Even as the Philadelphia Flyers are embarrassing the Penguins in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Philly Eagles stuck it to the Steelers in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday, trading up to take the wide receiver the Steelers were ready to select with the very next pick. So much for that City of Brotherly Love stuff.
That wide receiver would be Makai Lemon of USC. He was on the phone with the Steelers, who were expressing their eternal love for him, when the Eagles made the trade to move ahead of the Steelers and then called Lemon to say welcome to the Eagles.
As often happens with jilted suitors on the rebound, the Steelers made a hasty, questionable choice to replace Lemon, settling on Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. This is a Nigerian who only has been playing football for a few years.
It’s amusing, but not necessarily fatal. Despite all the instant draft analysis you’ve read of the first-round picks in general, and the Steelers’ initial pick specifically, no one, and I mean no one, knows how this will turn out long term.
Tom Brady, the poster boy for winning titles when it comes to NFL quarterbacks, was drafted in the sixth round in 2000, the 199th player taken. Think of all the millions of dollars NFL teams spend on scouting the draft, and all the time and money spent by draft gurus telling us before, and after, how teams did. Yet, Brady was picked almost as an afterthought and went on to rewrite NFL history.
In an example closer to home, one I personally observed with the Steelers, consider the cases of Darryl Sims and Mark Behning from the 1985 draft. Sims, the “Sack Man” from Wisconsin, was billed as a great pass-rushing defensive end and was picked in the first round. “Fort” Behning was a massive offensive tackle from Nebraska
The Steelers bragged they’d gotten a first-round talent in the second round with Behning.
At St. Vincent preseason camp that summer the two squared off often in drills, with each winning maybe half the battles. There were knowing smiles among the coaching staff and the media.
Then the games began – first preseason and then regular season. As it turns out, when Sims and Behning were going against each other it was a case of two guys who weren’t really that good. Put them against NFL talent and let’s just say they were exposed.
Behning’s exposure was delayed a year because he broke an arm in training camp in 1985 and didn’t play until the next year. He was cut in the 1988 preseason.
Sims didn’t start a game in two seasons with the Steelers, but he did provide amusing copy when he missed time in training camp due to infected fingernails.
As detailed yesterday, the Steelers draft brain trust also passed on Dan Marino in 1983, despite him playing and practicing for four years at Pitt just a few miles up the road in Oakland, not to mention him playing his high school football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic.
To repeat, it’s too early to judge this Steelers draft, either the first round or whatever comes in later rounds. It’s not too early, however, to raise an eyebrow.
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