Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

April 26, 2009
By Donald Starver

With their final pick in the 7th round, the Steelers selected David Johnson, tight end, Arkansas State.   Johnson stands 6’2″, and weighs 268 lbs. 

Johnson wasn’t highly rated as a tight end.  Many teams probably didn’t even have him on their draft board. 

Johnson had a career high of 22 receptions for 356 yards in 2008.  His 2008 reception total more than doubled his 2007 output of 10 catches (for 204 yards).  This performance earned Johnson second team All-Sun Belt conference honors.

Johnson was actually an H-back at Arkansas State, and this is probably what the Steelers found appealing about him.   He was used primarily as a blocker in college, though he has very good hands.   He averaged 16 yards per catch in college. 

Johnson runs a 4.7 second 40 yard dash.  That is pretty fast for a player of his size.  He also has a 32.5 inch vertical leap, and did 21 reps in the bench press at the NFL Combine.  He also played baseball in high school, and is an excellent athlete.

Johnson is probably a better athlete than the Steelers’ current H-back Sean McHugh, and he should provide competition at the position.

To read about the Steelers’ previous pick, click here.

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April 26, 2009
By Donald Starver

With their first pick in the 7th round, the Steelers selected A.Q. Shipley, center, Penn State.   Shipley stands 6’1″, and weighs 304 lbs.

A natural leader, Shipley was the first center to serve as team captain since 1996.  He was the winner of the 2008 Rimington Trophy, given annually to college football’s best center.  He was also named a 1st-team All-American.

A local boy from Moon Area High School, Shipley has been on the Steelers’ radar for quite some time.

Shipley is an intelligent player who comes from a very high quality program at Penn State.  He has good vision and recognizes blitzes.  He has excellent technique and his physicality and tenacity are unmatched in this year’s class of centers.  If anything holds Shipley back, it won’t be his desire or effort.

Unfortunately, Shipley has physical limitations that caused some scouts to downgrade him as a potential NFL center.  He is short for the position, and has very short arms.  He also needs to increase his lower body strength.  He can be bull rushed by larger defenders and pushed into the pocket.  This may be an even greater liability in the AFC North, where huge nose tackles abound.

Shipley lacks mobility, and is unable to offer guards much help in run  blocking.  He also isn’t a powerful blocker, and he struggles to generate movement by himself in the running game.

The bottom line is that Shipley is limited physically, but his heart, determination, and high football IQ should help him find a way to make an NFL roster.

To read about the Steelers’ previous pick, click here.

To read about the Steelers’ next pick, click here.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

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