Shazier was the one guy on this defense who could make big plays. I'm in my early 30s so my earliest Steeler memories are early/mid 90s, but Shazier's game against the Bengals in the playoffs was the best game by a Steelers defender in the playoff I've ever seen. He was growing into the leader of this D and was having a borderline All Pro level season. All the handwringing over missing on Mosley had ended.
It's a devastating loss. Drafting an impact ILB probably just became our biggest need. The draft is a relative crap shoot, anyone who acts like they know what they're talking about beyond a semi-educated guess is full of shit, and when you end up nailing a pick like Shazier and then losing that guy as he's entering his prime... man, it's f'n tough.
As for Dupree, I hated the pick in the moment, tried to talk myself into the idea that he's the anti-Jarvis after the fact, but he's hardly changed as a player. I went to UK and joked with a friend of mine the night of the draft "thank God Dupree will be gone before the Steelers pick" then watched as he fell and we pulled the trigger. Ugh. Za'Darius Smith was a better football player and pass rusher on that same UK team and went in the fourth round.
But, I don't think Smith was versatile enough to do what the Steelers ask of their OLBs. Either way, we've been throwing high picks at LBs for years and we still need at least one starting OLB and ILB. Hopefully they nail it this time around.
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SteelThrillsseeker wrote:
Dad showed up after work and according to her the entire hospital hears my dad yell you are not naming our son Hoss.
