With college football in a state of apparent disarray, with some conferences planning to play in the fall and others having moved their seasons to the spring, needless to say, the NFL scouting world is in a little bit of upheaval, as well.
For the Steelers, that will mean scouting differently this season than they have in the past.
According to multiple sources, the Steelers and all NFL teams are currently not planning on having their scouts travel to colleges this season, regardless of whether teams are playing in the fall or the spring due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions in access. The NFL shut down travel for college scouts in March and has still not given them the OK to go on the road again.
That could change based on travel restrictions and future breakthroughs with a vaccine. But that's the plan right now.
Typically, the Steelers' scouting staff would be heading out to college campuses across the country at this time of year to begin the process of looking at and researching college players who will be eligible for the upcoming draft. Players are scouted, researched and background checks are made, beginning the vetting process.
Right now, however, the ones based in Pittsburgh are watching the team practice, while those who are based in other areas are at home.
Teams will have to manage scouting differently this year. Background checks will have to be made via phone through contacts made via longtime contacts. This is where having a veteran scouting staff, as the Steelers do, will be a benefit.
Outside of that, everyone will be watching the same tape of players.
The NFL does have the ability to push the draft back next year. Per the CBA, the draft can be held anytime between Feb. 14 and June 2. Currently, it's scheduled to be held April 29 through May 1 in Cleveland and the NFL has announced no plans to adjust that.
It could make for a very interesting draft process.
MORE STEELERS
• I asked Danny Smith about the potential for sloppiness on special teams units early in the season as I outlined in my pre-camp 10 Thoughts last week. He agreed it might be an issue, but feels the way Mike Tomlin makes time for special teams and, especially, live special teams situations will help with that from a Steelers standpoint. "We had a punt return drill yesterday, and this morning in my meeting with the special teams, I showed three blocks in the back," Smith told me. "You know, the return units are the most highly penalized, the kickoff return and the punt return, because of the space of the game, the speed of the game, the position of players against each other, so to answer your question, yes, specifically yes, it is something specifically we’re detailing right now. No, I don’t expect it to be sloppy, and that’s the whole game of this – for it not to be sloppy to get off on the right foot. And it’s my job to teach those things and put them in those situations." -- Lolley
• Talk about the battle at right tackle all you want, but it's essentially over. Chuks Okorafor is the starter at right tackle unless something crazy happens between now and the start of the season. Mike Tomlin didn't want to just hand him the job, so he's giving Zach Banner some time there. And if something happened to Alejandro Villanueva, Okorafor would shift over to the left side with Banner playing right tackle. That's why the Steelers also are intent on getting Okorafor some time there, as well, as they did Tuesday when Villanueva didn't practice. So the Steelers have to get Banner some snaps on the right side, anyway. But Okorafor will be in the starting lineup one way or the other. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• Jim Rutherford won't commit to retaining the Penguins' first-round choice in this year's draft -- he said this week he wants to keep all options open -- but if they do hold onto it, Rutherford knows precisely how he plans to invest it. Not in a player from a particular position -- after all, few teams get immediate help addressing a need when they claim a teenager -- but in the highest-rated player in the Penguins' prospect rankings when the 15th overall pick comes around. Simply put, the best player available. "When we put our (rankings) list together, we prioritize (the prospects), and as guys get taken ahead of the 15th pick, the names get (crossed) off," he said. "Then whoever the highest (remaining) one is on our list, that's who would get picked at 15." Should the Penguins use their pick, it will be the franchise's earliest since Derrick Pouliot was taken eighth overall in 2012. Pouliot never had anything close to the impact expected when he was chosen, a reminder there are few guarantees, even with the most promising prospects. "It's always hard to project with young players," Rutherford said. "When they get drafted, some develop more than others. Some develop into really good star players and some develop into just good NHL players. And some don't develop, don't turn out." Perhaps that's part of the reason Rutherford will not rule out dropping in the draft order so he can add an extra pick or two if an attractive offer comes along. "We feel pretty strong about this draft and this group of players," he said. "Not only at 15, but players after that. It's a good draft." -- Dave Molinari
• Matt Cullen looks, on the surface, like an ideal candidate to fill one of the assistant-coaching vacancies on the Penguins' staff. After all, he's a student of the game, has a deep knowledge of penalty-killing and the finer points of playing defense, is familiar with the Penguins personnel -- to say nothing of being extremely popular with those current players who were his teammates -- and has excellent communication skills. He not only could handle a variety of duties, but could serve as an effective liaison between Mike Sullivan and his players. There's just one catch, and it's a pretty big one: Cullen isn't interested. A source familiar with his thinking said Cullen enjoys the player-development niche he filled last season, is not prepared to take on a full-time management or coaching position and is not inclined to have his family relocate. He might well be a front-office guy or coach in the future -- and there's plenty of reason to believe he'd be effective in either role -- but it apparently is not going to happen anytime soon. -- Molinari
• Rutherford wants to make the Penguins younger before next season. He'd like to to improve their depth at center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Upgrading their third defense pairing is another priority. All worthy objectives that he believes can help the team reclaim its place among legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. But the most important -- and probably difficult -- thing he could accomplish during the offseason would be to identify the cause, or causes, of the Penguins' lackadaisical reaction when facing elimination during their past two postseason appearances and then eradicating it. Or them. Regardless of whether that would be achieved by firings (beyond those already done) or trades or simply allowing guys to depart via free agency, the Penguins can't realistically hope to chase another Cup unless their collective fire to compete at the highest level is rekindled. Why it has disappeared is a mystery, and actually figuring out who (or what) is responsible for that might remain a mystery, but if Rutherford can find a way to rectify that issue, it might do more for the franchise next spring than any personnel change could. -- Molinari
PIRATES
• The Aug. 31 trade deadline is rapidly approaching, but it is shaping up to be one of the quieter ones in recent memory. That includes the Pirates, who are clearly positioned as a seller, but might not do some actual selling. For one, they only have two players on expiring contracts, Keone Kela and Derek Holland, so they should not be motivated to trade struggling players such as Josh Bell or Adam Frazier unless they can get their full perceived trade value. It will also be difficult to find the players to get full value, as teams are only permitted to trade players who are in their 60-man pool. While most teams are carrying some of their top younger prospects in camp to make sure they get some formal instruction this year since there is no minor-league baseball, the alternate site camps mostly consist of major-league ready alternatives. Ben Cherington turned down multiple offers for those type of players for Starling Marte last winter in favor of getting two 19-year-olds: Right-hander Brennan Malone and shortstop Liover Peguero. He has said any player the Pirates acquire will have some inherent risk with them. He hasn't shied away from acquiring younger players. If he wants to follow that model for his future big trades, he would have better luck doing so this offseason rather than this month. -- Alex Stumpf
• It is impossible to say for certain when the super-two cutoff is for arbitration-eligible players since it changes every season, but the general mindset is that June is usually a safe time to call up players and retain another year of pre-arbitration control. Since service time is prorated this year and the season is over-one third done, there have been a rash of major-league promotions across the league in recent days. There will be more to come. This applies to Ke'Bryan Hayes, who is still working out in the Altoona alternate training site, waiting for his call to the majors. -- Stumpf
• The original plan for the broadcast team this year was to have Michael McKenry, Kevin Young and Matt Capps split time in the broadcast booth as color analysts to fill the spot vacated by Steve Blass. However, it has been just McKenry so far. The hope is Capps and Young will get to join at some point, but both live out of state, which seems to be causing some problems. Broadcast teams are not permitted to travel with the team as per the league's health and safety protocols, so all broadcasts this season have been held at either PNC Park or at the AT&T SportsNet studios. -- Stumpf
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