Steelers 2015 NFL Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades from Around the Web

Well, we’ve all had some time to let the dust settle on the 2015 NFL draft, so now it is time to scour the Internet and see what the draft collective thought of the haul the Pittsburgh Steelers made. Draft grades are an interesting exercise, because it's sort of like a film critic writing a movie review based on the trailer.

Overall, the grades for the Steelers draft were solid. This is likely due in large part to the fact Pittsburgh was able to steal Kentucky linebacker Alvin “Bud” Dupree with pick No. 22 in the first round. It is impossible to give anything lower than an A for the pick of Dupree on its own.

So, what we’re going to do is pull some of those grades in from across the Internet and take a closer look. Do you agree with how the experts graded out the Steeler draft? Be sure to comment below.

SB Nation

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Dan Kadar of SB Nation gave the Steelers a B for their efforts. 

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After stealing Dupree in the first round, the Steelers did well in filling their needs in the secondary with Golson and Grant. I thought the second round was a little early for Golson, but Grant was a nice value pick in the fourth round. Coates is an inconsistent wide receiver, but is a physical specimen. Some think James should have gone back to school, but the Steelers can slow play his development. It's not like athletic 6-foot-7 tight ends are readily available.

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The notion that Mississippi cornerback Senquez Golson was a reach in the second round is not an unusual point of view. The reach was made more obvious by the fourth-round selection of Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant.

Criticisms of Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates are valid, but somewhat misguided. It is one thing to have a player who struggles with concentration at times when the offense isn’t focused on you, but it is another to have that same player lack focus when the offense plays more to his strengths. Coates appears to be open to coaching and should be able to get past some of those mental mistakes.

Mel Kiper Jr.

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ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. was very positive about the Steelers draft, scoring it an A-.

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Senquez Golson is one of my favorite players in the draft, an INT machine at Ole Miss who plays bigger than his size and has the hands I wish more wide receivers had. Elsewhere in the secondary, the Steelers added a steady college performer in Doran Grant out of Ohio State, and then the nation's leader in INTs last year, Gerod Holliman. You think they wanted to find answers in the secondary? Yep, those guys will be green, but at least the depth chart looks better. 

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In Kiper’s case, he wasn’t concerned about the selection of Golson and instead viewed it and the pick of Grant as positives. Kiper was also very positive about the addition of Louisville safety Gerod Holliman. The addition of Holliman was grossly underrated, and could be the pick that people point to five years from now as the selection that made this draft class.

CBS Sports

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com felt like the Steelers draft only deserved a B.

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One for general manager Kevin Colbert, and Bud Dupree adds both. A dynamic athlete with speed, agility and flexibility, he checks off a lot of boxes athletically speaking and has the work ethic and selflessness Pittsburgh values. Athleticism was the focus for Pittsburgh in this draft with the Steelers gambling on undersized (but playmaking) cornerback Senquez Golson, "tool-sy" wideout Sammie Coates and cornerback Doran Grant.

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It was interesting to read how positive Rang was about the draft, yet he only gave a B. If you are excited about Dupree, Golson, Grant and Coates, how can the other picks really pull the final grade down that far? I respect that doing these post-draft grades are hard, but Rang’s score compared to his comments feel a bit disjointed.

SI.com

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Chris Burke of SI.com gave the Steelers a B+ for their draft.

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Of the Steelers' eight draft selections, seven came pretty close to hitting the mark, on paper. Beyond that, GM Kevin Colbert had to upgrade his pass-rush and restock his secondary. Check and check. OLB Bud Dupree goes down as a slight steal at No. 22. CBs Senquez Golson and Doran Grant could earn starting nods. Golson's a ballhawk, Grant a physical presence. 

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Burke, like most experts, supports the pick of Dupree as both need and talent. He also feels like both Doran and Golson are upgrades to the secondary. Burke compares the selection of Sammie Coates to the pick of Martavis Bryant as if it is a bad thing. Is getting another wide receiver who could average 21.1 yards per reception bad? Because it feels like a pretty good thing to me.

Final Grades

There are no real surprises in these grades. In my final analysis, I gave a solid B+ as well. The addition of Bud Dupree is so huge for this defense. After whiffing on Jarvis Jones in the first round back in 2013, this team was desperate to recover. Everyone wants to judge a draft based on the volume of perceived talent a team took, but the reality is if Dupree becomes a truly elite pass-rushing outside linebacker in the league, the rest of those picks don’t really matter as much.

SB Nation	B
ESPN	A-
CBS Sports	B
SI.com	B+

It is hard to nitpick some of the middle-round selections, because many times those guys don’t even make the team at all. For all of the conversation about Senquez Golson and Doran Grant, there’s a real possibility one of them won’t even make the final roster and could end up on the practice squad. The same goes for tight end Jesse James. Obviously, you don’t issue any final grades for a draft class until several seasons in, but it is important to recognize that for 2015, getting a return on investment from two or three guys will be huge.