| |
|
| ||
|
Steelers impart intrigue with draft picks
Posted: Sunday April 18, 1999 09:18 PM
Steelers PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' choice of smallish wide receiver Troy Edwards wasn't universally praised by the team's fans. Not big enough, some said. Not from a big-enough school. One day after the Steelers gambled by taking the 5-foot-91/2 Edwards with their highest pick in seven years, the 13th choice in the first round, they got a vote of endorsement -- from another draft pick. Kris Brown, Nebraska's kicker, watched Edwards torch the Cornhuskers' secondary for 405 yards and three touchdowns last season for Louisiana Tech. Understandably, he was impressed. Edwards was one of the smallest players to oppose Nebraska last season but, according to Brown, he was the best. "He's definitely a remarkable player," said Brown, the third of the Steelers' three seventh-round picks. "Other than [Heisman Trophy winner] Ricky Williams, he was the best player I played against in college." The Steelers concluded the final four rounds Sunday by trading away two of their four fifth-rounders to the Oakland Raiders for a third-rounder next year. They also drafted Northern Colorado defensive end Aaron Smith on the fourth round, tight end Jerame Tuman of Michigan and wide receiver Malcolm Johnson of Notre Dame on the fifth and defensive tackle Antonio Dingle of Virginia, linebacker Chad Kelsay of Nebraska and Brown on the seventh. They recently traded their sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for wide receiver Alex Van Dyke. To Brown, who watched him up close, the argument that Edwards isn't as fast as top-rated receivers Torry Holt and David Boston isn't valid because it doesn't take game speed into consideration. "He has unbelievable speed ... just look at the way he ran by our guys," Brown said. Director of football operations Tom Donahoe agreed, saying, "It's not just how fast they run on the track, it's competitive speed. ... And we don't talk about size that much, we talk more about athletic ability and production." Brown himself was the most intriguing of the Steelers' six picks Sunday, if only because he instantly becomes the only kicker on the roster. By choosing Brown, who holds the NCAA career for career extra points, the Steelers essentially wrote off bringing back 38-year-old Norm Johnson, their kicker since 1995. The two sides have been far apart on contract terms, with Johnson apparently asking for more than the $303,000 he made last season. "You don't ever want to say that anybody's done ... and anything's possible but, at this point, it's probably not as likely," Donahoe said of re-signing Johnson. "We really like Kris Brown; he has an excellent leg and a lot of potential and Cleveland really liked it." Brown doesn't know if he'll go toe-to-toe with Johnson in camp. "They never talked to me about him. They never mentioned him," said Brown, who was reached by the Steelers at a charity basketball game at a Nebraska high school. "I know he's been a good kicker in the league, but I want to come in there and show them what I can do. I'm thrilled by this." With their 11 picks, the Steelers added two receivers (Edwards and Johnson), a safety (Weber State's Scott Shields), two outside linebackers (Joey Porter of Colorado State and Kelsay), an offensive tackle (Kris Farris of UCLA), a running back (Amos Zereoue of West Virginia), a defensive end (Smith), a tight end (Tuman), a defensive tackle (Dingle) and Brown, the first kicker they've drafted since Cole Ford in 1995. The first (Edwards) and last (Brown) are the most likely to play this season, with Shields possibly playing a key role in third-down coverage. Farris plans to challenge for the vacancy at right tackle, although offensive linemen rarely start as rookies. But there are more positions open than normal, if only because the Steelers are coming off their first losing season (7-9) since 1991. "We've created a very competitive situation throughout our team," coach Bill Cowher said. "Before you pass judgment on this draft, give it a couple of years. That's how long it takes to fairly evaluate it." It won't take that long to evaluate this: The Steelers drafted five players from name schools such as Notre Dame, UCLA and Nebraska, but their top two picks were from Louisiana Tech and Weber State. "If they're from small schools and not productive, then you're looking to develop someone," Cowher said. "But if they've been productive ... you can't discount someone from a smaller school. You look at the player and what he does and where he does it." The Steelers were surprised to land Farris, the Outland Trophy winner as the best interior lineman in college football, and 4,000-yard rusher Amos Zereoue of West Virginia in the third round. "I thought I was going to go early in the second or the mid-second round," Zereoue said.
| |||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||
