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Joe Rutter stories | TribLIVE.com

Joe Rutter stories, Page 94

Joe Rutter
Joe Rutter
Last time Steelers didn't have 1st round pick, they had dud of a draft
Since they traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in September, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew they were bucking history by entering the 2020 NFL Draft without a first-round draft pick. It has been 53 years, to be exact, since the Steelers didn’t have a first-rounder. And the organization can only hope that...
Jalen Reagor, a wideout associated with Steelers, goes to Eagles in 1st round of NFL Draft
If it’s any consolation to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, at least speedy TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor will begin his NFL career in Pennsylvania. It just will take place on the eastern part of the state, not the western. Reagor, a 5-foot-11, 206-pound deep threat and presumed second-round pick, didn’t make...
Joe Rutter's mock NFL Draft: Steelers to target playmakers early
Mock drafts are like noses in that everyone has one. And many folks treat such endeavors like that certain popular brand of potato chip — you can’t have just one. Not here. This mock for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the first and only one I have produced this year. It...
Unlike last year, Steelers could go in several directions with top draft pick
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up 10 spots and selected linebacker Devin Bush with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, it hardly constituted as a surprise. Team president Art Rooney II admitted as much, calling the Bush selection “maybe the worst-kept secret of the draft.” The...
NFL Draft CB breakdown: Ohio State's Jeff Okudah has top spot locked down 
1. Jeff Okudah Ohio State, 6-1, 205 Okudah will be the first cornerback taken, and that could happen within the top five picks. His NFL comparable is Patrick Peterson. As a junior, Okudah was a first-team All-American and a Jim Thorpe finalist as the nation’s top defensive back. Okudah led...
Penn State's John Reid undervalued as CB prospect, draft analysts believe
Penn State is expected to have one former player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday in pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos. Another Nittany Lions alum will go on the second day when wide receiver K.J. Hamler gets the call. Others will be taken on the third...
NFL Draft safety breakdown: Pair of SEC products lead class 
1. Xavier McKinney Alabama, 6-0, 201 In his junior season, before he declared for the draft, McKinney led Alabama with 95 tackles, including 5 1/2 for loss, and he had three sacks. His ball-hawking skills were on display as he forced four fumbles, intercepted three passes and broke up five...
Steelers' Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin ready for 'spectator's view' when NFL Draft begins 
The NFL scheduled a trial run with owners, general managers and coaches Monday afternoon to work out the kinks of the league’s first virtual draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers, in essence, will conduct a second one Thursday night. With the Steelers being one of six teams without a first-round pick, team...
NFL Draft linebacker breakdown: Production galore from this class 
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Isaiah Simmons Clemson, 6-4, 238 Simmons earned the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019 as a redshirt junior. He also...
NFL Draft OLB/Edge rush breakdown: Talented position doesn't end with Chase Young 
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Chase Young Ohio State, 6-5, 264 Young is the best athlete in the draft and almost assuredly will be property of the Redskins...
Deep class of edge rushers could come into play for Steelers in NFL Draft 
Depth at outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the NFL Draft looks similar to what the team had available in Week 8 of the 2019 season. And that’s not comforting news for an organization that prides itself on having a deep group of pass-rushing talent. With veteran Anthony Chickillo...
NFL Draft DL breakdown: Auburn's Derrick Brown tops talented group 
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Derrick Brown Auburn, 6-5, 326 Brown was a potential first-round pick after the 2018 season, but he opted to return to Auburn for...
Penn State DT Rob Windsor could provide late-round depth for Steelers line
Once overlooked by recruiters in his home state, Robert Windsor is hoping he fares better on a national scale. The former Penn State defensive tackle, who left home five years ago when Wisconsin was too late in offering a scholarship, is looking to find a place in the NFL. His...
JuJu Smith-Schuster among 4 Steelers to rank in Top 50 of NFL merchandise sales
JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t lead the Pittsburgh Steelers in any major receiving category in 2019, but he still managed to top all of his teammates in NFL merchandise sales. In the fiscal year merchandise report conducted by the NFL Players Association, Smith-Schuster was among four Steelers players to rank in the...
NFL Draft G/C breakdown: Michigan's Cesar Ruiz top center in lackluster class 
The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. CENTER 1. Cesar Ruiz Michigan, 6-3, 307 Ruiz was the top center prospect coming out of IMG Academy in Florida, but he got on...
Steelers seek interior OL depth, but group lacking in NFL Draft 
If draft positional groups were assembled like NFL power rankings, this year’s interior offensive linemen crop would be the equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals. “Welcome to the weakest area of the 2020 draft,” NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his annual listing of 11 positions. Unlike tackle, which Zierlein —...
Steelers add 4 players, including 3 from XFL, to offseason roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers added four players to their offseason roster Thursday, including three with experience in the recently disbanded XFL. Signed to one-year contracts were free agents Breon Borders, Anthony Coyle, John Keenoy and Arrion Springs. Borders and Springs are defensive backs, Coyle is a tackle and Keenoy is a...
NFL Draft OT breakdown: Alabama's Jedrick Wills grades highest at deep position
The 2020 NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Jedrick Wills Jr. Alabama, 6-4, 312 The NFL comparison assigned to Wills in his draft profile is Jason Peters, a nine-time Pro...
Time might be right for Steelers to find replacements at tackle in NFL Draft
The makeover of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line, a unit that had been together since 2015, began last winter with the trade of right tackle Marcus Gilbert to the Arizona Cardinals. It continued last month with left guard Ramon Foster’s retirement. With age and expiring contracts creeping up on the...
Lack of need at TE comes during good year for Steelers 
Since selecting Heath Miller with the No. 30 overall pick in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted a tight end in the first three rounds on just one occasion. In 2007, they used a third-round pick on Matt Spaeth. In the dozen drafts that followed, only Jesse James in 2015...
NFL Draft TE breakdown: Notre Dame's Cole Kmet leads thin class 
The 2020 NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. Cole Kmet Notre Dame, 6-6, 262 When he wasn’t catching passes in the fall, Kmet struck out batters in the spring as...
NFL Draft WR breakdown: CeeDee Lamb, Alabama receivers highlight class 
The 2020 NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects. 1. CeeDee Lamb Oklahoma, 6-2, 198 In his final season at Oklahoma, Lamb became the favorite receiver of Jalen Hurts, catching 62 passes...
TCU's Jalen Reagor could be playmaker Steelers seek in 2nd round of NFL Draft 
In JuJu-Smith Schuster, James Washington and Diontae Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the youngest wide receiving trios in the NFL. If the organization follows through on its intention of grabbing another playmaker on the second day of the NFL Draft, that group could get even younger and become...
Steelers add former Penn State WR Saeed Blacknall to offseason roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to fortify their offseason roster with former XFL players, signing wide receiver Saeed Blacknall to a one-year contract Monday. Blacknall, a former Penn State pass catcher, most recently played for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the upstart league, which ceased operations last week after having its...
Subpar ground game last season may prompt Steelers to target RB early 
For a franchise that has Hall of Fame running backs in Franco Harris, John Henry Johnson and Jerome Bettis and received superlative rushing performances in recent years from Willie Parker and Le’Veon Bell, the Pittsburgh Steelers achieved history of another sort in 2019. Steelers running backs collectively produced one of...


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