Black and Gold Links: While needs are evident, the Steelers shouldn’t look at G/C early in the draft

19

Apr 2019

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Time to check on the latest news surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over, but if you think the news surrounding the black-and-gold is over — think again. For the drama-filled Steelers, things are just heating up, and this is where the daily links article comes in. You might have missed some key news, and we fill you in and give you the latest, and sometimes greatest, news surrounding the Steelers.

Today in the Black-and-gold links article we take a look at how with the Steelers’ team needs approaching the 2019 NFL Draft, drafting a center/guard is not high on the priority list.

Let’s get to the news:

  • Every NFL team has needs, and the Steelers are no exception, but if there is one position/area they don’t need to target early it would be the interior offensive line.

Steelers unlikely to spend premium draft pick at center, guard

By: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted a guard was in 2012, when David DeCastro fell to them with the No. 24 overall pick.

The last time the Steelers selected a center was in 2010, when Maurkice Pouncey was the No. 18 player off the board.

Clarification: Those two seasons are not the last time the Steelers chose a guard and center in the first round of the NFL Draft. Or even the early rounds. That’s the last time they selected a guard and center in any round.

To read the full article, click HERE

  • The Steelers and WDVE go hand-and-hand…and this will continue until 2023.

Steelers, WDVE-FM extend broadcast pact through 2023

By: Jerry Diapola, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

For the past 20 seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers fans who can’t be in front of a TV on game day have known where to turn to hear the games.

The Steelers and iHeartMedia will keep that familiarity going through the 2023 season after reaching an extension of their broadcast agreement.

“We are thrilled to continue to bring millions of sports fans throughout Pittsburgh Steelers broadcasts and programming for years to come,” said Tim McAleer, Market President, iHeartMedia Pittsburgh.

The new agreement means play-by-play of the games will continue to be heard on WDVE-102.5 FM and WBGG-970 AM, with additional promotional support from six iHeart Media stations in Pittsburgh.

To read the full article, click HERE

  • People often want to hate on NFL players for how much money they make. Let’s forget about the risk of injury, etc. but just look at how much it costs for players to prepare for the NFL Draft.

For NFL prospects, cost of getting drafted can surpass $100K

By: Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

Getting a player to the NFL draft’s finish line leaves a trail of receipts, rental car reward points and steps through airport security.

For the four- to five-month period between the college football season and the draft in late April, prospects must be trained at the highest level, housed comfortably, fed premium food and prepared for team interviews. They have family members who might need some of these things as well. In one case this season, a prospect needed a gender reveal party covered.

And in most cases, not one cent comes out of the player’s pocket.

The player-agent recruiting game often comes down to one question: What do you cover? The answer can vary depending on the caliber of the player.

”I don’t blame the players. It’s a competitive environment,” said Andy Simms, an agent who oversees football operations at Young Money APAA. “One way to differentiate yourself is to spend money on prospects. And so you have to ask yourself if you’re willing to play that game.”

To read the full article, click HERE

George Kittle says tweet to Antonio Brown was a dare from Jimmy Garoppolo

By: Curtis Crabtree, ProFootballTalk

Via KNBR, Kittle said on Wednesday that his “Sup?” tweet directed at Brown was a dare from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

“Jimmy totally dared me to do it,” Kittle said. “And I am not going to say no. [I] threw it out there, and I thought it was going to be completely meaningless, and I got a response in about 10 minutes. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s exciting.’ It was fun.”

The tweet was posted just two hours shy of the start of 2019 and it didn’t take Brown long to respond back with a starry-eyed emoji that ultimately posed a question of if the 49ers would have any interest in Brown. Although G.M. John Lynch later admitted that the 49ers had interest in receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., Lynch said regarding Brown, “We took a quick look and then we just said, ‘Hey, we’re not interested in that for our team.’”

To read the full article, click HERE

  • Social Media Madness