Will Steelers find a big back in draft?
(This is the second of a 10-part series on the NFL Draft. Today鈥檚 story highlights the running backs.)
Jon Gruden rocked the NFL Combine upon his re-introduction as coach of the Oakland Raiders.
Gruden stood at the podium and mocked analytics, and more shockingly said he wants a fullback because they 鈥済ive your running game a lot of deception.鈥� He added that watching Wisconsin play the college game 鈥渕akes me feel like I鈥檓 breathing fresh air again.鈥�
Perhaps in joking (or perhaps not), Gruden said, 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to throw the game back to 1998.鈥�
That鈥檚 the year Gruden began his first go-around with the Raiders, and four years before he went to Tampa Bay and rode 6-1, 248-pound fullback Mike Alstott to a title. Alstott scored the franchise鈥檚 first Super Bowl touchdown and caught five passes in the game.
The 6-1, 248-pound fullback in this class, Dimitri Flowers, can catch, block, run, play tight end, pick up blitzes and play special teams. And, he was told about Gruden鈥檚 little speech.
鈥淭hat was exciting to hear,鈥� said Flowers, one of the most underrated offensive players in this year鈥檚 draft. 鈥淚 would like to think it鈥檚 coming back around.鈥�
Big backs can win big games, as Steelers fans know all too well after watching Jacksonville鈥檚 Leonard Fournette dominate the playoff game last season at Heinz Field. The Steelers couldn鈥檛 even slow Fournette with the base defense they were forced to employ most of the game.
It鈥檚 part of the reason Art Rooney II bemoaned his team鈥檚 run defense at his postseason press conference, and part of the reason the Steelers are looking closely at inside linebackers, as well as nose tackles such as B.J. Hill, who visited the South Side on Thursday.
But what about their own big back? Currently, the biggest back on the Steelers鈥� roster is Rosie Nix at 5-11, 248, but he鈥檚 strictly a blocker who鈥檚 touched the ball only nine times in three seasons with the Steelers.
The Steelers finished the season 18th in red-zone offense and converted only 3-of-8 fourth downs in the regular season. Their twin fourth-and-1 failures in the playoffs probably had something to do with Rooney saying he wanted to improve the team鈥檚 short-yardage woes as well.
Any interest in the 248-pound Flowers by the team that practically invented the 250-pound tailback?
鈥淭hey talked to me at the Senior Bowl,鈥� Flowers said at the Combine. 鈥淗owever, they just signed Roosevelt Nix. That was the thing they were talking about. We talked about him quite a bit.鈥�
A double dip of Nix at fullback and, say, 228-pound Bo Scarbrough might fix those short-yardage blues.
You may remember Scarbrough as the proverbial runaway beer truck at Alabama. In 2016 he broke out down the stretch with an 85-yard run against Tennessee, Offensive Player of the Week against LSU, 17-for-90 against Auburn, an MVP performance and bowl record 180 yards against Wisconsin, and 16-for-93 in the first half of the national championship game against Clemson.
That Scarbrough was injured in the second half probably played a role in Alabama鈥檚 loss to Clemson, and Scarbrough has yet to regain his stretch-drive momentum from 2016. He rushed for only 596 yards (4.8 ypc) last season, and after running his 40 in 4.52 still appears destined to be drafted no higher than the fourth round, and more likely the fifth.
A bigger back in whom the Steelers have shown interest is Rashaad Penny (5-11, 220), who rushed for 2,248 yards last season as he replaced his cousin, Donnel Pumphrey, in the San Diego State backfield.
Penny met formally with the Steelers at the Combine. He averaged more per carry (7.8) than he did on his 19 receptions (7.1). He also averaged 30.2 yards per kickoff return, and brought back one of his two punt returns 70 yards for a touchdown.
For his career, Penny scored 44 touchdowns from scrimmage and eight via return (seven kickoffs).
If the Steelers are looking for more speed, they might consider North Carolina State鈥檚 Nyheim Hines (5-8陆, 198, 4.38), or a player who wasn鈥檛 invited to the Combine nor is being ranked as draftable, Willie Parker-lookalike Phillip Lindsay (5-7录, 184, 4.39) out of Colorado.
MY TAKE
The re-signing of Stevan Ridley gives the Steelers four veteran halfbacks and lessens the need for an early pick of superstar backs Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb, Ronald Jones or Sony Michel. The Steelers still might consider one to groom as Le鈥橵eon Bell鈥檚 successor, but finding a player such as Penny in the third round would do that and save the first two picks for positions of greater need.
VALUE BOARD
Third Round 鈥� Rashaad Penny, San Diego State.
Fifth Round 鈥� Bo Scarbrough, Alabama; Josh Adams, Notre Dame; Royce Freeman, Oregon; Justin Jackson, Northwestern.
Sixth Round 鈥� Ito Smith, Southern Miss.
Seventh Round 鈥� Phillip Lindsay, Colorado; Chris Warren, Texas.