Plaxico Burress is a nightmare to
match up against. He broke every single receiving record at
Michigan State in only two years! In his last college games he
destroyed Florida in the Citris Bowl. He had 10 catches for 255 yards
and 3 touchdowns and also recovered and onside kick! The NFL does
not have an answer for a 6'6 230 pound receiver who wants the
ball ! Plaxico Burress is as Physical receiver as I have
ever seen. Plaxico is a flanker with a linebacker's mentality. He was
one of the leading tacklers on Michigan State kick coverage teams.
Devastating blocker. Mean, Punishing. Finish off blocks. Tough. I have
seen a lot of very physical wide receivers, but none comes anywhere
close to Plaxico. Plaxico is no ordinary wide receiver. He is
as Unique as his name! Plaxico Burress at 6'6 230 pounds is a
conerbacks worst nightmare. Plaxico Burress will be the
Pittsburgh's mo productive rookie receiver since Louis Lipps.
Plaxico will rip up the league as a pure receiver ! He is probably the
greatest blocking receiver that I have ever seen. He is physically
gifted. He has one of the longest wingspans of any receiver who has
ever played the game. If Plaxico Burress stay's healthy he will haul
in over 70 receptions as a rookie! Plaxico is the most
aggressive wide receiver you will ever come across! He has great
endurance and stamina. His freaky size makes it impossible for a
defensive back to jam him. I guarantee he'll use his size to his
advantage around the goal line! Plaxico has huge hands. Great strength
and he knows how to use his frame well to establish position. Plaxico
Burress is going to turn more cornerbacks into spectators than any
receiver in NFL history! Plaxico is ready for super-stardom!
Pittsburgh get Plaxico Burress on the field right away. He is the
prototype receiver of the future. Pittsburgh you got what every team
is looking for , so take advantage of it and ride the Plaxico Burress
"skyscraper " all the way to the Superbowl!
2.) Marvel Smith (
Offensive
Tackles)
6'5 320 Arizona State
Marvel Smith
likes to write Poetry more than he likes visiting the running track or
the SPA! Marvel is only a junior. He played Left Tackle and didn't give
up a sack during the regular season. Marvel Smith is too slow to play
Left Tackle in the NFL. Runs the forty in 5.4. Bench presses 400
pounds. Pittsburgh why would you waste a second round pick on a guy who
is going to sit the bench all year? Listen, Smokin Jim likes Marvel
Smith. In my Scouting report I rated Marvel Smith as the third best
tackel in the 2000 draft. In a very soft year for tackles. Marvel Smith
is not not a good fit for Pittsburgh and will struggle in the AFC
Central! I don't think Marvel Smith is quick enough to play left tackle
in the AFC Central. He only runs the forty in 5.2 and is not athletic
enough to compete against Peter Boulware of Baltimore, Jevon " the
freak" Kearse of Tennessee, Courtney Brown of Cleveland or Tony
Brackens of Jacksonville. Marvel Smith is a finesse player. Marvel likes
to cut block, roll block and chop block. Marvel and other young tackles
uses the cut block, because they're to lazy to move their feet and get
into good position, so they lunge out an fall on there belly and hope to
trip up the defensive lineman. Most NFL defensive lineman are too good
to get caught with a cut block attempt that hasn't been properly
"setup". New offensive line coach Irv Eatman is going to
have to get Marvel Smith into shape. Teach him to slide. Keep the
defender in front of you. Mirror him. Stay with your block. get a proper
base. Work on feet and leverage. Take proper angle. Get your hands out
in front. Use them to keep separation. Slide, slide, pop and work until
you hear the whistle. Marvel, if you learn how to slide, slide, POP,
slide, slide, POP, you will became" Marvelous" Marvel Smith!
Marvel here is a tip from Smokin Jim. Get quicker. Watch film. Pick the
brains of offensive line coach Irv Eatman and work hard. The harder
you work, the harder it is to surrender!
3a.) Kendrick Clancy
(Defensive Tackle)
6'1 285 Mississippi
Kendrick
Clancy is a poor man's Warren Sapp. If college football had a
Hall of Fame for Junior College players Kendrick Clancy would be
a member of the class of 2000. He was a Junior College All-American.
He recorded over 100 tackles as a freshman and over 100 tackles as a
sophmore! In two years of Junior college he racked up nearly 200
tackles and 17 sacks. Very productive player. He had a lot of
injuries in 1999,but still had 7 sacks! Strong. Bench Press 435
pounds. Bull Rusher. Very Quick in a 4 or 5 yard radius. Best Position
would be Nose Guard if he can carry 285 pounds. The film I
watched on Clancy he weighted between 265 and 270 and was FAT at that
weight. Kendrick Clancy in the third round was a major reach! In my
scouting report I rated Kendrick Clancy as the number 19th rated
Defensive Tackle. Kendrick Clancy is a situational player at best. I
like Kendrick Clancy. He is not much of an athlete, but he is a good
football player. Clancy is tough. Kendrick Clancy really hustles. He
works hard to get to the ball carrier. Relentless. He will chase the
football. Never gives up on a play. Kendrick Clancy is a finesse
player. He has to run around blocks to survive. This is not what
you're looking for in a nose guard. Kendrick Clancy was one of the
best Junior college players that I have ever seen! In two years of
Junior college he racked up nearly 200 tackles and 17 sacks.
3b.) Hank Poteat
(
Cornerback) 5'10
195 Pittsburgh
Hank Poteat in the third
round was another reach for Pittsburgh. I like Hank Poteat, but he is
going to be "Satisfied" as a backup in Pittsburgh. I think
Pittsburgh loves his ability to return kicks. I think Hank Poteat is
an outstanding return guy. The scouts again are playing games with
Hank Poteat ranking. Hank carried a solid first roumd tag all season
long and had a great off-season. I don't think Walt Harris and his
staff does enough promoting of their senior players. Hank went from a
first round draft choice to a late third round draft choice. Hank
Poteat led the Big East in interceptions in 1998! His 6 interceptions
and outstanding Cornerback play earned him some All-American honors in
1998. Teams were afraid to throw the football on Hank Poteat side
of the field, so his numbers dropped in 1999. He had 50 tackles
and only 3 interceptions. But, he continued to be a force by
continuing to dominate as a Kick Returner. He averaged over 16
yards per punt return in 1999! Hank is a avid lifter. He can
squat 550 pounds! Bench-presses 350 pounds! Great athlete. Hank can
slam-dunk a basketball a 5'10! Fast. Runs the forty in 4.4!
He is an Outstanding defensive
player and return specialist. I look for Hank to contribute right
away as Pittsburgh's top kick returner and kick coverage guy and
play in the nickle and dime packages and develop into an NFL starting
cornerback in his second season.
4.) Danny
Farmer(Wide
Receiver)
6'3 220 UCLA
All-American
Basketball and Volleyball player. In 1998 he and Cade McNown hooked up
for 60 receptions. 22 yards per catch and 9 touchdowns! Ed McCaffrey
type. What a steal! If Danny Farmer had come out after his Junior year
in 1999 he would have been a first round draft choice! Danny Farmer is
a very well schooled football player. He comes from a great football
family. His grandfather played at USC. His uncle Dave Farmer played at
USC and played in the NFL and his dad was a Jim Thorpe type of ball
player. Danny Farmer was a four year starter on UCLA's volleyball
team. Playing vollyball really help Danny Farmer on the football
field. Thanks in part to volleyball Danny Farmer has great hops. Danny
Farmer has an incredible 40-inch vertical jump! Danny Farmer is ready
for the NFL. Runs the forty in 4.49! Runs very percise routes and he
makes the difficult catches look routine. Danny Farmer broke all of
J.J. Stokes records at UCLA. Very productive. Getting this guy in the
fourth round was highway robbery. He is the all-time leading receiver
in UCLA history. He was a Biletnifoff Award candidate. Pittsburgh,
Danny Farmer is ready right now. Don't make him wait!
5a.) Clark
Haggans(Defensive
End)
6'5 255 Colorado
State
Tweener with
a big heart. Clark is too small to play Defensive End in the NFL and
he does not have the burst to get it done at outside linebacker.
Self-made player. Haggans arrived at Colorado State as a Walk-on.
Clark Haggans is Colorado State's all-time sack leader. He had 90
tackles and 8 sacks in 1999. Runs the forty in 5.0. Not a very good
athlete. Clark Haggans is an overachiever. He never played linebacker
in college. You're looking at two or three years before he can get
onto the field. This guy will never play in Pittsburgh. Another player
that will develop in the Pittsburgh Steelers farm system and go play
for somebody else. In my scouting report I rated Clark Haggans as the
12th best defensive end out of the 24 defensive ends that I evaluated.
As a linebacker I would have probably rated him 14th or 15th
out of the 36 outside linebacker that I rated. Clark
Haggans is a good hustler. Productive. He is Colorado State's all-time
leader in sacks! Big Heart. He is willing to play side line to side
line. Clark Haggans weight room strength is not impressive. Very
active player. Very aggressive player. Reckless player. Lacks
footwork. He'll have to adjust to playing standing up. He played with
his hand on the ground in college. Big adjustment.
5b.) Tee
Martin(Quarterback)
6'2 220 Tennessee
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team in football
where the quarterbacks are faster than the wide receivers. Kordell
Stewart runs the forty in 4.3. Tee Martin runs the forty in 4.4 and
Anthony Wright runs the forty in 4.5. In my scouting report I rated Tee
Martin as the 2nd best quarterback in the entire
draft behind only Chad Pennington of Marshall University. Tee Martin is Poise, Poise, Poise!
Tee Martin can throw every route in the book. Smart! Tee Martin went 22-2 as a starter for Tennessee! He led
the Volunteers to a 13-0 record and a national championship as a
Junior! That is something that even Peyton Manning could not achieve.
Tee stands in the pocket well against the blitz. He is fearless.
His biggest asset is his leadership ability. He handles game pressure
as good as anybody. Extremely comfortable throwing on the run and
is a great runner with the ball! He set a University of Tennessee
record for rushing touchdowns by a Quarterback with 20! One of the
games most underrated players. University of Tennessee recently named
a street after Tee Martin! He really understands the passing game. Tee
Martin set a NCAA record for highest completion percentage in a single
game.Tee Martin is the total package. He is very coachable. I have never
seen a player that studied more game film than Tee Martin. Excellent
knowledge of the game. Great athlete. Full name is Tamaurice Nigel
Martin. Awesome football player and leader!
6a) Chris Combs(Denfensive
Tackle) 6'5
285 Duke
Chris Combs has a first round draft
choice body, but not the production. Every year the word out of Duke
is watch out for Chris Combs and every year I am disappointed at what
I'm watching on tape. Chris Combs set Duke's career record for tackles
for losses. It is not because he was any good, it was because he
played more games than anyone in Duke history. Chris Combs was a four
year starter and still using the same moves that didn't work when
he was a freshman! Combs had 60 tackles in 1999, but only two sacks.
Doesn't run very well. Runs the forty in 5.0. Strong. Bench
Press 380 pounds. Chris is a good all around player. He doesn't
standout in any one area. Loves the game. Good bloodlines. Chris was
banged up a lot in college. Always played through the pain. I belive
these injuries will catch up to him at the professional level. Chris has
good technique. He stays low out of his stance. Chris does not have
great speed and his quickness is only average. Smart . Academic
All-American. Two time Academic All-ACC. His intangibles will help him
some. Work ethic, bloodlines, above average intelligence. Chris has
pretty good lateral movement. Real good handwork for a college player,
but he must learn how to use his hands to create separation.
6b.) Jason
Gavadza(Tight
End)
6'3 250
Kent
Smokin Jim is real high on Jason
Gavadza. In my
scouting report I rated Jason as the third best tightend in the draft!
Fast. Jason runs the forty in 4.5!
Productive. Thirteen career touchdowns. Averaged over 20 yards per
reception. Tough. Jason played his entire senior season with a broken
hand. Jason has the speed to beat any linebacker and his size will
cause major mismatch problems for the safeties. Jason is a great
athlete who can stretch the defense and create mismatches. Despite
having a broken hand Jason caught 50 passes in 1999 and 7 touchdowns!
He uses his speed and athleticism to create big plays. He can find the
open seams. Jason can get open when his quarterback is in trouble.
Jason played tightend and H-back. Strong. He bench presses 400 pounds.
Has size and strength to be good blocker.
Al
Lucas 6'1 Troy State
Al Lucas
is the Steelers Future At Nose Guard. Al Lucas is coming to
training camp READY TO HURT SOMEBODY!
Smokin Jim
rated Al Lucas the 2nd best Nose-Guard and 3rd best Defensive tackle
in the entire draft. On Florida State All-American Corey Simon
received a higher ranking.
Al Lucas
won the 1999 Buchanan Award as 1 AA Defensive Player of the
year! He also played FULLBACK and scored 6 touchdowns in
1999! Lucas is a Classic Nose Guard. He is a young Jerry
Ball. A Fire Plug.
In 1999 Al
Lucas had 130 tackles and 4 sacks! In 1998 he scored four
tochdowns! He runs the forty in 4.79, BENCH PRESSES 500
POUNDS! He also has a 36 inch Vertical Jump! Very
Athletic.
Al
Lucas is a real FENDER,BENDER! When Pittsburgh signed him as a
Free agent he told coach Bill Cowher that he is going to put the Steel
back into the Curtain!
Sedrick
Curry
6'2
Texas A&M
Sedrick
Curry could be a real steal for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sedrick
has great size for a Cornerback. He is 6'2 and very
athletic. He has a 40 inch vertical jump, Fast, and runs the
forty in 4.45! Sedrick Curry was a three year starter for
one of the National's top defenses. When Sedrick Curry finishes
his football career he wants to become an FBI agent.
Joey
Goodspeed
6'0
240
Notre Dame
Joey
Goodspeed is an AWB. Average White Back! His
blocking is Average. His running ability is Average. His
receiving skills are Average! Joey is not in the Elite class of
former Notre Dame Fullbacks.
Joey has
had some shoulder problems. He separated his shoulder in
1997. He seems to be fully recovered.
Pittsburgh Steeler Rookie Report 2000
Steeler Rookie Report