02-28-2018, 01:50 PM
The Bengals and Steelers "Draft and Develop" with less emphasis on Free Agents, however, the "General" difference seems to be that the Steelers focus on drafting to upgrade the most IMMEDIATE weak links the team currently has. The Bengals are Drafting "generally" to put a player BEHIND a current starter to learn and in preparation for the current starter to leave the team in say a year or two. Then our draft pick takes over the job.
(Again, this is a "General" difference and not done in every case. Below is the last 5 years, 1st and 2nd round picks of each team)
Bengals
Tyler Eifert (TE) - played behind and with Jermaine Gresham for a year and then replaced Gresham.
William Jackson III (Corner) - sat due to injury and then behind Pac Man until hopefully taking over the job for 2018.
Joe Mixon (RB) - played behind Hill who remained on the team but did take over the job rather quickly.
Gio Bernard (RB) - did well as a rookie as a complimentary back with Ben Jarvis Green Ellis.
Jeremy Hill (RB) - totally replaced Ben Jarvis who was not on the team Hill's rookie year.
Darqueze Dennard (Corner) - saw limited playing time behind a bunch of other high draft pick corners.
Tyler Boyd (WR) - 3rd receiver behind AJ and Brandon Lafell his rookie season.
Jake Fisher (Tackle) - developed for roughly 2 seasons to replace Andre Smith at right tackle.
Cedric Ogbuehi (Tackle) - developed for roughly 2 seasons to replace Andrew Whitworth.
John Ross (WR) - AJ, Lafell and Boyd on the roster with Ross to be developed from special plays to defined role.
Steelers
Le'Veon Bell (RB) - took over starting job from Isaac Redman quickly for 244 carry and 45 catch, 13 start rookie year.
Ryan Shazier (LB) - began rookie season as Starter
Stephon Tuitt (D-end) - appeared in all 16 regular season games, starting 4 of them
Ju Ju Smith Schuster (WR) - 58 catch 917 yards 7 td rookie season plus kick return duties- starter
TJ Watt (OLB) - starting right outside linebacker at the beginning of rookie year
Artie Burns (Corner) - played all 16 games with 9 starts as a rookie
Bud Dupree (LB) - played in all 16 games with 5 starts as a rookie
Sean Davis (Safety) - opened rookie season as starting nickel back and later became the starting strong safety
Senquez Golson (Corner) - injured his first three seasons before each regular season's games even began then waived.
Jarvis Jones (LB) - played in 14 games with 8 starts as a rookie
*Also Maurkice Pouncey was an instant starter & David Decastro derailed by injury his rookie year was an instant starter the next year.
The Bengals flaw seems to be that we draft players to sit behind others to learn and later replace at a higher rate.
The Steelers seem to focus on current areas of team need or weakness and then draft players that can step in at a much faster rate to play in rookie seasons.
The Steelers are willing to come up to the end of a departing player's time and even go into a draft knowing they are weak at a position before addressing it in that draft. Almost waiting until the last minute to replace a starter via draft or using drafts to UPGRADE their weakest links with more immediate impact rookies that start.
The Bengals are not focusing as often on upgrading the current starting team. They instead are creating a PIPELINE of future replacements likely guided by finances both present and future.
This seems to be the "general difference" in the two teams drafting approaches. (not in all cases but generally)
The Bengals need to not be so FEARFUL of the impending current starter's departure but should instead focus more often on weak link starter UPGRADES like the Steelers seem to be doing. We are drafting and developing while the Steelers are drafting and starting at a much higher rate. This has them less FEARFUL of impending current starter's departures from the team. They go right up to that deadline in many cases while we have guys sitting for 1 or 2 years waiting to start.
The Steelers are getting more instant upgrades to the overall current starting team with their draft picks and are REACTING in real time to departures or weak starting links.
The Bengals are over-planning for current starter departures to keep a handle on finances at the expense of improving the overall quality of the current starting group of players.
The Steelers more often play chicken by waiting until immediate needs present themselves and then Draft to UPGRADE that current year's starting team. The financial negatives the Bengals fear by using this Steeler approach are not hampering the Steelers financially.
The Steeler more instant starter upgrade drafting is working better than our Bengal long term starter replacement over-thinking.
Again, this is a "general difference". Each team does some of what the other team does more of when drafting.
The Bengals need to find a balance that moves the needle closer to what the Steelers do with early round draft picks.
(Again, this is a "General" difference and not done in every case. Below is the last 5 years, 1st and 2nd round picks of each team)
Bengals
Tyler Eifert (TE) - played behind and with Jermaine Gresham for a year and then replaced Gresham.
William Jackson III (Corner) - sat due to injury and then behind Pac Man until hopefully taking over the job for 2018.
Joe Mixon (RB) - played behind Hill who remained on the team but did take over the job rather quickly.
Gio Bernard (RB) - did well as a rookie as a complimentary back with Ben Jarvis Green Ellis.
Jeremy Hill (RB) - totally replaced Ben Jarvis who was not on the team Hill's rookie year.
Darqueze Dennard (Corner) - saw limited playing time behind a bunch of other high draft pick corners.
Tyler Boyd (WR) - 3rd receiver behind AJ and Brandon Lafell his rookie season.
Jake Fisher (Tackle) - developed for roughly 2 seasons to replace Andre Smith at right tackle.
Cedric Ogbuehi (Tackle) - developed for roughly 2 seasons to replace Andrew Whitworth.
John Ross (WR) - AJ, Lafell and Boyd on the roster with Ross to be developed from special plays to defined role.
Steelers
Le'Veon Bell (RB) - took over starting job from Isaac Redman quickly for 244 carry and 45 catch, 13 start rookie year.
Ryan Shazier (LB) - began rookie season as Starter
Stephon Tuitt (D-end) - appeared in all 16 regular season games, starting 4 of them
Ju Ju Smith Schuster (WR) - 58 catch 917 yards 7 td rookie season plus kick return duties- starter
TJ Watt (OLB) - starting right outside linebacker at the beginning of rookie year
Artie Burns (Corner) - played all 16 games with 9 starts as a rookie
Bud Dupree (LB) - played in all 16 games with 5 starts as a rookie
Sean Davis (Safety) - opened rookie season as starting nickel back and later became the starting strong safety
Senquez Golson (Corner) - injured his first three seasons before each regular season's games even began then waived.
Jarvis Jones (LB) - played in 14 games with 8 starts as a rookie
*Also Maurkice Pouncey was an instant starter & David Decastro derailed by injury his rookie year was an instant starter the next year.
The Bengals flaw seems to be that we draft players to sit behind others to learn and later replace at a higher rate.
The Steelers seem to focus on current areas of team need or weakness and then draft players that can step in at a much faster rate to play in rookie seasons.
The Steelers are willing to come up to the end of a departing player's time and even go into a draft knowing they are weak at a position before addressing it in that draft. Almost waiting until the last minute to replace a starter via draft or using drafts to UPGRADE their weakest links with more immediate impact rookies that start.
The Bengals are not focusing as often on upgrading the current starting team. They instead are creating a PIPELINE of future replacements likely guided by finances both present and future.
This seems to be the "general difference" in the two teams drafting approaches. (not in all cases but generally)
The Bengals need to not be so FEARFUL of the impending current starter's departure but should instead focus more often on weak link starter UPGRADES like the Steelers seem to be doing. We are drafting and developing while the Steelers are drafting and starting at a much higher rate. This has them less FEARFUL of impending current starter's departures from the team. They go right up to that deadline in many cases while we have guys sitting for 1 or 2 years waiting to start.
The Steelers are getting more instant upgrades to the overall current starting team with their draft picks and are REACTING in real time to departures or weak starting links.
The Bengals are over-planning for current starter departures to keep a handle on finances at the expense of improving the overall quality of the current starting group of players.
The Steelers more often play chicken by waiting until immediate needs present themselves and then Draft to UPGRADE that current year's starting team. The financial negatives the Bengals fear by using this Steeler approach are not hampering the Steelers financially.
The Steeler more instant starter upgrade drafting is working better than our Bengal long term starter replacement over-thinking.
Again, this is a "general difference". Each team does some of what the other team does more of when drafting.
The Bengals need to find a balance that moves the needle closer to what the Steelers do with early round draft picks.
