The Sports Monitor

It's been a week, and all the NFL draft hype finally has settled down. Are you happy with the Steelers' picks? Can't say I am. I know the Steelers came across as happy with their selection of Bud Dupree with the 22nd pick overall. Let be back up a step. I get why they need linebackers. If the linebacker can pressure the quarterback, the cornerbacks don't have to cover the receiver for that long. The linebacker is a big part of their defense. So they've invested highly in them. And Dupree is a linebacker. If he pans out, they don't need a world-class CB to shut down an opponent. Now that that's out of the way, I still don't like the pick. One report had the Steelers happy because Dupree fell to him. Well, players fall for a reason. Like Jarvis Jones. I didn't like the pick then . I still don't like it. Then they took short corner Senquez Golson in the second round. He's not quite 5-9, but he's on the short side. I...

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he's happy with the coach at running back the team made last spring. Given the choice of Eddie Lacy and Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers choose Bell. What else would they say? One of the rumors after the draft was the Steelers liked Bell better because of worries about Lacy's health. Well, Bell has had his share of injuries this season. So far, Lacy has rushed for 1,028 yards on 248 carries (4.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns. He has 31 catches for 236 yards. Bell has 646 yards rushing on 198 attempts (3.3 avg.) and six touchdowns. He has 43 catches for 388 yards. Bell has been fine for the Steelers, running behind a make-shift line all season. But I would have taken Lacy in the spring, and nothing since then would have changed my mind.

Please let someone take Jarvis Jones before the Steelers are on the clock for the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night. I know this could be one of those cases where it comes back to haunt you, but I'm not feelin' the Georgia linebacker. Maybe it's his slow time in the 40 (4.9+). Maybe it's his spinal issues. I just hope the Steelers are left with the decision of drafting him or not. Maybe the Jets or some other team will make it easier for them.

My beef with the NFL Draft doesn't end with the hours of television time it eats up. It continues right through to the grading of teams after the draft. This is another exercise in futility. The problem is the preconception of players by those handing out grades. The gurus who grade the teams for their performance, or lack thereof, already are locked into a belief of where a player should or should not be drafted. So let's say Draft Guru A has Football Star B rated really high on his draft board. For some reason, the NFL teams selecting players keep passing on Football Star B. When a team finally gets around to drafting our broken-hearted player in the third round, Draft Guru A will rave about what a steal that selection was. Why? Maybe Draft Guru A doesn't want to look so bad. Maybe it's a way to cover his behind. By the time everyone figures out Football Star B doesn't have the talent to be a starter in the NFL, we'll have forgotten about Draft Guru A's as...

Who cares? No, not about the Steelers. I share the same passion of thousands, if not millions, of Steelers fans cheering for their team. I mean who cares about the NFL Draft? As a recovering draft-watcher, I have no plans to park myself in front of my television for 5 hours and listen to Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair tell me why so-and-so is a great pick at No. 21 when 20 other teams passed on the guy. I've seen the error of my ways and won't spend my day doing that -- especially when the weather forecast is for a sunny, 70s day. There's better things to do. Like sit in front of my television and watch baseball for 5 hours (I jest). The NFL Draft is the biggest hoax on TV these days. It's Geraldo Rivera finding nothing in Al Capone's vault. You see chatter, endless chatter. The live action includes players walking up to a podium, putting on a team hat and smiling. Talk about excitement. I think I'd rather watch soccer on TV. Let me get back to the actual draft. Pick...