The Blitzburgh Report

The Steelers signed eight players to their practice squad today, seven of which were in their camp this pre-season. The list includes 2007 draft picks wide receiver Dallas Baker and defensive end Ryan McBean (am I the only one who keeps thinking of Steely McBeam the mascot ever time I see his name?). Also, 2006 draft pick center Marvin Philip, wide receiver Gerran Walker, tight end Jon Dekker, defensive back Grant Mason, and defensive linemen Scott Paxon. They also signed running back Jamal Branch, who spent the pre-season with the New Orleans Saints.

The Steelers have made their last cuts this off-season, finalizing their 2008 roster. The two biggest names are center Chukky Okobi and running back Verron Haynes.

Three of the Steelers’ 2007 draft picks were also cut - fourth round pick defensive end Ryan McBean, fifth round pick guard Cameron Stephenson and seventh round pick wide receiver Dallas Baker.

Center Marvin Philip, defensive end Shaun Nua and special teams ace Chidi Iwuoma were also cut. As well as fullback John Kuhn, quarterback Bryan Randall, linebackers Rian Wallace and Ron Stanley, receivers Walter Young and Gerran Walker, tight ends Cody Boyd and Jon Dekker, nose tackle Scott Paxson, cornerbacks Anthony Madison and Jovon Johnson, and safeties Grant Mason and Mike Lorello, and tackles Jason Capizzi and Brandon Torrey.

Perhaps the most hotly contested position, running back, is now finalized. Keeping Dan Kreider was a smart move, especially with the offensive line still questionable. New backs Carey Davis and Gary Russell provide youth to the position.

An interesting aside, the Steelers have four total backs that were undrafted- Willie Parker, Dan Kreider, Carey Davis, and Gary Russell.

The battle for the center position was also sorted out, with Coach Mike Tomlin apparently liking what he saw from Sean Mahan more then Chukky Okobi. Furthermore, center Marvin Philip was also cut, leaving some serious question as to the depth behind center.

Training Camp is over and the preseason is halfway done, here is a look at how the Steelers’ 2007 rookie class is performing so far:

1) Lawrence Timmons- Timmons’ story has been pretty well documented. He finally saw he first real practice time with the Steelers last week after missing most of the offseason workouts and training camp. He saw limited action last game against the Redskins, and actually looked OK. He needs a lot of work, but at least he didn’t embarrass himself. He has a lot of catching up to do.

2) LaMarr Woodley- Woodley has been a real bright spot. He is a hard worker and it shows. His impressive practices have translated onto the field where he has made plenty of plays. He seems to be on his way to being another successful defensive end to linebacker conversion for the Steelers.

3) Matt Spaeth- Spaeth has had a mediocre preseason thus far. He’s a big target that should come in handy in the passing game, but he has shown that his blocking still needs a ton of work. Still, he isn’t in any danger of being cut.

4) Daniel Sepulveda- So far, Sepulveda has certainly justified the Steelers using a 4th round pick on him. He is booming kicks and looks like he might finally shore up a position that has been lacking the last two years with Chris Gardocki.

5) Ryan McBean- McBean has been fairly disappointing so far. He has been slow to pick up the defensive playbook and hasn’t shown much in practice or on the field. Still, he has a lot of raw talent and could be a project. But the Steelers really could have used some insurance at back up for the defensive line.

6) Cameron Stephenson- Stephenson has had an extremely quiet offseason. I like to pretend that I know it all, but I have heard and read next to nothing on the guy- which really doesn’t bode well for him.

7) William Gay- Gay just might be the biggest surprise of all. He went from a guy most hadn’t heard of (most draft websites didn’t even have a full bio on him until well after the draft), to someone everyone has their eyes on. He’s making plays all over the field, from big hits, to sacks, to the game ending interception last week.

9) Dallas Baker- Baker is another one who has had a quiet offseason. His size is intriguing, but it was known the moment he was drafted that he would be a long shot at making the team, and he hasn’t done anything yet to show he deserves a spot on in the already deep Steelers’ receiving corp.

Coach Mike Tomlin’s first NFL draft is over, and you can definitely feel his influence on the picks that the Steelers made. They wanted to shore up the team’s pass rush, and they certainly made a move to that with both Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley. They have two tall receiving targets in Matt Spaeth and Dallas Baker. They picked perhaps the best punter in the draft in Daniel Sepulveda. They have some good potential in some project picks in Ryan McBean, Cameron Stephenson, and William Gay.

Click each player to check out our analysis:

1 (15) Lawrence Timmons OLB Florida State

2 (46) LaMarr Woodley DE Michigan

3 (77) Matt Spaeth TE Minnesota

4 (112) Daniel Sepulveda P Baylor

4 (132) Ryan McBean DE Oklahoma State

5 (156) Cameron Stephenson G Rutgers

5 (170) William Gay CB Louisville

7 (227) Dallas Baker WR Florida

It was an interesting draft and opinions are split (but really, when aren’t they?) on a lot of the picks. But the Steelers are no longer Bill Cowher’s team and that means things will be done a bit differently. A lot of the defensive picks seems to be suited for both the 3-4 and the 4-3, so a hybrid or 4-3 defense might be closer then we think.

With the offensive line trouble, the team might have done itself a service to pick up a lineman before a Stepehnson, and taking a TE with the 3rd round pick was a bit of a shocker. Dallas Baker was a pretty solid pick for the 7th round.

It should be fun to see how all these players develop and what new coach Mike Tomlin does with them.

The Steelers took Florida wide receiver Dallas Baker with their last selection of the 2007 NFL Draft.

NFL.coms’ positives and negatives:

Positives: Shows adequate muscle definition and a long frame that could carry at least another 15 pounds of bulk … Shows good initial quickness and above average balance throughout his route progression … Has the long arms and reach agility to extend and catch the ball at its high point … Has better acceleration than his top speed indicates … Minimal rep type who shows good field vision and awareness … Mature and vocal leader who competes until the whistle …

PHOTO: Tim Casey / Alligator Sports

Has the short-area explosion to get into his route and enough moves to elude … Uses his size and long arms effectively to beat the jam, demonstrating enough strength to bump at the line of scrimmage … Very smooth in his running stride, showing the plant-and-drive agility to get in and out of his cuts … Has the body control and functional quickness to get to his break point … Keeps his pad level down and can drop his weight to settle into the soft areas … Conscious of the sticks and adjusts his body well to avoid the defender when working through a crowd … Best when used on short and controlled routes, where his lateral agility lets him bounce off the second level defender … Plays with good energy and is generally in control throughout the patterns … Has natural hands and good leaping ability to time his jumps and compete for the high tosses along the sidelines … Does a good job of adjusting his body to the ball in flight … Compensates for a lack of timed speed with his leaping ability and sure hands to get to the off-target throws … Looks very comfortable catching the ball over his outside shoulder … Has good leg strength to break the initial tackle … Relies on crisp change of direction agility to avoid after the catch … Has the functional strength to pester second-level defenders when blocking in the open field … Has a very impressive arm length to get to the high throws (35 7/8-inches).

Negatives: Has functional strength, but needs to add more bulk to his frame since he is generally ineffective as an in-line blocker, getting pushed back into the pocket or rush lane when working along the line of scrimmage … Bit high cut and a long strider, preventing him from generating a second gear or up field explosion needed to separate (better in the short area) … Built more in the lines of a track sprinter (small bubble, marginal lower body muscle tone) … Minimal rep type, but did struggle with academics earlier in his career (Prop 48, 11/18 Wonderlic score) … His long legs prevent him from building to top speed in a hurry … Has some looseness in his hips, but not enough to consistently ride up on the defender and elude … Will sit down in coverage and adjust to the action, but seems to lose his concentration and be hesitant to go after the passes in a crowd (questionable courage) … Does not have the quickness to challenge the deep secondary and stretch the field … Has natural hands to reach and extend, but will short arm and body catch when he has to go after the ball over the middle (hears the defenders’ feet) … Needs to assert himself in traffic, as he doesn’t care to go after the tough passes … Shows good maturity now, but did have one off-field incident earlier in his career … Older prospect who will turn 25 during the 2007 season.

Dallas Baker seems to be a big WR that wasn’t a bad pick up in the seventh round. He has Plaxico Burress and Fred Gibson size, but let’s just hope he turns out to be more of a Plaxico (talent-wise) then a Fred Gibson.