#5 Manti Te’o, LB – Notre Dame

Te’o has great coverage skills and good pursuit that would fit nicely in the Steelers LB core.

Coming up short in his Heisman  bid, Te’o certain took home the accolades in his senior year.  The Lott Trophy, Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year is quite a resume to boast going into the 2013 NFL Draft.  With his third straight 100+ tackle season with seven interceptions to go with it, Te’o is one of the best pass defending LB’s to be in the draft.  Our own Dom did a great write up on Te’o when he hit the Mock Draft boards with the Steelers’ 1st round pick.  The Steelers are in desperate need for a coverage LB that will work the middle of the field better in not only zone coverage but in man against TE’s and RB’s as well.  This has been a weak spot for the Steelers for some time despite small little glimpses of good cover play from Lawrence Timmons.  I agree with Dom and I’m not sure of his eligibility come time for the Steelers to step up to the podium, but it would be a great pick nonetheless.  Look for him tonight and how good he is with his vision in the middle of the field.

#28 Dee Milliner, CB – Alabama

Milliner breaks up this potential TD pass against Tennessee. Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Keenan Lewis might prove to be a bit too expensive for the Steelers when it comes time to resign him in the offseason.  He is a younger corner in the league and did a well enough job in Pittsburgh that a team desperate for corners might be willing to lay down the Benjamins.  Even if they are willing to retain Lewis, Steeler fans are well aware of how difficult it is to find replacements for Ike Taylor and fillin the depth charts from there.

Milliner is a very physical corner that does well against the run and the pass.  He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe this season and has in his career broken up 34 passes (tied for 2nd in NCAA for active players).  Watching some tape of Milliner, one can see that he plays slightly off his coverage and depends on his closing speed and power hitting to break up the ball.  He can switch that up and play heavy on a receiver in the slot and defend the slant very well.  Milliner could probably go in the top ten due to his natural skills, but has the potential to fall seeing the teams ahead of the Steelers and those teams’ other needs.  Keep a close eye on Milliner as he goes up against Notre Dame’s DaVaris Daniels and TJ Jones.

#80 Tyler Eifert, TE – Notre Dame

Eifert would be a great immediate addition to the Steelers TE depth chart. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

TE Heath Miller’s injury is pretty serious, and his recovery will be a long one.  Will he end up like Adrian Peterson or like Rashard Mendenhall upon his return?  I’m an advocate for the former over the later simply because Heath is a beast.  But that doesn’t mean the Steelers should waste an opportunity to find some much needed insurance.  And let’s be honest, the TE play below Miller in the depth chart was not that great – especially from Leonard Pope.  Were the Steelers to make the playoffs this season, they probably would have close to zero chance of advancing without the assistance of Miller.

Eifert is the top receiver for the Irish despite being a TE.  He is fast, gets separation in the middle of the field, and has great hands  (sounds like Miller already).  He could use a boost (legal of course) with his physical presence.  He’s missed a few key blocks in the run and passing games and can become bull rushed at times.  Eifert, were the junior to announce his intentions for the NFL next season, would fall to the late 1st round or even early in the 2nd if a team like Atlanta (Tony G is soon to retire) doesn’t snatch him up.  That’s good news for the Steelers who tend to take the highest valued player matched with need.  If they can’t secure a top corner, linebacker or guard, then Eifert could very well find himself holding up a Black & Gold jersey on Draft night.  Look for Eifert to wreak havoc over the middle against… that is of course if he can get past C.J. Mosley.

Other players to watch for:

#92 C.J. Mosley, LB – Alabama

Another linebacker to look for in the Championship game is C.J. Mosley.  Voted team MVP by his teammates, Mosley has asserted himself this season even though he is not a ‘starting’ LB for the Crimson Tide.  99 tackles and four sacks is certain to turn heads and keep scouts’ eyes locked on him tonight.

#65 Chance Warmack, G – Alabama

At 6’2″ and 322 lbs., Warmack is a beast of a guard.  I could see this guy not only give the Steelers plenty of insurance on the inside, but could overtake Willie Colon at the left guard.  With the AFC North Division heavy on the heavy lineman (see 330 lbs. Haloti Ngata, 335 lbs. Phillip Taylor, and 300 lbs. Geno Atkins) the Steelers offensive line could use a big lug like Warmack to help push some holes open for the run game, and keep linebackers from stunting inside and get to Ben Roethlisberger in the pass rush.

Prior to 2011, Ohio State missed any chance of a championship back in '09 and '10. Could Jim Tressel's ghost see glory once again with a playoff system?

I’m sorry, what?!  What was that?!  I’m sorry, I just can’t hear you?!  No I don’t know where the bathrobe is!  Look, you’re just going to have to speak up!  I can’t hear you over all these people cheering and screaming!  Why?!  Because, common sense has finally taken a giant step forward in college football!

For years, fans of college football have been practically selling off their first born children in order for the NCAA to change the system of how a champion is crowned.  The BCS is awful and flawed, and no one ever likes a computer helping to pick who I want to see in a championship game.  Not to mention was there anyone who wanted to see Auburn and cheating Cam Newton win let alone make it to the championship game back in 2010?  The BCS seemed like a good at the time in ’98, but quickly became the bane of every Buckeye, Duck, Badger, and Horned Frog.

Common sense tells us that playoffs are just plain better.  They’re more exciting, more chance for revenue, more exciting, more legitimate, did I mention that they are more exciting?  Did Roy Kramer (he’s the guy who came up with the BCS) have like a 30 year contract with the NCAA to keep this terrible system alive?  Seemed like for a time common sense would never prevail and we would suffer through another SEC Bowl… I mean BCS Championship Game.  But days like today can be full of redemption.

It won’t happen this year.  And 2013 won’t be my lucky year.  We’ll have to wait until 2014 until the BCS will be torched, pulverized, and released into the waters.  But when that does finally happen, out of the ashes will give birth to a three-game playoff series between the top four ranked schools.  Sweet Jesus.  Did someone say ‘semi-finals’?!  The four teams, of course, will be selected by a bunch of dudes who have no political or past affiliations with any of the schools even in the top ten…. pffft yeah right.  There’s no getting rid of that suspicion, which is why I hope the NCAA goes one step further after the success of the three-game system.

Success you say?  They haven’t even played one snap yet in this new series.  How are you so wise to know it will be a success?  Because – the BCS already makes $155 million dollars annually from TV revenue.  The NCAA will be raking in even more dough in media contracts if there are three prime time games that will determine who carries that sparkly candy dish while the confetti drops.  That new figure will make the NCAA swoon and faint only to be revived by $100 bills being fanned in their faces.  It will be such a huge success that probably after two years after its inaugural season, the playoff system will expand to eight teams (that’s what I feel it should be) or even ten.  That will equate to even more money.  Hey, the NFL is the most successful sport in the world for a reason.

So enjoy the old BCS while you can.  Pretty soon it won’t be around to kick around anymore.  It’s genetically enhanced cousin will come hang out, and we’ll all have a grand ol’ time.

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