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Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat: 03.21.23
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Ray Fittipaldo
2:39
Yeah Brian Bresee is a redshirt sophomore who has had some injuries and dealt with the death of his younger sister in college. He has really good athletic traits and showed some flashes at Clemson, but I think teams would have preferred if he came out with a bit longer resume and shorter injury history. Having said that, at 32 or 49 he might be a really good pick.
John from Toronto
2:39
Hi Ray. Is Tre Norwood the forgotten man in the secondary? Can he not become a Mike Hilton-type player who can cover the slot and blitz from there as well? In addition to playing safety in various sub-packages?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:39
Norwood is a safety who has dabbled in the slot and not a whole lot as a pro. There is a reason for that. He's not fast enough.
PRVET
2:40
Hi Mr. Ray first timer. With the two new IOL , the OL improve a little, the Steelers need an anchor to make the OL better for the next 5 year and beyond. They need a center, STUD Schmitz, Avila or Tippman. Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:42
I like Avila. I know he played guard at TCU, but he could transition to center. I don't think you're wrong, but if they can't get one of them they can live with Cole at center for another year.
Alex T
2:43
If the top 3 OT are gone at 17, would you trade down a few spots and get the OT from Tennessee - Wright?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:44
Darnell Wright has been moving up draft boards. He played the left side and the right side at Tennessee. He moved back to the right side for his senior year because it was better for the team, not because he was ill-suited to play left. That's according his O-line coach at Tennessee.
BPOS
2:44
Were you surprised they bailed on Myles Jack after only one season?  Would think they'd give him one more year as a prove it deal, or was he a financial casualty.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:45
He had a big cap hit and he does have a significant injury history including a groin injury that slowed him for the final month of last season.
Pittfan
2:45
Hi Ray. What do you think of the DL from Florida, Gervon Dexter? He has the same physical traits and athleticism as some of the better DL in the NFL (long and big). His knock seems to be slow off the snap. Where would you take him if at all?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:46
Gervon Dexter is scheduled for a top-30 visit with the Steelers. I think Round 3 or thereabouts.
John in florida
2:46
Considering Daniels played well last year, are you surprised Steelers signed two OG in free agency. I know depth is important, but somewhere there will be significant cap space for a backup guard.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:46
I think Daniels played OK. No one on that line played at a Por Bowl level.
JerseySteel
2:47
Hi Ray - do you think the Steelers are looking at the FA receivers be it Steven Sims or someone else or only looking to the draft to fill out that room?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:47
FA or the draft. They need some competition for Calvin Austin, Anthony Miller, Gunner O, etc.
Daniel11
2:47
I suspect Weidl is behind all these FA signings with Rooney, MT, Khan signing off. Do you like what Weidle is doing during this offseason? For me, I would have gone after T Brown instead of 2 OGs.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:49
But he's familiar with Herbig and Seumalo. He was around them for years in Philly. That's the name of the game in free agency. You have to feel comfortable with spending the money. Weidl and the Steelers didn't have the same familiarity with Brown.
Steel from Jacksonville
2:49
Hey Ray, off the top of your head, how many players have rep themselves successfully, is Lamar over his head?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:49
Roquan Smith did. There aren't many that's for sure.
CoachJyro(Northern Neck of VA)
2:50
Good Afternoon!  Is 'Slot Corner' something a player can 'learn'  or is it just something that they can/can not do?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:51
It requires a certain skill set. Usually slot CBs are smaller because they match up with the smaller and quicker slot WRs. You can have some bigger slots because some offenses have bigger slot WRs but for the most part the big CBs stay outside and the smaller ones gravitate to the inside.
J$Money
2:51
Do you see the Steelers possibly taking ILB Simpson or Campbell at 32 or 49? Right now they don’t seem to have a good coverage linebacker. Thank you
Ray Fittipaldo
2:51
Maybe but I'm not sure either of them can cover in the NFL either.
62 Stack Monster
2:52
Good Afternoon Ray,  with the slew of OL signings, is it safe to say that Mr Weidl has a lot to say about personnel? And that what he is saying is that we can get better guys than we have?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:52
I think that's a safe assumption.
BPOS
2:53
Do you think they offered Mason Rudolf a contract yet?  I assume they'd have him back for the right price and of course he'll test the market, or do they wait till later to do that. Would he even come back if there is an offer or would he rather sit out and hope he can get on with.a team mid-season when there is an injury.
Ray Fittipaldo
2:53
Seems like they are keeping Trubisky and his salary for 2023 so any No. 3 QB is playing on a rookie deal or for league minimum.
Steel from Jacksonville
2:54
The OL went from bottom 5 (2021) to middle of the pack (2022) should we go all in on defense in this year's draft?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:54
Middle of the pack is not good enough. So get better on the OL with one pick and then focus on defense.
AZ Steeler
2:54
What is your guess on the plan for Alex Highsmith. Don't the Steelers resign players before their final contract year? Do you think they will resign Alex?
Ray Fittipaldo
2:55
I know they would like to do that, but whether they can is another story. I think how they approach the draft will give some clues. This is a deep draft for edge rushers. If they take one in the top three rounds it could signal they think Highsmith might be too expensive.
2:56
That's all the time I have this week. Check out my next mock draft (post free agency edition) coming out early next week. Cheers!
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