Post by 77bengal on May 10, 2016 9:56:18 GMT -5
The Bengals and Steelers are still at it. As we all know, the Bengals top WR choices were off the board in round one when it was their turn to select, so they decided to fill another need by selecting CB William Jackson III who many think, including myself, the Steelers were targeting with the next pick. The Steelers deny this and many within Steeler Nation are making the claim that the Bengals fell victim to a Steeler 'smokescreen' by making the Bengals think the Steelers were targeting WJ3 in round one when they were in fact targeting CB Artie Burns all along. Guys and gals, this is hogwash and many of us that understand the draft and football in general know it. Simply put, WJ3 was/is considered to be the better CB between the two so when the Steelers claim they had 'Burns rated above Jackson' and they think that 'Burns fits their system better', they're simply lying. But I don't blame them. What are the Steelers suppose say? "We wanted Jackson all along but we had to settle for Burns." Of course not. The Steelers are gonna talk Burns up like any other team would do including our Bengals.
However, don't think for one second that I think Burns is a sub-par player because he's not. I watched Burns play and he's the real deal. If the Bengals would've drafted a WR in round one and then drafted Burns in round two, I would've been very pleased. And even though Jackson is rated above Burns, it doesn't mean that much concerning their futures. For all we know, Burns may become a Hall of Famer and Jackson may wind up being a first round bust. I don't think either scenario is likely, but they're not that far apart in their abilities and Burns will strengthen the Steeler secondary almost immediately.
Basically, it is what it is. The Bengals swooped in and took WJ3 right out from underneath the Steelers noses and they responded by drafting the next best CB. Some may think that the Steelers reached and I understand why, but I'm not buying it. The Steelers secondary needed to be strengthened so they drafted a good CB and if Burns plays up to his abilities, no one will be questioning whether the Steelers reached or not. It will simply be a non-issue.
However, don't think for one second that I think Burns is a sub-par player because he's not. I watched Burns play and he's the real deal. If the Bengals would've drafted a WR in round one and then drafted Burns in round two, I would've been very pleased. And even though Jackson is rated above Burns, it doesn't mean that much concerning their futures. For all we know, Burns may become a Hall of Famer and Jackson may wind up being a first round bust. I don't think either scenario is likely, but they're not that far apart in their abilities and Burns will strengthen the Steeler secondary almost immediately.
Basically, it is what it is. The Bengals swooped in and took WJ3 right out from underneath the Steelers noses and they responded by drafting the next best CB. Some may think that the Steelers reached and I understand why, but I'm not buying it. The Steelers secondary needed to be strengthened so they drafted a good CB and if Burns plays up to his abilities, no one will be questioning whether the Steelers reached or not. It will simply be a non-issue.