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Deleted member 6794
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There's no doubt in my mind that the inside linebacker position has to be addressed in the draft but not necessarily in the first round.
Draft wish list! Billings my #1
- Thread starter Snoops
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There's no doubt in my mind that the inside linebacker position has to be addressed in the draft but not necessarily in the first round.
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HardRightEdge
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Lee may still be a top 20 pick...at 4-3 OLB.
Vrill
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I have seen a lot of mention of Pittsburgh drafting him and pairing him with his old Ohio State teammate Ryan Shazier.
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HardRightEdge
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It would seem to me several assumptions would need to play out for that to happen.
The first assumption is the Steelers would have to be looking to cut Timmons with his $15 million 2016 cap number, picking up $8.75 mil in cap space after the dead cap hit. This is highly plausible regardless of who they draft. PIT's top 51 currently sits at $154 mil, with only $3 mil in carryover. If the cap is $155 mil as is being projected, they must cut somebody with some meaningful cap. You probably know the drill by now...you have to add cap hits to the current number for the 52 and 53, the top rookie contracts, the practice squad, and some kept in reserve for IR replacements. $4 mil does not quite cover those additions.
The second assumption is that DC Butler would have to change his stripes. That is far less plausible. Note his commitment from last year's camp, his first year as DC, to restore PIT's defense to their traditional identity as a physical squad:
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...coordinator-kevin-butler-training-camp-080515
The idea of a Shazier/Lee combo inside is a doubling down on speed at the expense of smash mouth. Does that make any sense to you given Butler's avowed approach? Not to me.
As noted previously, if you want to run zone blitz, Lee is your guy coming off the edge. PIT is, after all, the Jerusalem of the zone blitz, even if LeBeau did not invent it. But that sure doesn't justify drafting in the first round against your identity.
Even guys who get paid to look at this stuff might say: 1) Timmons is too rich and will get cut regardless, 2) a replacement will then need to be found, 3) there are only 2 possible first round ILBs in punditland, Lee being one of them (even if some us don't see Lee as quite that kind of player at ILb), 4) you have the cutesy OSU Shazier connection, 5) they took Shazier who fits a similar profile and 6) the Lee-zone blitz formulation.
Sounds good right? This does not address the identity issue. I see their picking Ragland as more likely than Lee, or going in a lower round for a banger without quite the Ragland credentials.
I don't think we have to say the thinking is not Lee at 3-4 OLB in PIT...too small, no way, no how.
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Deleted member 6794
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The 2016 salary cap was set at $155.27 million weeks ago.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000639226/article/nfl-salary-cap-set-at-15527-million-for-2016
With teams having to be under the cap at the start of the new league year the league has to announce it in advance.
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HardRightEdge
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Thanks for that. It looks like that was announced when I was in Mexico, with the flu. Great trip.
