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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 02.08.22
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Ray Fittipaldo
1:54
Welcome to my Steelers chat. Post your questions and we'll get it started in a few minutes.
Brian in CA
1:55
Thanks for these chats.  How many starters would you expect for the Steelers to put on the field in 2022 from the upcoming draft?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:56
Probably two or three I would imagine. They'll file some starting jobs in free agency, but I think they'll probably be counting on at least their first two picks and maybe their top three to fill roles as starters or early contributors.
Matt
1:56
How do you think Louis Riddick would fit into the Steelers org?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:56
As the GM. That's the position he's interviewing for. He's probably making too much money at ESPN to return to an NFL front office in another other role.
Matt
1:57
Do you think Malik Willis would be a better fit then Pickett in Canadas offense ?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:57
Not necessarily. I don't think he's looking for a running QB. He's looking for a QB with mobility that can execute his offense.
Tom V.
1:58
Regarding the GM interviews, I have read that "Reports indicate that Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Art Rooney are split on who they believe should take over for Colbert when he retires following the Draft."  Have you heard this and any idea who each of them prefer?  Are they split between the two internal candidates or do one or more of them want to go outide the org. for the new GM?
Ray Fittipaldo
1:58
I'm not sure where you read or heard that, but I have not heard anything along those lines.
Ryan
1:59
Which QB impressed you the most with their senior bowl performance?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:00
Pickett had a good week. Willis was strong too. I would put them two in the front of the pack.
TJ
2:00
Hi Ray, whats your thought on QB - do we swing for the fences - bring in someone that can compete with what we have or draft in round 1 or 2?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:02
They will address the QB in some form or fashion before camp. They are doing their homework on the players in the draft. And there are free agents and players that can be acquired in a trade. But rest assured, they will bring in another QB to compete along with Rudolph and Haskins.
Chuck from Michigan
2:03
Hi Ray, what is your opinion on these three 2022 Steelers NFL draft picks/plan?  1) Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia 2) Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati 3) Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota.  For Rounds 4/5/6/7, BPA for ILB/RB/DB/WR.  Thank you.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:07
My first mock draft is publishing tomorrow. Jordan Davis is someone that intrigues and I am considering him strongly in the first round. He would be the answer to many of their concerns with the run defense. The only question I have is whether he'll play enough snaps to warrant a first-round pick by the Steelers. In other words, can he be more than a nose tackle that just plays in base. As for the others... I like Ridder in the second round for someone, maybe not the Steelers though. I just think they have so many other needs. Faalele would be good value in the third round. Check out post-gazette.com tomorrow morning for my first mock!
Zamo
2:08
Please please please tell me the Steelers are not serious about Riddick for GM. He always thinks he’s the smartest person in the room and he will tell you that too. Ugh!
Ray Fittipaldo
2:09
I would be surprised if Brandon Hunt is not elevated to the role as talent evaluator and Omar Khan given a new title to continue in his role as top contract negotiator. But I think it's good to interview outside candidates. In addition to interviewing them Art can get opinions on where the organization is lacking from an outsider.
demosthenes98
2:09
Which current member of the Steelers do you believe will be with the team the longest? I ask because I'm in the market for a new jersey now that Ben has retired.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:09
TJ Watt is a safe bet.
Ben R
2:10
I was wondering if you can explain this one to me…it seems that the general consensus among local sports writers is that Big Ben should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.  I would argue that he shouldn’t be since he was never really considered to be one of the top three QB’s on the league during his career.  I would even say that he was rarely a top 5 QB.  Unfortunately, he played with Brady, Brees, Mahommes
Ray Fittipaldo
2:12
I don't look at it that way at all. Was he one of the best QBs of his generation? Yes or no? If he was, then he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And don't go putting Mahomes in Ben's generation. Ben's generation was Brady and Manning. Brady is one of the best QBs of all-time. And Manning, while a bigger accumulator of stats, has the same number of Super Bowl rings than Ben. You shouldn't make this more difficult than it is.
MD
2:12
Ray:  the Steelers started or continued three player friendly precedents this year:  1)  They gave Tuitt a full year off with pay for bereavement leave.  2)  They paid Ingram $3m (80% of his salary) and then gave him away to a contender for virtually nothing (like Blount and Harrison before him).   3)  They let TJW skip camp to negotiate and alas, he had "soft tissue" problems early in the year.  Do you think on net that these player friendly precedents will benefit or hurt them in the long-run?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:16
First of all, I have no problem with them allowing Watt to skip camp. It was smart business for both sides. As for Tuitt, they did something similar for Ryan Shazier when he was injured. They paid him his $8 million-plus fifth-year option when they didn't have to. They were roundly praised for doing so. I know it's different with Tuitt, but how were they to know in early September that he wouldn't return to the team. They were hopeful he would. There was just no way of knowing how grief would affect him. I'm on board with you on the Ingram thing. They have to do their homework better on these outside free agents. They've been burned way too often in recent years. It happened with Blount as you pointed out and it happened with Morgan Burnett, too. You have to know the character of these guys before you sign them. That's why this offseason is going to be an important one for Kevin Colbert and his staff. They have cap space to fill some holes on their roster. Can they get talented players with character?
That's the question they have to answer.
Zamo
2:17
Ray, thanks for all you do!  Love the pods with you and BB!  I seriously hope the Steelers beef up both lines of scrimmage with the draft and free agency. QB can come later and build around Najee. You cannot win in this league unless you run the ball and can stop the run. We have been a joke running the ball for years and this has to be a priority no???
Ray Fittipaldo
2:18
I'm with you, Zamo. Get better up front first unless a QB you absolutely love falls to you at No. 20. (And I don't think that's going to happen.)
MD
2:19
Is it still anticipated that the Steelers will get a 3rd round comp pick for the significant losses of Dupree, Hilton, and Feiler last year?  We added virtually nothing of any quality in the UFA process last year.  It always seems like we get less in comp picks than anticipated and teams like Baltimore really optimize this system.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:21
I read on a few websites that track the comp picks that they will get a fourth for Dupree and maybe a fifth for Feiler. But the fifth is very tenuous because Joe Haeg played more than 25% of the snaps this year. He was an outside free agent who could count as a compensatory free agent. It's a formula no one has ever really been able to figure out for sure, but overthecap.com wrote something on this a few weeks back if you wanted to google it.
Indy Steeler Fan
2:21
I have not been impressed with the Steeler LB Bush that they traded up for. Is there a possibility they cut him loose for maximum cap space and draft another LB like Highsmith pick which I think has turned out fairly well.  Add “need for speed” and better size.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:22
Like Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns before him, Devin Bush will get a chance to play four seasons with the Steelers. It's up to him if he's around beyond that. He'll have to play much better for that to happen.
Indy Steeler Fan
2:22
Given poor past drafting luck at CN, would you rather Steeers use Free agency to address CB’s, and spend draft capital on OL, DL, LB & WR?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:23
Yes. They've had better luck finding corners in free agency than the draft. And they've been pretty good over the years drafting those other positions you mentioned.
Gman
2:24
Hi Ray.  Who do you predict ends up getting the Steelers GM job?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:24
Hunt/Khan
Guest
2:24
Having watched the senior bowl, if I had to pick a qb I would take Willis over Pickett.  He's a larger version of Arizona's Murray.  What say you Ray?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:25
Kyler Murray has been a pretty darn good passer in his first few NFL seasons. Can't say that about Willis in the very limited amount that I've seen him. And it's unfair to compare the two. Murray ended up being a No. 1 overall pick from a big-time program. Willis isn't being projected that high and he's played at Liberty. Willis, at this point, isn't considered the top QB in this class. Pickett is.
Steelers fan from France
2:26
Hello Ray, love your Steelers chats many thanks from Chamonix. Had one question; is the cap space available reflection of below average draft picking overall?  Seems like the misses are outweighing the successes a bit too much lately.  What is your take on drafts?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:27
They've had some misses in recent years, but other teams go through similar ups and downs with their drafts. I was just looking at potential free agents earlier today. There are a lot of former first-rounders who had their fifth-year options declined. Not making excuses for the Steelers, but over the years they've been better than most at drafting.
Mikey
2:27
Jordan Davis, the DL from Georgia, is big enough to play NT, but does he have the versatility to play elsewhere on the line so he would not be just a quarter-time player? (You may not have had enough time to watch film yet so if that's the case I can resubmit this question in a month or so.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:30
That's the big question about him. And it's not so much about him as it is about the position. He's a really good player at a position the Steelers need to shore up. But Kevin Colbert has been pretty consistent on this over the past few years. He's been on the record saying the days of drafting pure nose tackles in the first round are over because they only play 25-33% of the defensive snaps. So a player like Davis better be able to have versatility like Tyson Alualu and bump out to defensive end in sub-packages. That's what the Steelers and other teams that run 3-4 defenses have to figure out. And it's not just Davis. It's every stout nose tackle coming out in this draft.
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