As you know by some of my prior articles, I'm a fan of data & numbers. I'm intrigued by searching for different trends that may indicate the Steelers plans for the draft.
For this article, I'll be analyzing the positions of the players the Steelers have brought in for pre-draft visits in comparison to the positions they drafted. As you will see from this study, there's been a correlation over the past three drafts. It may easy to assume that the positions they bring in for visits are the positions they draft, but the data reveals some trends you may not have been aware of.
For my study I also won't be taking into account pro-day attendance or dinners.
Enough talk, lets dive in.
2015 Draft
Count of the number of each position that was brought in for a pre-draft visit:
Cornerback: 8
Linebacker: 7
Wide Receiver: 5
Tight End: 5
O-Line: 2
Safety: 1
D-Line: 1
The 2015 draft class:
1. Bud Dupree (LB)
2. Senquez Golson (CB)
3. Sammie Coates (WR)
4. Doran Grant (CB)
5. Jesse James (TE)
6. Anthony Chickilllo (LB)
6. L.T. Walton (DL)
7. Gerod Holliman (S)
Observations:
- Cornerback was the most frequent position brought in & 2 were drafted in the first 4 rounds.
- Linebacker was the 2nd most frequent position and brought and again, 2 were drafted.
- Wide receiver and tight end tied with 5 visits each and both were drafted.
- Each player drafted had at least 1 player in their position brought in for a visit.
- Offensive line was the only position brought in that wasn't addressed in the draft.
2014 Draft
Count of the number of each position that was brought in for a pre-draft visit:
Cornerback: 7
D-Line: 5
Wide Receiver: 5
Safety: 3
Running Back: 2
Tight End: 1
2014 Draft Class:
1. Ryan Shazier (LB)
2. Stephon Tuitt (DL)
3. Dri Archer (RB)
4. Martavis Bryant (WR)
5. Shaq Richardson (CB)
5. Wesley Johnson (OL)
6. Jordan Zumwalt (LB)
6. Daniel McCullers (DL)
7. Rob Blanchflower (TE)
Observations:
- Linebacker was tied with cornerback for the most positions brought in; the position was our 1st round pick & 2 were drafted.
- Despite being tied for the most brought in, the cornerback position wasn't addressed until the 5th round.
- Defensive line was tied for 3rd and 2 players were brought in - 2nd & 6th round.
- Wide receiver was tied for 3rd and 1 player was drafted in the top 4 rounds.
- Despite only have 2 running backs visit, the position was addressed in the 3rd round; Dri Archer who they drafted wasn't brought in for a visit.
- Safety was the only position brought in for a visit that wasn't addressed in the draft.
2013 Draft
Count the number of each position that was brought in for a pre-draft visit:
Linebacker: 8
Cornerback: 6
Safety: 4
Running Back: 3
Wide Receiver: 3
O-Line: 1
The 2013 draft class:
1. Jarvis Jones (LB)
2. Le'Veon Bell (RB)
3. Markus Wheaton (WR)
4a. Shamarko Thomas (S)
4b. Landry Jones (QB)
5. Terry Hawthorne (CB)
6a. Justin Brown (WR)
6b. Vince Williams (LB)
7. Nick Williams (DL)
Observations:
- Linebacker was the position most brought in; the position was our 1st round pick and 2 of them were drafted.
- Cornerback was our 2nd most brought in position yet wasn't addressed until the 5th room.
- Safety was the 3rd most visited position and one was taken in the 4th round.
- Despite only 3 wide receivers being brought in, 2 were drafted.
- Both a quarterback & a defensive lineman were drafted despite both positions not being brought in for a visit.
So does any of this actually matter?
Looking at this data you can see some trends:
- In each of these 3 years, the top 4 or 5 positions were addressed in the top half of the draft.
- In 2013 and 2014, the most brought in position was that of the first round pick. 2015 didn't follow this trend, but the 1st round picks position was the 2nd highest - only missing by 1.
- Only in 2013 was a position drafted that wasn't brought in for a visit.
What does this mean for this years draft?
Count the number of each position that was brought in for a pre-draft visit as of 4/8
Safety: 8
Cornerback: 5
D-Line: 4
O-Line: 2
Linebacker: 1
Tight End: 1
Wide Receiver: 1
Looking at these numbers makes it clear the Steelers will be targeting players for the secondary in this years draft. It's always worth mentioning that the linebacker brought in was Jatavis Brown, who some see as a S/LB hybrid. Because the top 3 positions are safety, cornerback, and defensive line, I assume these will be the top 3 positions taken.
Many writers, including myself, have mocked players like Andrew Billings & Vernon Butler to the Steelers, but the trends over the past 3 years show that the first round pick has been either the 1st or 2nd total amount of a position brought in. These numbers can still change; the Steelers are still allowed to bring in about 8 more players for visits. This also doesn't take into account the Steelers presence at Andrew Billings & others pro days.
After compiling this data, I do think the Steelers first round pick this year will be either a cornerback or a safety; past data indicates this. I would of course be happy with us drafting Billings or Butler, but the data shows a clear trend.
I did a similar article to this: "Steelers Pre-Draft Visits vs. Drafted Players". If interested in seeing the relation being players brought in for visits vs players drafted, you can read it HERE
Thanks for reading!
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