Steeler UDFA:

 

Lost in the hubbub attending the Steelers� drafting Ben Roethlisberger Day One, and the hilarity surrounding their drafting any number of obscure practice squad candidates Day Two, were the FO�s acquisitions in the UDFA market.

 

Little wonder considering that the over/under on UDFA making any kind of roster is three.� Even then, the effects are generally small; a player like Ainsley Battle makes it one year, attracting some small cult following, only to get cut the next, maybe hang around elsewhere for a bit before disappearing into football obscurity.�

 

The present roster does include some UDFA alum: Josh Burr, Nashville Dyer, David Upchurch and Jimond Pugh; as well as Russell Stuviants, who finished last season on the active roster (due to injuries) and, of course, that most illustrious grad, Dan Kreider.�� Little to get lit about though, maybe, there�s another Kreider in this set:

 

D-side UDFA:

 

	Player	H/W	School	Remarks
LB	Allen Augustin	6-0, 225	FSU	Obscure player from a high profile program.
LB	Nick McNeil	6-2, 244	Western Carolina
LB	Dedrick Roper	6-2, 256	Northwood
S	Yaacov Yisreal	5-11, 198	PSU	Small safety
S	Janssen Patton	5-11, 191	Bowling Green	As above
D-line	Brandon Calton	6-2, 291	East Tennessee State

 

By this time Steelers.com probably has some bio on these men.� NFL.com does not; this, combined with the fact that these prospects generally were not rated within those lists of top 40-50 at any given position, suggests that the UDFA survivors (if any) will come from the O-side.��

 

O-side UDFA:

 

	Player	H/W	School	Remarks
WR	Zamir Cobb	5-10, 180	Temple
WR	Glenn Martinez	6-2, 182	Saginaw Valley
WR	Huey Whitaker	6-4, 234	South Florida	Came from a pass happy program.� See profile following.
TE	Bobby Blizzard	6-4, 265	North Carolina	A pass catcher type who was rated ahead of Matt Kranchick on most sites.�� See profile following.
O-line	Josh Parrish	6-6, 337	Washington State	Big school, started for four seasons.� See profile following.
RB	Willie Parker	5-10, 208	North Carolina
FB	Daryl Kennedy	6-0, 230	Syracuse

 

My money is on Whitaker; his profile, along with a couple others follows.� All are lifted from NFL.com.

 

Huey Whitaker, WR/H-back

 

Tall, rangy pass catcher who began his collegiate career at Hudson Valley College, joining the Bulls after his freshman campaign � Had a great sophomore campaign for USF, but was hampered by a knee injury as a junior � The coaching staff utilized Huey's size and leaping ability on special teams in 2003, where he blocked two kicks, including one that preserved a victory � Started 21 of 32 games for the Bulls, catching 117 passes for 1,447 yards (12.4 avg.) and seven touchdowns, breaking the school career records of 104 catches for 1,373 yards by Charles Jackson (1997-2000).

 

 

Positives: Has a long, lean frame with long limbs, adequate muscle development and high calves � Has adequate quickness to escape press coverage, using his long arms to keep defenders off his body and can also be very physical with those hands � Best in upfield routes and cuts due to his long stride � Shows awareness to adjust to the pass when on the move � Has a good feel for boundaries and the sidelines � Uses his body to shade defenders on underneath routes � Uses his frame to post up and is a big target who can extend for the ball at its high point working across the middle � Maintains concentration in traffic, gaining on defenders with his long stride � Can break tackles with his leg drive.

 

Negatives: Added 15 pounds to his frame within the last year, but sacrificed quickness in the process (40-yard dash times increased from 4.55 to 4.64) � More of an H-Back type, as he lacks a sudden burst off the snap and is more comfortable when in motion, as it allows him to gather to get acceleration � Struggles with tough coaching and needs to receive positive reinforcement in order to produce � Not an every-down type, as he will coast when the ball is going the other way � Struggles to sink his hips, gear down and shuffle his feet to show consistency in the short area routes (uses his size to separate rather than speed) � Not going to run past defenders coming off the line and when he does not extend his arms during his initial release, he gets rerouted quickly � Has the size to shut down defensive backs as a blocker, but does not seem to want to compete in this area.

 

It may be a good idea for Whitaker to remove the weight and regain his speed especially since another prospect here brings similar attributes:

 

Bobby Blizzard, TE

 

Talented pass catcher who was featured as a 245-pound wide receiver and tight end during his first two years of college football while attending the University of Kentucky � Transferred to North Carolina in 2001, sitting out the season under NCAA rules � Took over tight end duties for departed Zach Hilton in 2002 and had a banner campaign � Was looking to repeat that performance in 2003, but a severe viral infection early in the year sidelined him for two games and sat out another two contests later in the year with a calf strain � In 21 games at Kentucky, he caught 30 passes for 275 yards (9.2 avg.), adding 600 yards and six touchdowns on 48 receptions in 20 contests for North Carolina � Finished his career with 78 catches for 875 yards (11.2 avg.) and six scores.

 

 

Positives: Big-body type with large hands and good body control � Has adequate quickness to swim around defenders and plays with good instincts, knowing how to settle in and find the open spot in the zones � Looks natural extending for the ball and will not hesitate to combat defenders for the ball � Times his leaps well to get to the pass at its high point and uses his body well to seal the defender from the ball � Makes good body adjustments to catch over his shoulders and can catch any type of pass thrown his way (low, behind and under-thrown balls) � Compensates for a lack of speed with good leg drive to break arm tackles.

 

Negatives: Not the most dedicated in the weight room and the result has been an underdeveloped muscle mass on his frame, with a soft upper body, flat bubble and marginal thickness in his arms � Lacks suddenness and acceleration to threaten defenses coming off the line � Rounds his cuts and gathers at the top of his patterns � Does not have the top-end speed to be much of a deep threat � Has marginal strength and explosion and does not make much effort or show a willingness to block � Bit of a waist bender who does not move his feet well to sustain blocks (soft inline blocker) � Can take to hard coaching, but needs to improve his work ethic.

 

Bad routes, can�t block, doesn�t work at it; sounds great.� I�d rate Whitaker ahead of Blizzard with plenty of room between, maybe enough for a big man such as:

 

Josh Parrish, O-line:

 

Mainstay on the WSU offensive line, starting during his first three years at offensive tackle before shifting to guard as a senior � Provided excellent leadership for a young front wall while protecting the quarterback for an offense that ranked among the nation's leaders in passing yardage in 2003 � The talented athlete was a multi-sport star in high school, where he was also recruited for his basketball and track skills.

 

 

Positives: Has a broad, thick body with big, round thighs, calves and adequate definition in his long arms � Gets out fast on running plays to reach and scoop effectively � Flashes above-average explosion on run blocks, coming off the line aggressively, striking defenders hard with his hand punch � Runs his feet, works his hips and stays engages while maintaining a wide base and position to seal, wall off and force a chase route � Rolls his hips to generate more strength at the point of attack, getting good movement on down blocks � Locks on, lands and sustains well working in space � Moves athletically down field � Mirrors the defender's moves in pass protection, anticipating and adjusting quickly to stunts while providing a solid anchor on contact � Looks strong with his hand placement and control � Has the agility to change direction effectively.

 

Negatives: Quick in his pass set, but labors to come out of his stance � Best blocking near the line, as he does not have the foot speed to get to the second level immediately � Has a strong hand punch, but needs to deliver it more regularly � Gets pushed and pulled some when trying to chip block � Despite his size, lacks natural strength.

 

Parrish is rated as an OT on some boards, OG on others.� Off the profile above, he looks like a RG/RT candidate with the emphasis on RG.� We�ll see; IMO, Whitaker and Parrish are the most promising prospects in this set; upside-wise, there is little to separate them from, say, Kranchick and Caylor.�

 

Reportedly, the Steeler braintrust exited Day Two exulting over their haul.� That�s all good but the fact that this cadre has gotten little Day Two help over the preceding four years of the Cowbert Era is cause for doubt.� We�ll see; by 2006 or so we�ll have a clearer sense of whether there�s another Ike, or even Rodney Bailey, in this set as opposed to the standard run of Martin, Combs, Gavadza, Knight, C. Taylor and Glover.