Pittsburgh Steelers draft Maurkice Pouncey in 1st round
With the 18th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Maurkice Pouncey, center from Florida.
Those were the words that may have begun the Steelers’ first move towards returning to playing “Steelers football”.
Maurkice Pouncey is one of the players that I was hoping the Steelers would select. The highest priority on the team was the offensive line (yes, it was more important than defensive back). The Steelers almost never use high draft picks on offensive linemen, and it was time to change that trend.
And change they did. The Steelers selected the best center in the draft. This year’s center class was very weak until Pouncey decided to come out of school early. He was only a junior.
At 6’4″, 304 lbs., Pouncey is a versatile offensive lineman who can also play guard. He is an incredible athlete with a very high football IQ.
Maurkice Pouncey
In 2007, as a true freshman, Pouncey started 11 games at guard. As a sophomore, he moved to center, and as a junior he won the Outland Trophy, which is given each year to the top center in college football.
Pouncey compares very favorably to some of the best centers to come out of college in recent years. In fact, he is probably a better athlete than either Nick Mangold or Alex Mack.
He played in one of the best programs in the country at Florida, where he won a national championship as a sophomore. Not only did he play in a great program, but he also played in the SEC, which most experts acknowledge to be the best conference in college football. Playing in the SEC, Pouncey fared extremely well against Alabama’s Terrence Cody and Tennessee’s Dan Williams. Those two are probably the best two nose tackles in this year’s draft. Moreover, Pouncey seldom required help from a guard when facing these behemoths. His success against such high level competition leaves Pouncey battle tested, and well-prepared to step in and start from Day 1.
If there is one word that describes Pouncey, its “winner”. The kid is a winner. Pouncey’s winning ways didn’t just start in college. In high school, he won 3 state football titles as a guard at prep powerhouse Lakeland (FL).
But lest we paint too rosy a picture, we have to acknowledge some of Pouncey’s shortcomings. Pouncey played in a finesse offense at Florida. Most of his snaps were made in the shotgun. Pouncey is going to have to adjust to primarily doing traditional snaps. But few scouts believe this is going to be a problem for him.
Pouncey is also going to have to tighten up his technique. He is so physically talented, that he sometimes lets his technique slip. He is used to dominating on ability alone, and that won’t be the case in the NFL.
Finally, Pouncey did have a problem with kidney stones while in college. However, he showed his toughness by starting in the 2010 Sugar Bowl mere hours after receiving four bags of IV fluids and being treated for kidney stones. That alone showed me that this kid is one tough SOB.
Pouncey will likely start out by replacing Trai Essex at right guard (Thank you, God!!!!). Then in 2011, he will probably move to center, and man that position for the next decade.
I love the way the Steelers’ 2010 draft is starting out. Hopefully, Day 2 will be equally successful. But even if it isn’t, Day 1 was definitely a winner.
To read about the Steelers’ other picks, click the name below:
Thaddeus Gibson - DE, Ohio State
Stevenson Sylvester - LB, Utah
Jonathan Dwyer - RB, Georgia Tech
Antonio Brown - WR, Central Michigan
Doug Worthington - DT, Ohio State
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Nice write-up. Far more in depth than 95% of the “Steelers select a center. He can play guard. End post” out there.
oh and passing a kidney stones is reported to be one of the most painful experiences a man (aka leaving out things like childbirth) can go through.
1Close to ideal. My ideal would have been trading down 2-3 slots and picking up Pouncey and another 4th rounder (for ammunition to move up in other rounds).
The rest of my ideal draft for rounds 2-4 would be (in no particular order):
A CB - Cook, Ghee, or Owusu Ansah (the CB class is deep but going fast)
An OT - Saffold, Ducasse, or Veldheer (need a quality backup this year and someone to start next year if Colon isn’t resigned)
A DE - Carrington, Lane, Geathers, or Jones (these guys all have a lot of upside - Keisal will be 32 this year - and it takes a few years to learn the 5-technique end position)
Ideally, I would also like them to pick up another 3-4th rounder along the way to pick up either a DT - Joseph, Troup, or Thomas (who could replace Paxson this year, Hoke next year, and Hampton in 2 years) or Decker (the only WR I would like them to take before the 5th round - as long as they’ve already addressed OT and CB).
So, there is my wish list.
2Tim,
Thanks for noticing. I try to provide the most detailed information about draft picks available anywhere.
This is actually the reason that I started blogging to begin with. Every year at draft time, all of my friends would call me after each pick to find out about the player that we had selected. They knew that I watch more college football than anybody else on the planet. They’d always be amazed at how much I knew about seemingly unknown players. They’d always say to me “You know more about these players than anybody other than Mel Kiper Jr. I get more details from you than I do from any other source, including the local newspapers. You ought to share your knowledge”. So I started blogging.
Frankly, most of the other sites out there are probably just Googling the players name and writing what they find. That’s why they all share the exact same limited information.
3John,
4That’s a very good wish list. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
BTW Tim, please tell your friends to stop by here for the most detailed reports on the remaining Steelers picks. Frankly, many of the other Steelers blogs linked to my write-ups during last year’s draft, and two of them plagiarized them verbatim.
5This was a good safe pick, although a bit of a reach. But I have no issue with it. It’s how the Steelers play the first round and it has proven as succsessful as any team in the NFL. Find a few guys they really like, and don’t mess around trying to trade back and risk not getting one of them.
Today’s picks are extremely important and the PS need to pick up quality depth-who can also contribute ASAP as backups or on ST - I would simply choose the best available defensive players that they have high conviction in. This D desperately needs to get younger.
My pipe dream is to pick up 2 good LBs at some point in this draft and then cut Farrior prior to the season. If his play continues the same (or worse) from last year there is no reason to keep him around, let alone pay him big money.
6will do. although i don’t normally comment, i usually read your posts.
7that’s pretty lame for someone to plagiarize your post. with so many steelers blogs i’ve often felt there’s a lil competition between them. i’ve rarely seen blog owners link good work done by other amateur blog owners. (steel curtain rising being one of the exceptions)
As a UF, alum, few are more excited than I to have Pouncey in Black and Gold (or more depressed to see the Browns get Haden, he’ll be a thorn in our side, trust me). Pouncey is a great player, and I think a great fit for the Steelers. I said many times before the draft I didn’t believe the Steelers would draft a CB and abandon former picks Gay, Lewis, and Burnett before they even have a chance to develop. And I often say how games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage, how a good offensive line makes the whole team better. Still, a part of me is still disappointed at not getting a CB. While perhaps not as big a need, it is I would argue a more immediate need. The Steelers scouting department has been very good lately in picking the DB’s, hopefully they’ll another B-Mac in the 2nd this year, or Keenan Lewis will show what he can do when healthy. Maybe Gay will even figure out what he’s doing with a year’s experience as a starter under his belt.
8Barring injury, first ballot HOF’er and Pro bowler this year!
9