Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

With the 20th pick in the fifth round (#151 overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Chris Scott, OT from Tennessee.

At 6’5″, 330 lbs., this kid is big.  He was an offensive tackle at Tennessee, but showed a lot of position versatility, which is valued by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.  During his time at Tennessee, Scott has lined up at every position on the offensive line.  More importantly, playing in the SEC, he always faced top caliber competition.

Aside from being massive, Scott is very strong.  He has great upper body strength, and is able to control his man as a drive blocker.

At Tennessee last year, Scott was the starting left tackle.  However, he doesn’t have the foot speed to play that position in the NFL.  But his experience playing all of the other positions at Tennessee will make him a viable candidate to compete at any other position along the offensive line.  In fact, his presence may allow the Steelers to move Maurkice Pouncey to the center position immediately, and let Scott, Ramon Foster, Kraig Urbick, Darnell Stapleton, and Trai Essex compete for the right guard position.

I believe that Scott’s best position in the NFL is going to be guard.  He just doesn’t have the foot speed to set the edge, particularly against speed rushers.  If he were to try to play tackle in the NFL, he would look more like a matador than a football player.  But his size will allow him to be a good drive blocker in the running game against most opponents.  He also has long arms, so those qualities translate well to the guard position.

He can handle most opponents one-on-one, and usually doesn’t need help.  He had an exceptional game against Florida’s Carlos Dunlap, who was a highly rated player coming out this year.

He has a dumpy looking body, and looks more fat than fit.  He only did 19 reps on the 225 lb. bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine.  He’ll need to get in the weight room and improve his overall strength and conditioning.

Finally, he has had some weight problems during his career, and the Steelers’ training staff are going to have to make sure that he keeps his weight under control.  Left unmonitored, he can easily balloon to 345 lbs.

Overall, this is a good pick for depth.  He probably won’t play right away, but he is another massive body to compete for playing time on the Steelers offensive line.

To read about the Steelers’ other picks, click the name below:

Maurkice Pouncey - C, Florida

Jason Worilds - DE, VA Tech

Emmanuel Sanders - WR, SMU

Thaddeus Gibson - DE, Ohio State

Chris Scott - OT, Tennessee

Crezdon Butler - CB, Clemson

Stevenson Sylvester - LB, Utah

Jonathan Dwyer - RB, Georgia Tech

Antonio Brown - WR, Central Michigan

Doug Worthington - DT, Ohio State

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April 26, 2009
By Donald Starver

With their second pick in the 5th round, the Steelers selected Frank “The Tank” Summers.   Summers stands 5’10″, and weighs 230 lbs. 

Nicknamed “The Tank” because of his bruising running style, Summers is a strong, physical running back from UNLV. 

At UNLV, Summers was known as a workhorse running back who tended to get better as the game wore on.  His physical style tended to wear down defenders.  He was named the toughest player to bring down in the MWC by Lindy’s.

Despite his large size, Summers is also a receiving threat out of the backfield.  He has soft hands, and is the only player in UNLV history to lead his team in both rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same year.  He posted both the team’s longest rushing touchdown and their longest receiving touchdown.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC1OFDMdMik

Summers rushed for 928 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior, and 740 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior.

Everyone knows that the Steelers have struggled in short yardage situations over the last few years.  The addition of Summers, along with the return of Rashard Mendenhall, should definitely help that situation.

To read about the Steelers’ previous pick, click here.

To read about the Steelers’ next pick, click here.

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April 26, 2009
By Donald Starver

With their first pick in the 5th round, the Steelers selected Joe Burnett.  Burnett is a cornerback from Central Florida.  He stands 5’10″, and weighs 185 lbs.

Burnett was a record breaking cornerback and return man for UCF.  He was a first team All-American his senior year, and helped UCF to its first two bowl berths (2007 & 2008), and its first conference championship (2007) in school history.

Earned eight Conference USA All-Conference honors, including four straight first team punt returner awards.  Named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year his senior year.  Finished in 19th place for career punt return yards in NCAA history with 1,304.  Was the only player in the nation to be in the top 20 in both kickoff returns and punt returns.

Set the UCF career record with 16 interceptions.  Tied record for most career punt return touchdowns (3).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10F5Ma4qRHw

Is considered to be a bit small to play cornerback in the NFL.  However, he has good technique, and is stronger than you’d expect for his size.  He is never out of place, and plays with discipline.

Because of his size, he struggles to get off blocks.  He also tends to give too much cushion to receivers.

He can bring pressure as a blitzer, but he doesn’t finish off the quarterback.  He is more of a cut tackler, and doesn’t wrap up with his arms.

Burnett probably isn’t going to make an immediate impact on the Steelers defense, but he should have an immediate impact on special teams.   Earlier pick Mike Wallace is primarily a kickoff returner, while Joe Burnett will upgrade the punt return game.

To read about the Steelers’ previous pick, click here.

To read about the Steelers’ next pick, click here.

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