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Could FB Owen Schmitt solve the running back issues?
Mike Tomlin likes versatile guys. He reminds us of that at least once a month, and it makes sense. So, with a slim group of big backs to look at in this year’s draft, I’d like to think the front office has considered looking to the fullback pool to find a solution. And, with his rare combination of size and speed, West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt just might be the answer.
Fullback isn’t a glamorous position, and NFL teams are putting less and less focus on it each year. But, when your offense is built round a clock-decimating running game, your best runner is more than a tad on the smallish side, and your long-time stud fullback is now a free agent, it makes sense to shore up the position with the best guy available.
No fullback is likely to be drafted on day one this year, but all bets are off come round three. I would imagine the Steelers are likely to pick a combination of either tackle Gosder Cherilus and cornerback Antoine Cason, or cornerback Mike Jenkins and guard Chilo Rachal on the first day. That addresses the two most pressing needs, and frees them up to be a little more creative heading into Sunday. It would make sense at that point to start looking at a big back, and Schmitt provides the best bang for Pittsburgh’s buck, and leaves them three more picks to play with while being able to feel incredibly content about the first half of their draft.
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23 Responses to “Could FB Owen Schmitt solve the running back issues?”
April 21st, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I am a WVU Graduate and getting Owen Schmitt on the Steelers would be awesome!
He would turn our offense back into that Physical Style that most of us crave.
Owen and Willie in the same backfield would be Thunder and Lightning at its best….
3rd Round could be a stretch but if you really want him better grab him by then..Oh how it would pain me to see him in a Ravens, Bengals or Browns uniform…Ouch!!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 am
He’s over rated….I would rather take one later like hillis or the many other talented at the FB position this year. We could fill more needs if we don’t jump on the over hyped schmitt. He is ok just not worth a pick in the third.
Don’t believe the hype!!! Take a closer look at film that isn’t in highlights. Not a third rounder.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 am
Well, i dont have access to any film but I saw most of their games and thought he was impressive. A 3rd Round Pick, I dont know, but if you want to ensure you get him then you could take him their. He may go in the 4th round, hard to say.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
“He’s over rated…”
This is where you lost me. You either know nothing about football, are completely insane, or both. The guy is a BEAST and would definitely bring physical play to Pittsburgh. I’d LOVE for this guy to become a Steeler.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
IMO, Dan Kreider will be on a different roster next season because he’s not versatile enough for coach Tomlin. Owen Schmitt is the kind of player that fulfills that requirement. He’s also the kind of player that has Pittsburgh Steelers written all over him. You can bet that Willie Parker would be the first to welcome him into the fold.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
i think it’s stupid to take a fullback. one because the
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
My fault on the last comment my computer is dumb. What i was saying is taking a fullback doesn’t make sense. The reason is because they only have 6 picks this year and why waste one of those on a fullback, which is not a real need now that we run a 2 tight end set and don’t see a fullback in the game as much.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
DraftDude: The idea here isn’t to draft a fullback. It’s to draft a fullback with a running style that will allow him to also play the goal-line/short-yardage tailback spot. Willie Parker is one of the best outside runners and one of the best cutback runners in the league, but he just doesn’t have the size to be blasting through the middle all season long. Schmitt would give the team a massive fullback (he’s 260; for reference, Kreider was 235) who has the speed and ability to also handle the ball a good number of times.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I’ll say it again. There isn’t a high demand on the FB position as it is a position that not many utilize. Why spend a high draft choice on a guy who is hyped and didn’t perform well in the senior bowl and didn’t have great combine numbers. I don’t get it. Spend a fourth rounder or wait until later and get hillis while picking up talent that belongs in the third round. All the guy has going for him is charisma and a mohawk. Sorry, but this would be a waste of a third round pick. I could buy into the fourth rounder.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
I’m sorry he is not worth a third round pick. He got blown up in the senior bowl and couln’t produce numbers in the combine that set him appart from the competition. A fourth rounder; I could maybe see that.
I would rather wait later and pick up a guy like Hillis who can still pick up the short yards and would cost us less. It just makes more sense to me. Owen is selling his charisma and mohawk, but I just don’t buy it.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I’m sorry, but I can’t see spending a third rounder on a guy that got blown up at the senior bowl and didn’t put up numbers in the combine to show that he is worth the early pick.
We should wait until atleast the fourth and if he is not there then we could pick up another guy like Hillis and not waste our third rounder on a position that has become obsolite in the NFL.
Owen is just using his charisma and mohawk to win the majority over. I simply don’t buy it.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Sorry about the posts that repeat. I thought this post wasn’t posting my comments, so I changed the name. Oh well, I guess I got my point across….lol
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 pm
combine does not matter…Owen Schmitt is a Football Player…who cares about the combine…he can play folks…
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Owen is worth a look, he’s just not worth a third round pick that’s all. He has late fourth to fifth round talent, anything else is a reach.
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 am
Didn’t get “blown up” at the senior bowl…he decided to sit out due to a minor injury so as not to miss the combine. He was never on the field. Believe me, if anything would have been at stake, he’d have been out there pounding everyone. He played the last part of the 2006 season injured and still managed to stand in for Slaton in the Gator Bowl, where he broke off several nice runs.
You try really hard to make it sound like Schmitt was a marginal player, but I don’t buy it. I’ve seen too much to tell me different. The guy is a lion and any team would be lucky to have him.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
Mike Tomlin, per his own words, wants to employ a two back rotation. Willie Parker also endorses drafting another back to take some of the load off of him.
Last year neither “Dookie” Davenport nor Carey Davis adequately resembled Jerome in third down and goal line situations. Why Bruce Ariens thought Davis would make a better FB than Kreider is still a mystery.
On paper Davenport has the size to replace The Bus in goal line situations, but in reality he’s a pussified version of Jerome. He doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude or aggression to perform the duties he was signed to do. He avoids contact as much as possible. The Steelers’ know this and hence the reason why he was only signed to a one year deal.
If the Steelers’ can get Owen Schmitt in the fourth before the browns snap him up they would instantly improve the running game and extend Parker’s career. They could also release Davenport and save the money to be used elsewhere.
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Owen is just that, a good player, and he should be looked at in the fourth to fifth rounds. All I’m saying is don’t jump the gun just because the hype that is following him. There are other big agressive FBs we can get in later rounds that can fill the same roll. We only have 6 picks so we must use them wisely.
Oh, and Owen got “worked” in the Senior Bowl. He was playing much to high, and got leveled on many plays. This in no way suggests his future potential, but it did happen.
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
We should take a closer look at Peyton Hillis or Jacob Hester. Both are examples of later talent that is just as good as Schmitt and would cost us much less.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
If we think that Owen Schmitt can be the Thunder to go with the Lightning, and platoon with Willie, then he is worth a 3rd round pick.
How many 3rd rounds picks have we had that did not amount to a hill of beans.
PICK OWEN SCHMITT!
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Hillis would be acceptable; he’s not a whole lot smaller than Schmitt and a hair faster, at least if you go off combine times. Hester, on the other hand, is hardly the fullback this team needs. He’s horribly undersized for a power-running team’s fullback, and wouldn’t be much of a change from Parker (who is only 15 pounds lighter) in short-yardage situations. Hillis would definitely be workable, and would be my choice if Schmitt is gone. But Schmitt is the most well-rounded and complete of the group. And, yes, I think he’s worth a third-round pick.
And it doesn’t hurt that he’s friends with my cousin, a senior at WVU right now
April 24th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Mike,
dude you are awesome with all the articles your write…
what is ur mock draft or did u post it…
too much vodka for me…i dont remember…
here are my potential picks…
1. Jonathan Stewart/Kentwan Balme/Gosder Cherilus
2. Chilo Rachel/C Avril/Tyvone Branch
3. Matt Forte/Mike McGlynn/Jerome Simpson
April 25th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I wasn’t going to do one, but I changed my mind earlier this week. Expect it late tonight.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Congrats to “clock” for actually knowing what he is talking about when it comes to Owen Schmitt. All of that is water under the bridge now that the Steelers missed a golden opportunity to pick Owen in the fifth round. I agree that Willie Parker would have welcomed him with open arms. Sadly, I guess we’ll never know.
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