First Call: Pitt star lands with Steelers in mock draft; ex-Steeler DB still high on Jordan Addison
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A former Pittsburgh Steeler is sticking up for a former Pitt Panther after a rough NFL Combine. Another former Panther is slated to the Steelers in CBS’ latest mock draft. Aaron Donald will remain with the Los Angeles Rams. And there was a big time interconference showdown in the NHL Thursday night.
All that coming your way in Friday’s “First Call.”
Staying in the ‘Burgh?
After selecting Kenny Pickett in 2022, could the Steelers pump the well from Pitt in the first round of the draft for a second straight year?
That’s the prediction from CBSSports.com. In the website’s latest mock draft, Chris Trapasso predicts the Steelers will draft Panthers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey with the 17th pick in the first round.
“Kancey is the Javon Hargrave replacement the Steelers have missed for the past few seasons,” Trapasso writes.
I wouldn’t go to Hargrave as the comp for Kancey. They are both about 6-foot-1. But, according to their respective NFL Combine measurables, Hargrave (309 pounds) weighed about 30 pounds more than Kancey (280 pounds). So Kancey is even less of a true nose tackle than Hargrave was when he got into the NFL. And Hargrave had to grow into that position as well as being the backup to both Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt at end in the 3-4 and on the interior in the nickel.
With the way the Steelers defensive line is evolving and with the amount of true 3-4 snaps the nose tackle is used anymore (only 25% of the time), failing to be a true nose for Mike Tomlin’s defense is a lot less concerning than it would have been a decade ago. But Kancey would still likely have to bulk up a bit to play the Tuitt or Larry Ogunjobi role opposite Heyward.
Regardless, the Steelers do need quality depth and future assets along the defensive line. Heyward is 33 years old. Ogunjobi, Tyson Alualu and Chris Wormley are all free agents. And if the Steelers see DeMarvin Leal as a useful piece along the defensive front even though he is a bit of a “tweener” as well, maybe they’d take a shot at Kancey.
After a record-setting combine performance, and a standout career at Pitt, Kancey is moving up draft boards. But in the first round for the Steelers? At No. 17? With needs at cornerback, wide receiver, inside linebacker and offensive tackle? I don’t see it.
Angling for Addison?
Meanwhile, former Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison didn’t have a great combine.
The USC transfer product was dealing with tightness in his back and ended his workout early Saturday. He claims that he will do the rest of his drills at a Pro Day workout.
Addison also measured 5-foot-11, 173 pounds. That’s a little smaller than how he was listed on USC’s website. He went through a few drills, including running a 4.49 40-yard dash, after getting clocked at 4.55 his first try.
But former Steeler Ike Taylor — who is doing some scouting for the Steelers — says that people shouldn’t get hung up on that when it comes to evaluating Addison.
Speaking on his “Bleav in Steelers” podcast this week, Taylor said that Addison’s tape and route running are more important attributes.
“His routes were looking silky smooth,” Taylor said to co-host Mark Bergin. “To me, Addison had a good day. What you saw on tape, what I saw on tape Addison was the same thing I saw in person: A smooth route runner, getting in and out of breaks. Good hands.”
Taylor added that he thought raw foot speed was much more important for the receivers who play outside the numbers. Many think Addison will get more work underneath and out of the slot, at least early in his career.
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Staying put
After a 5-12 season in 2022, many are wondering how many trades the Los Angeles Rams will make. Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Allen Robinson have come up as pieces that could potentially be moved.
But that’s about where any dealing would stop for general manager Les Snead. According to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, former Pitt star Aaron Donald isn’t going anywhere. Neither are quarterback Matthew Stafford or wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Snead calls Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford “weight bearing walls”.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 9, 2023
A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Donald only had five sacks in 11 games last year. The nine-year pro out of Penn Hills missed six contests with an ankle injury in 2022.
Glory days gone
Pitt’s time in the Big East basketball conference becomes more of a foggy memory every day.
Two icons from the glory days of that conference are now done at their alma maters. We learned Wednesday that Jim Boeheim is leaving his post as Syracuse head coach after 47 years. On Thursday, it was discovered that Georgetown was severing ties with the legendary Patrick Ewing.
As a player at Georgetown in the mid-80s, Ewing was a three-time All-American, the National Player of the Year in 1985 and a national champion in 1984. But his coaching career with the Hoyas didn’t go as well.
Ewing did lead the university to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 thanks to a Big East Tournament title. Since then, though, the school has fallen on hard times. Georgetown went winless in conference play last season, finishing 6-25 overall. This season, the Hoyas went 7-25 overall and 2-18 in Big East play.
Ewing had never been a head coach at any level prior to succeeding John Thompson III at Georgetown.
All eyes on this one
Connor McDavid is the NHL’s brightest star. The Boston Bruins are the NHL’s most dominant team.
Those forces collided in New England on Thursday night, but the game didn’t go as expected. McDavid didn’t score, and the Bruins didn’t win.
The Oilers went to Boston and managed a 3-2 victory on a night when McDavid — who leads the NHL with 124 points and 54 goals — was held off the scoresheet and was a minus-1. The four-time NHL scoring champion was lucky to avoid serious injury after a scary collision with teammate Derek Ryan late in the third period.
That happened shortly after Darnell Nurse scored to break a 2-2 tie with 4:49 left. It was a goal that would prove to be the game-winner.
Darnell Nurse with a laser to give the Oilers the edge. ???? pic.twitter.com/7b9CGQwlj9
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2023
The defeat was Boston’s first in 10 games. The Bruins still have 103 points, nine points more than any other team in the NHL.