.

And those Tier one guys are are what he considers elite prospects, should be a Day one starter and project his future all pro caliber players.

They don't get handed out often. No, it's pretty rare. The three of them were in the same class. Extremely rare. It's nuts.

His Tier two guys, which he considers a notch below immediately immediate impact players and eventual high end starters worthy of a top fifteen pick, regardless of the class.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's a good way of phrasing it.

He is JJ McCarthy scored ninety two, and cam Ward, who also scored ninety two.

Personally, I like Ward more than that version McCarthy, but I understand it, Okay, Yeah, yeah. In tier three, Wards gonna be the first pick in this draft, right yeah, And McCarthy might have been if he came out to whatever.

In Tier three, he has four guys, and these are immediate contributors who should quickly develop into starting caliber players considered quality values in the bottom half of round one in any given draft class. Michael Pennix, Bo Nicks, Shador Sanders, and Jackson Dart. He gives them all in ninety.

Grade, okay, and taught him be the first to admit that even if they're in there, their quarterbacks, so they get pushed up a little, you know, like at this time, we didn't know Nicks was going to be a first round pick or where Panics would fall, you know.

But I don't want to draft a tier three guy just because.

Just because just because Aaron Rodgers retired, or just because you couldn't Land Fields. Heaven forbid if he would have gone.

If he goes back a few years on this, right, that's where Kenny Pickett came in at.

Probably, yeah, I bet that's exactly where he's at, right, yeah.

And so I want to shoot past that, and so you've.

Gotten in the group above.

I want a tier two where I want a Tier one guy, not a Tier three guy. I don't, you know, I just don't.

I mean, speaking of tiers, I'm sure it's due to come out soon, but we always talk about Sando's quarterback tiers. I'll promise you Tier one will have four people in it this year, Burrow, Allen, Mahomes, and Jackson, and you got to play them all the time. I need at least a Tier two guy.

And has the potential to go toe to toe with those guys. Not a game manager, right, Jalen hurts a Tier two guy one super Bowl. Yeah, I mean you can win with those guys. It's really difficult to win with a Tier three guy.

And I was just much rather and I did a long podcast on it. I would much rather build the nest this year to land that guy. And I don't even know if he exists next year, but I will take door number two with more line help all those picks that you're going to get from the comp world, I got a lot of spare change in my pocket. I'm going shopping for a Rolex next thirteen months from now. I'm going to get a Rolex.

Yeah, doesn't mean I don't take one of these guys at some point later in this.

Ste Maybe maybe you might get lucky and he might be awesome. He might be Dak Prescott.

But I'm not using my first round pick on a guy who I think they've gone down this road. Yeah, we talked about it. When they drafted Kenny Pickett. His ceiling was Derek.

Carr Cousins is sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm not interested in that. You went down that road once, you swung and you missed on it. And Kenny Pickett may turn out to be that guy someday, and God bless him if he does. Sure, sure, but I want better than that, better than that. If I'm taking a quarterback in the first round, I want better than that.

Yep. And big thing I've been really focusing on is building the nest while trying to still win today. I mean that doesn't mean I'm never saying tank. I hope Aaron Rodgers signs three minutes from now and I roll it back with a better offense than what I think I saw last and take my chances. But in the meanwhile, I'm building lines of scrimmage. I'm getting assets to go get that roll lex. Yeah, And I don't think that's that hard to do. I think there's a path.

Mcshay's Tier four guy. He's only got one guy in there, and then is Tyler Shuck. Yeah yeah, And that's a great out as a plus future NFL starters at a minimum, typically not higher tier due to undeveloped, under development, or other flat red flags, considered good value in early round two, though many are selected late in the first round. And that's shuck, like I say it. Yeah, and age is a big factor there.

Yeah. Yeah. He's had three injuries. Two of them are two broken clavicles. One of them was a broken legs, broken leg. I mean they're not recurring thees or you know, things that you really worry about. But he is old, you know. I mean, if he were to come to Pittsburgh with Rogers, that's one more year that he doesn't start, or anywhere he lands. If he goes to the Rams with Stafford, it might be two more years before he starts. But all in all, age doesn't worry me. I mean, I think maturity is huge. I mean, goofy things like he was the only quarterback to run a forty. He doesn't care. I mean, I'm gonna go out there and run a four to sixty four as a big, strong dude. Great. My only concern, my biggest concern with him is an age or injuries. He's not real.

Latterly, he's just a bigger guy.

He's a bigger dude, and in the pocket he'll take sacks and doesn't love the contact, but his toughness is great. You know, everyone knows I'm a fan. I mean, I think he's a round one, round two border, you know, turn guy.

He has nobody in tier five, which are great out as future solid the good NFL starters might need to serve a situation rolls early in the career, mid to late second round value in tier six, which is guys who grate out his potential. Adequate to solid NFL starters typically come off the board in round three. He has Will Howard, Jaln Milroe, Quinn Eewers, and they rank ahead of Spencer Ratler who went okay later last year.

I think Milroe's so much better than those other names in that or more enticing.

Milroe has the highest upside to me of any quarterback in this draft, yep, because of what he can do with his legs.

Andy's super smart and he's already a deep passer. Yeah, the leg stuff's there. He's a high character dude. I mean all that kind of stuff too. And it's funny. I mentioned I was listening to podcast before you know, I'm in the way here, and I sat in the in the car for the last five minutes just to hear the end of the conversation about Milroe. And he brought up some things that we have talked about before too. Is he's so muscle bound that he's tight, you know. You know, the way Todd explained it was get out of the weight room and just do flexibility stuff, and we've brought that up. But the thing I hadn't thought of that Todd brought up was he said that I remember when Brady Quinn came out, when Tebow came out, and Levis came out, and those were my exact same criticisms. All those guys. They think they're bodybuilders, you know, they're not preparing themselves to be great NFL passers with flexible arm angles and all this stuff. But what Todd said that I didn't think of is he's like, but Milroe won't be a first round pick, right, so he has time. It's not get Tebow in there immediately, get Brady Quinn in there immediately. They don't have time to change their bodies and all these things, where Milroe can just be your wildcat gadget guy on game day and sit and work on his body for five hundred days, you know, until you need them.

Yeah, I just think to me, he is again the most We're back to where we were in January on this whole thing. He would be the guy that would interest me in round three or four.

Me too, me too. But again, not having a second round pick complicates all of this, you know, which.

That's okay, is why it's one of the reasons why we trade back pretty consistently to get that second round pick, or at least something comparable to that second round, something in between twenty one and eighty three.

But I am on this huge kick of I want to roll X. I want to build the nest, you know. So if I don't get a quarterback this year, I don't get a quarterback this year, you know, I mean, and I'd rather have DK Metcalf because he's going to be here next year, right for that first round pick, you know, And if that nest is a soft landing spot with a running game in place and Lineman and Metcalf and maybe pickings, yeah, I mean that's the way it goes, you know, I mean, prepare it and for a soft landing.

My thing was just to get back to Dart. The one game that I actually sat down to watch him play less the whole thing, the whole way through was the Florida game. Yeah yeah, and the defense kept getting him the football back. They're down seven, and he kept throwing interceptions, bad ones.

Bad ones. Oh he has some head scratchers.

And I'm like, I want to I want to like this kid. I see the stance and I want to I want to like what I see here, and I just didn't.

Yeah, yeah, I just didn't.

Now, you know, I could see somebody falling in love with him, and the you know, the overall game is good. Yeah, I just don't know that he can be great.

There was a lot of instances, especially later in the season SEC schedule against the good teams, the Florida Famas, et cetera. And i'd have to I don't have reference to every game, but where those teams just start taking the deep ball away, you know, start taking the first read away and making him improv and check it down and go through reads, which isn't what that offense is about. I mean, it is such a predetermined read based offense. From how I understand, they put the Mickey Mouse thing up and throw it this guy and then the Missisipipi offense was not good and despite having a lot of good players.

Yeah, I just you know, I to me, I would just rather not take I'm not taking one at twenty one. I'm just I'm not doing that. I'm taking somebody for me to who's gonna help my team this year.

Yeah.

Yeah, And a quarterback, even if I take him in the first round, isn't going to do that. And I would much rather, you know, have again to your point, have the nest in place, have everything else in place around them. This idea that the Steelers are so far away from competing is utter horse crap. It is they've made the playoffs and four of the last five years, if they had missed the playoffs and four of the last five years, we know they haven't won a playoff. Get We're well aware, got it. But you're not far If you're making the playoffs with Kenny Pickett, with Russell Wilson, with the ghost of Ben rothls Burger, you're making the playoffs with those teams, You've got a pretty good roster.

You got pretty roster, and you know how to win games in this league, right right, Despite not having quarterbacks to put you on the back with a cape.

So I want that rookie quarterback to be able to drop into that. Yes, who is Jayden Daniels like, yeah, right right now, we're working give me Drake May. Now we're working with something for Drake May. Had nothing around him last year.

That's on how he went playoff game. That's how he went Super Bowl.

Right, that's what you're looking to do. That's what they did with Ben Roethlisberger. Yeah, they dropped, they took Ben Roethlisberger. Now I understand they had gone, they had had fallen backwards in two thousand and three, but two years before that they were thirteen and three team, they had the best record in the ANFC. They were a playoff team in two thousand and two. They were a playoff game.

And with all respect to Ben, his rookie year with a one lost season wasn't because he had an ass on his chest. Now with a you know, a cape, he managed the game and you know made you know right, I mean you start to and then he it's the confidence and he grows and in.

Year or two they win the Super Bowl. That's the ideal situation to put that young quarterback in your offensive line is now all it's geled. Yeah, you know they're all in year three or better, yes at that point, and that's how you that's how you win.

So this is my latest kick, and it's all about all those things. I think the Steelers need to draft four linemen in this draft, two.

Oh two d I don't see it happening.

And one of them is the d lineman in round one, I don't.

I don't see them drafting two offensive linemen in this draft.

I think they should because those are the things you can't get. And I'm talking like a third round tackle and a six round guard. I mean, it's not going to happen because I can live without an extra receiver. I can live without a running back. I can live without Rourke. You know what I mean.

They've drafted, They've drafted five offensive linemen in the last two.

Drafts and it's worked out well, keep it up.

I could see him taking another one mm hmm, but not in round three. If they take one of they're gonna have a bunch of extra picks next year, presumably, right, if you want to do it next year, this offensive line draft, it's.

Not right, guys, I mean, I'm not good going for nothing, but I mean I want projects. I want grant out of William and Mary. I want those type.

If it's a guy like that. We've taken those guys consistently.

I'm not taking two of them though, and interior guy too. I don't think see them always going to be back. I want that that line to be a strength by that for a tan who's third year, it's Jones is fourth. Do we know that Jones is going to be a fifty year option pickup guy? You know? I mean I can find other things. I mean, give me lineman and they don't all have to develop. I mean Kendrick Green was a third round pick and was a pretty bad football player for a long stretch, and they traded him in camp for a sixth I mean, get it. You drive those guys off the lot and they don't appreciate. Sometimes they go up in value. Dan Moore is the best example ever. You know. I mean, I can live. I can go sign a Van Jefferson, I can sign JK. Dobbins to get me through the year.

I'd rather if they did take four again linemen in this street three pounds. They took four pounders in this draft. I'd rather be three defensive linemen maybe. I mean I said, if there's room for them on the roster, I'd find room for him. Yeah, I mean, I trust me, I would not object to that in a draft where there's what twenty four guys. Yeah, you know, these mcshae and guys like that have have startable grades on Give me four of those guys.

It wouldn't break my heart either. I mean, I want big people that are hard to find. I want assets that are difficult to find. You can't go get them.

In the free agent market, you know, And that to me, that's that's just you know, when well, the Steelers didn't get a defensive tackle on free agency, they were all twenty million, right, I'm not shopping in that. I'm not paying them more than I'm paying Cam Hayward. I just gave Cam Hayward a new deal last year that pays him fifteen million dollars a year for the remainder of his career. And he was first team All Pro last year, and he's great, and he's great. What does that do to your locker room if I then go out and pay somebody else twenty When I told Cam, Well, here's what we're gonna give you. We'll give you fifteen, right, but we're gonna give this guy twenty who's never played it down.

Just keep drafting him. Drafting offensive tackles the exact same thing to me, but even more so because Dan Moore's worth twenty million and a third round pick.

I've got I've got no problem drafting one lineman's draft now, if it happens to be two, if that works out that way, if that's the best value in the seventh round, ye.

I'm taking like six to seventh round for a guard center.

But I'm not using a premium pick on one of these guys unless I think, okay, that's Sam Alo's replacement next year. Yeah, that's different.

All right. That's my thoughts is I want eleven real ones in camp there. They never go down in value. It's just economics. It's not necessarily team needs or anything. I'm not real worried about the old line. It's just economics. Like anytime that anyone drafts a tackle, I'm like, I get it. You can't get them, can't get them.

Anyways, let's get to a break. He is the Matt Williamson I'm Dale Lollie, you're listening to the drive here on this Steelers Audio Network, Matt and I'll be back with more right after this.

At least he's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and Gold cast in Steelers Nation Radio.

And we are back. I'm Dale Lolli. He is the Matt Williamson and Matt Matt Miller on ESPN has put together a mock draft of all two hundred and fifty seven picks.

It's an ordeal. It's an endeavor. I would hate that job.

Well, we do this regularly every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When we do our mock drafts. We just don't tell everybody what all.

Two hundred and fifty seven, but we don't make the choices for there's that thirty one other thing.

He knows. Maybe he doesn't go through and make every choice he knows. I don't know, but it is an endeavor. I give him credit for that much. But I thought we would walk this through and talk about who he does have the Steelers taking. Here.

While we do it, let's say who we would have taken that stow out out of doubt.

Yeah, that's gonna happen. Uh So at pick twenty one, he has the Steelers taking a Zeri A Thomas, the cornerback out of Florida State.

I don't see it at all.

I don't see it at all. A Zeri A Thomas ran a four five seven forty at his combine. Now he is a good sized cornerback. He's Oh yeah, he's one, I mean two hundred pounds him off as a Joey for the next eight years. Not a pick twenty one. No, And here's the thing you need to understand about forty times at pro Days, you can automatically add point zero five to that time because that's what they would have ran in Indianapolis. So you're gonna tell me you're gonna take a four to six cornerback.

He didn't run in India. I don't remember.

I don't remember if he didn't, if Zoe he didn't blaze. Yeah, and I like him. I think he's a good player. Yeah, he's a one year starter on the worst Florida State team in the history of Florida State.

He's a big man corner he's.

And I understand it wasn't the defense that was the problem was the offense, but the defense then faltered down the stretch, right.

Like, that doesn't mean I wouldn't take Farmer.

Or I like aeriy A Thomas, I would take him in the second round.

Me And it's it's an it's a want, it's not in need. It would be nice. But if they don't draft a corner at all, I'm gonna sleep fine the night of the draft.

At least he didn't have them taking a quarterback. He did have Jackson Jackson Dart. This is the one where where Jackson Dart goes to the Rams at twenty six.

Okay, that makes sense, a ton of sense to me. Yeah, but Derek Harmon was available. I'm gonna say who else was out there twenty Kenneth Grant was available. Yeah, yeah, Walter Nolan was available. We talked to those guys to death. But that's not even close any of those three to talk.

Any of those three would fit the bill. Yeah, here's the thing. I went through this entire draft earlier today. He doesn't have them taking a single defensive lineman.

With any of their pre wind to segment one. I think you know our thoughts on that matter.

They don't have a replacement right now for Larry Ogan Jobi on the roster.

It amazes me how many mocks or national people don't recognize that's a need. Corners are one. A young defensive lineman is a need. If they don't draft one, that is a mistake. I mean, I'll say that the day after the draft. I'll say it during the draft, no matter what they have to draft.

If you've got to address that position, yes, and your best defensive lineman is thirty five years.

Old, absolutely, And I think the mistake is made by man. That Steeler front is nasty. They can rush the quarterback as well as anyone. Yeah, but you got to prepare for tomorrow too, and depth. And I can't live with Lowry and Lee being my starters, you know what I mean. Like, it's not where we're at here.

Those guys are fine players, right, but they're rotation. They're rotational players, right, They're not stepped to it again. I you know, if I have to start Dean Lowry September twenty eighth at Baltimore, I know what I'm gonna get.

Yeah, it's perfect fine, right, Rudolph.

If I have to stay yeah, right, the same thing. If I have to start him seventeen games. I don't know that.

I'm so in on that, right, And I don't expect every backup to be Steve young DeMont. It's not the way the world works, you know, right, But there's they need a foundational player Yees to be the next guy. Yeah, and it's a perfect time for that guy to get groomed with Ayward on the team.

And the thing is is he's got Grant going at thirty nine, He's got Harmon going at the end to the Ravens in the first round. He then has Grant going at thirty nine, and he has Walter Nolan going at forty three after Tyler Williams.

Wow, Okay, I don't see it. I don't see it at all, right, Williams three or different.

Yeah, Tyler Williams is a fine player. Sure, he's not better than Walter Nolean. He's not nearly as good as Kenneth Grant.

Not for today's NFL. I mean, because he doesn't affect the passing game, right, Yeah, he's gonna play far fewer steps.

I mean, he's got he's got him going like three picks ahead of Alfred Collins.

I'm a big Alfred Collins fan too.

I like Alfred Collins. He's a good player.

If the original picks were still intact, and you're like, the Steelers took Alfred Collins or Tyreek will Williams with their second round pick, sign me up?

Yeah right, I mean, but not we've done that.

Yeah.

Uh so then it picked eighty three again. After he has him taking a cornerback in the first round, he has him taking Jaylen Milroe in the third round.

Okay, that in a nutshell. I don't hate.

I don't have a problem with it. We talked about that and say one, but now you've taken where where's azerie a I almost lining up for you in year one?

Oh he's fighting Trice for the third job. I mean, he's Jersey, might not get.

Dirty, might not get dirty. So now you're running out on kickoff your first two picks in the draft. Now you did get again DK Metcalf's part of the team, of course, of course, and he helps. But you've now drafted two guys who don't help you at all this year.

Yeap again in a vacuum mill row and the third I get it. I would not objected that at all. I would object to Thomas in the first in a vacuum.

Yeah, yeah, right, especially with who was still on the.

Board, and he wouldn't be in my top twenty one no matter what, so he would not he wouldn't be okay, you know.

Then in uh with pick one again, there were no trades in this thing. It picked one three Cam Scatabow, running back out of Arizona State. This is in the fourth round. Now, if he is available in the fourth round, okay, great.

He would wonderfully and he would play a ton And I don't think any of us are going to complain about that picking.

Now that pick will play there. So you've finally got a guy in the fourth round who's going to.

I also think that's a need. Yeah, as opposed to a one, you have to add a running back in the fifth round. He has him taking at pick one fifty six Holland Pierce, the offensive tackle out of Rutgers. Again, that's right, my ally, that's up your alley. But a guy who doesn't he's not gonna play at all this show. He might be your sixth lower lineman. He's grooming, but tackles are gold. I'm fine with it.

I got no problem doing that. That in that right, right, right, But you again, you've added one guy thus far with this particular draft.

The whole plan doesn't make sense.

In round six, at pick one five, he has him taking Jordan Watkins, wide receiver out of Ole Miss.

I don't know much about him but a receiver late sure, but he's gonna be your fifth guy. He's not gonna Is he gonna beat out Wilson or Austin for snaps? No, no, no, I don't think we've ever or rarely have taken a wide out past the fifth round, and not deep wide receivers.

I just don't love. A. I don't love the wide receiver group, and B where's the path to playing time? Roman Wilson is still part of this team, and Roman Wilson's going to be in their plans. Roman Wilson was the third round draft pick this year, last year.

And to take a step further, and I don't know enough about the old Miss kid except for I've never really heard of him, so he's probably not that great, but that could be on me. Where's his playing time in twenty twenty six? I mean, even if Pickens isn't here, he's fourth. Yeah, and if Pickens isn't here or someone else is right.

They've drafted. They probably drafted. Yeah, something something happened.

Yeah, a late dart throw receiver to me in this draft doesn't make much sense.

No, no normous.

And again, I know Van Jefferson signed somewhere else, but just go sign a Van Jefferson type of.

Those guy's right, the receiver market is still get every signed.

Yeah, that's a better player than that dude is now.

In round seven, it picked two twenty nine, the Steelers take Donovan Edwards, running back at a Michigan. So they take two running backs. Yeah, very different ones, very different ones. Where's his playing.

Time coming from? I think he's really bad, to be honest with you. But he's talented who tests well. He was a big time recurring mean, he could be a but he's seventh round pick. So I'm not going to kill that pick in a vacuum either. He probably would be a kickoff return guy for you. But you have hit. You have that dude in Gainwell, I mean it's a seventh round pick. I'm not going to kill him. But here's the thing, like, there's no plan there. I'm just looking at the guys who are still available. At that point, Yaha, Black was there. No, that's great.

I would take you. I would take the third right. We didn't take it. He didn't take any defensive right, especially zero.

I would take him Black two rounds ago.

Yeah, O'donald Fortune, cornerback out of South Carolina. He's a decent prospect I would.

Take, especially with a grant in the first round. Right instead of right.

Uh, you know, that's that's the way to work this draft. Not that he's doing kind of backwards.

I know him on my kick about big guys, but I almost think if you don't get a D tackle with your first pick, it's it's the draft is not all for loss, but it's not the path. It's not the way to start your process. Even as good as the D tackles are, there's other guys I like at twenty one or even twenty five. But if it's not one of those top three D tackles that are real difference makers, you're gonna have a tough time selling me on why that's the answer. Unless you happen to love Jackson Dart and you think he's mahomes great. Okay, that's part of it. Believe it part of the problem. Of going down that path of not taking one in the first round, right, it gets so messy after that.

It really does. I'm just gonna look at see you in a second one. Who is who is still available here at eighty three when they in this instance he has I'm taking mill Roe. Shamar Turner.

Okay, we haven't talked much about him.

It's good play. Yeah, I was a good player, but.

He's not. He's on Nolan.

He's not one of those top three guys or four guys.

I mean, he's a rotational dude for you. For T J. Sanders was still there, okay, yeah, okay, who else? I assume he had a lot going in.

Jordan Phillips was there? Okay, Jordan Phillips, Yeah, yeah, I'm a fan play nose for you.

Again. I'm not saying they're better picks than Millroe. But if you don't do one in the first.

Round, that's the thing now where J J pegas, you just can't. Yes, there are guys available later, but if you pass on one in the first round to then take a quarterback in the third round, because you to take a running back at some point you need another running back. The way this draft line lines up. It's not that hard. It's not that difficult. This is the puzzle.

You've set it up.

The way you have the puzzle is not that hard to put together. Here. The pieces are about this big, right, and I'm holding my hands pretty far apart, and the only thing that I've got like five of them. There's the pieces. Okay, there's the puzzles put together.

Because receiver puzzle piece has been filled is filled, right, Yeah, that's that was the main piece that's already on the board. And of course it would be much easier to build it with a second round pick, but then you would have the receiver puzzle built. Yeah. I forget what I was gonna say, though, Oh okay, like we'd like some of those fourth round options, Phillips, Peggy, all those two. I mean, you may you name five or six of them that are quality players that I hope end up in Latrobe, you know whatever. But if you do that your biggest need, then you gotta take one next year, right, you know what I mean? Like, then I'm not and you pass on a quarterback to take one. But you didn't fill the need, I mean, and you didn't find the next Hayward. You didn't find your difference maker.

They passed on in this particular draft, Cam Jackson and Jamari Calbwell in the fourth round to take scatter Bo because you you you took two pieces early right that you that aren't going to play for you. Yeah.

Yeah, the mistake was made at Thomas. Yeah, because they sends you down a bad path. That's right.

The same reason why taking a quarterback in the first round unless you think he's awesome. Unless he's awesome, and that nothing that matters. You know, if cam Ward were there, yes, I would take cam wore.

And if they take Dart, I hope I'm wrong about him and he turns out to be awesome. You know, they know the moren't more than me. I don't think that's what they're going to do. I don't think so either, And I don't. And back to what I said five minutes ago. If it's not one of those premium defensive tackles, the rest gets messy. Had a second round.

Pack, it gets very messy. Yeah, it gets very messy.

And in that book, and you just ran into the dragon right in the first right off the back, you know, on purpose, right on purpose. Right, there's Ay.

Said, Hey, there's a dragon down that way. There's nothing over here. There's the princesses over here, the dragon's over there. Yeah, you say, I want to fight the dragon?

Right, this is this is level one of Adventure on you fight the damn dragon. You can't even beat level one, you know, right.

It's not how it's done.

Yeah, you know, because once that's in place, then you're playing with house money. Yeah, no, you can. You want to running back the third round? You wait the fifth, right, either would be fine? Right?

Yeah, now I can do that. I can make it. Oh, I want to take a quarterback in the third round.

Great, I have a second round, great on mill Row and he's sitting there in the third fantastic. Okay, I got rolled in.

That whole draft looks so much different and I feel so much differently about it. If they take instead of taking Thomas at twenty one, they take Kenneth Grant, where they take one of the.

Rest of it's fine. Then would be like, nice job, Matt Miller, you did a good job. You got scatter Boat in the fourth you got.

Right right, rather than the wide receiver that they took. I'm like, oh, okay, that's a six round pick.

I mean Yeah.

Again, there were other defensive tackles still available that could have taken.

Yeah, and we would end up with two DT's and I'd be happy.

And it's not just because that's what we do every time we do a mock draft.

There's a time we do a million.

There's a reason why we do that in the mock drafts.

That's why we do so many. And I just we wouldn't have come to this inclusion a month ago.

I think so many national mock drafts that are out there are just completely swinging and missing on what this, what this Steelers roster current make, the current makeup of the roster, and.

Why they've been to the playoffs all these years. It's not because the great playoffs of the great quarterbacks will last five years because of Cam Hayward, TJ.

Patrick.

You know, and I know they haven't won a playoff game.

We're well aware. They're well aware.

Don't remind me, but you know, they do have a streak of you know, seasons without a losing season. Don't know if they one's aware of that.

Well, you know, they they're they're goal every year is to win nine games. That's the goal. I keep hearing that one to goal is just to win nine games or to go nine and eight, which they've done exactly one time in their entire history. They've gone nine and eight once. Anyways, I just put it out there on Twitter, so if you're listening and you want to check it out, or the ex Twitter as it were, if you have any questions you want to ask us here, we'll get to those in hour number two. Yeah, Twitter Thursday. Check that out at the I can't even remember what my Twitter.

I'm Matt Williamson, NFL.

Yeah, he retweeted it on there. Yeah, I got to think of what mine is. I'm at d Lallie Underscore Pittsburgh. Okay, so you can check that out there. We've already got a bunch on there already. I bet let's get through a break. He is the Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive. You're on the Steelers Audio Network, Matt, and now I'll be back with more right after.

This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio, and.

We are back. I'm Dale LOLLI he is the Matt Williamson and Matt we've seen some of the stuff that the Competition Committee has put out there. We've seen what some of the teams have thrown out there for teams to talk about this weekend and the next week, and they'll start on Sunday with the league meetings on Sunday down in West Palm Beach. We'll be down there for the drive on Sunday. There you go, was there anything else that you looked at? And you say, boy, I can't believe that didn't come up. Hmmm, I've got one for you. Get it started, the double tap on the foot if you we saw it a couple of times last year.

Oh yeah, I got asked about twice to.

Look into it, twice with the same foot and then there's no count and it did not count. And nobody brought that up as a potential rule change.

That's funny because I got two separate tweets today out of the blue asking about that, and I'm like, I should look into that. I assume that came up, because it sure seems like it should talk about it, and it didn't. I think that should that should be a rule change. I mean, is that as equally difficult to do.

You would think, if my butt counts, if my elbow counts, right, I was not hitting my foot twice? Why does that not count?

I mean, I know it's a goofy conversation, but it really could happen. You could throw a swing pass to a running back on the sidelines who catches it awkwardly, hops on one foot five times, gets knocked out of bounds, pulls.

He pulls his hamstring right, it doesn't then, therefore, or sprains his ankle and hops down the sideline gets out of bounds for like a four yard game.

No catch yep, Sorry, that's like that's crazy to be I mean, let alone the picking stuff that we saw. Yeah, yeah, that's a good one. I had something else on my noodle. What I were saying I don't remember now though, but that is definitely a good one. I don't know, is there any other ones that come to mind? Oh, what's the Maybe these young pups can tell us what's the blow in your nose thing or whatever that's now a fifteen yard penalty. You're not allowed to wipe your nose or something. I don't know.

Apparently apparently it's a gang sign.

Okay, Okay, so.

They don't want the players throwing up gang signs on the field. I got no problem. What's if that's true?

Cool?

I mean, these guys have face masks on and they don't get to their nose. But I just know that I don't know the answer to that.

That's why it's a gang. Yeah, you can't throw up you know, gang signs on the field. I got no issue whatsoever with that.

Okay. I assumed that's something to do like the throat cut thing or you know what I mean, like well frowned upon right right, right, exactly, Okay, But I just wanted to bring that up, like, where's the thing about the.

Problem taunting in the and the signs and things like that of that nature, and you know, shooting guns and all that. We obviously know that they're not shooting a gun. Of course, we know that they're not doing these things. The problem becomes when kids emulate that. I know that's what they're going at the level. Yeah, I was coaching. I was cod This is years ago, and I got asked to help coach my son's football team. And at that point we're still on the they were like third and fourth graders and so the coaches are behind the line of scrimmage on both sides, and one of our running backs breaks free and as he's running down the sideline, he turns around and starts holding the ball back and high stepping into the kid behind him, And I immediately went to the end zone. I'm like, look, we don't do that.

It's a great way not to play.

Yeah, but we do. No, like, we don't do that, but I saw it. No, I don't care where you saw it. Once you say that it's not a good sportsmanship. We don't do that, because if that kid, if one of those other kids came down here and dove with your knee right now, I would understand it.

Oh yeah, yeah, right, which also is a good sportsmanship. But you earned it. You earned it.

You want to talk, you want to walk the walk on the field and talk to talk, you better be ready to back it up.

And I just I do know that. I mean, obviously there's some that shouldn't get called, or there's they go too far to me, Like I wish I remember the conversation, but it was like two years ago where the receiver kind of walked over the corner and taunted him, and after the game. They interviewed him. He's like we were college roommates. He's like one of my best friends. We're just laughing with each other on the field. You know, the ref doesn't They don't know that, but.

You know, but again, it becomes a situation where if you don't call it, the league goes, well, he just he just put his crotch in that guy's face, right, I stepped over there. And now some kid's going to see that and do it in a high school game or a grade school game and think that's okay.

Yeah, And frankly, it's not like when we grew up, and if you didn't see it live, you're not gonna see It's not gonna be on your phone in ten seconds, and every kid in the world's going to see it. I get it, and I'm so naive. I don't know what the nose thing is and what they all mean. But no, I understand it. But I'm sure it does take a little fun out of it. Not illegal, nasty thing. I just mean being dudes, you know, But I understand it.

I mean, look, I you know, when I played sports, you know, I'd make a big basket or whatever, pump the fist, or whatever, but I'm not, you know, up in the guy's face. Hey, you know you're too short or whatever. Yeah, it's stupid, right, stupid.

Or like in baseball, if you show up a picture on a home run, you probably get some chin music, right, I mean, or at least you used to when Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson were out there in the mountain.

Nothing makes me angry. I feel this, yeah, and the guy does the whole bat flip. But we had we had one, we'd a tournament. We're I had a sixteen U team.

Huh so these are big they know better, right, yeah, yeah, But.

My entire roster, or about three quarters of my roster, were actually fourteen year olds. We're playing in the sixteen you semi finals of this tournament, and we're beating this team that they thought they thought that they were gonna cake walk over us, and we're beating them. When one of their guys in the bottom of the fifth inning hits a home run to put them up three to two or four to three, whatever it was. Our dugouts on the first base side, they're on the third base side, turns to our dugout and does the bat flip like fifty feet in the air and stands there and watches I got my fourteen year old pitcher on the mound who's pitching a gem against guy, and that jag Off does that and then left the bat there, laying there. After he came back in, and it's still laying there, and it's still laying there.

After he round the bases.

After he rounds the bases, Hey, he hit a home run. Good for him, that's a great play, right for you, still laying there right, Yeah, the next batter is coming up to the plate. I'm like, I yell over to dug out, Hey, when are you guys gonna come over here and take this bat back to your dugout before it ends up somewhere where you don't you're not gonna want.

It and on the woods.

Yeah, turns out he was the first Now he was the first basement. I was coaching first base in this game. He was the first basement I've talked to the entire game. I didn't even realize it was him the day and I'm aster talking to the umpire in between innings and I'm talking about it. I hate that bat flip crap. It's such you know, showing up, toss the bat or do whatever. Even if you I've hit home runs before and I'm like, oh, yeah I hit. That mean I've jogged, you know, jogging the first base watching to see at land. You don't want to be the guy who jogs the first base and it doesn't get out. But I knew when.

Yeah, but it used to be. There wasn't a backflip thing. You just sit there at home plate and wait, yeah, and then you knew Bob Gibson, right.

So we come back then beat them up, We walk them off nice. Actually that was in the top of the fifth. We walk them off on the top of the seventh. Half their team wouldn't shake my hand. I'm like, I don't care because that was bush league stuff that you you essentially you not only did you flip the bat again forty feet in the air, you then stared at our dug out after you did it, like, oh, look at me, I'm you know, flexing up my dougout. Get out of here with that crap. I don't. I don't want to see if he had come up again, he would have he would have wore a baseball.

Say at that level, do they get thrown at? Oh?

Yeah, okay, so absolutely absolutely, and even like in I've ordered the Code Red.

Okay, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall.

You want to be a jackass on the field, you're gonna yeah.

Yeah. Sometimes as the next hitter get it, Like if the dude hidden third.

It would depend on where and I mean it depends where you're at in the game, the situation of the game, not automatically just I'm not plunking the next guy because that guy was a jackass. But if he comes up again and we got an open.

Base, right, all right, I'm at least gonna let him know.

Yeah, you're gonna at least see one high end, you know, not high and tight, but you're gonna see one inside that.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, you know, I think that's perfectly fine. Yeah. I mean, I don't know about like taking out the knee for guys hill.

Another example is there we're in a game in the in the first baseman is blocking the bag every time. He's got his entire foot and he's got a big foot. I got runners on first and they're diving back in the first base and he's blocking the bag with his foot, and I said something to the umpire. But I'm like, he's not allowed to block the block the bag without the ball because he's doing it when he's waiting for the You can't block the bag. You got to give the runner.

Yeah, they have to have free access back there.

And so I said something to the umpire about it, and he says, well, I can't do anything about it until unless there's an actual play there that that you know, he actually blocks. I said, okay, if you're not going to tell him to do it, I went to my my. I had I knew which kid to go to. Yeah, I said, hey, if you get on first base and he's playing and he's blocking the bag like that, I don't want you to get a huge lead. But when you come back in, I want you to dive into his leg. We're not trying to hurt him.

You're not spiking him, no, but you're going back.

You're going back in your shoulders, going into his Yeah, into his leg.

If you want to get in the way.

I want him to know that that's he's gonna not block that bag. We did it. They threw over twice. The kid hits him right in the knee too. Both times. The kids comes oh man, that hurt. I'm like, and the umpire like, should he goes coach? That's old school. I'm like, took care of the problem. He won't do that again. Yeah.

And frankly, if you were my coach and that was my eight year old on your team, that's how I would want them coached, you know what I mean. Like, if they're gonna break, there's old school, isn't all bad.

You're gonna push, You're gonna brush the boundaries. I'm gonna push him back.

Yeah, Yeah, there's ways. You're not the first one that thought of this, you know.

Or yeah right, yeah, And I'm sure his dad's sitting in the stands going, well, I taught him how to block the bag. I've had that conversation with people for to what that's what I taught him to do.

Well, you taught him I'm wrong, right, Yeah, that's why you're not coaching.

So yeah, I get all the not wanting that kind of stuff in the game.

I get it too.

And the world so small, and I'm not against celebrations and that kind of stuff. That's fun, you know, spontaneous stuff, that's great.

I want the fun bunch, I want the smurfs. I want fine, I got no problem with all that kind of stuff, right, but when you're doing it in front, doing it specifically in front, you're waving the ball in front of the cornerback's face, you know the face.

Yeah, you're sacked the quarterback and you get up and like, no.

It's different than TJ's kick or whatever those are.

Just spot Yeah, it's not even such. It's spontaneous, but it's it's a celebration. I have no problem with that either. Just doing it at somebody else is what I have a problem with. No, I agree, you can celebrate a great play, but don't don't turn around and FlexIt my dugout, you know. Yeah, that's that's different. That's yeah, that's blow the belt. Yeah. Anyways, let's get to break. He is the Matt Williamson. I am Dale, Lolly. You're listening to the drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. That's going to do it for our number one. We'll be back with our number two right after this.

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