Outside perspective : Steelers fans thoughts on Poe's potential.

[Anyong Bluth]

I was surprised by the pick given his lack of production supposedly on video & really didn't think he'd even be a consideration with our pick unless we made some moves back into round 1 & were picking later. Came across this discussion of Poe, when just searching around trying to get more information on the guy & trying to see the possible positive upside if this guy would turn to pick out, and I feel like at least he is in a situation that is one of the more ideal in terms of him panning out given supporting players & coaches.... We'll see but I like seeing what others thoughts on the guy are/were:

In defense of Dontari Poe; He's not just a combine warrior with no production
Dontari Poe is drawing comparisons to Mike Mamula. Like Mamula, he rocketed up draft boards following an incredible combine workout, including many who considered him to be a potential top 10 pick in the draft (again, like Mamula, who was taken 7th overall). But now his stock seems to be falling back down as analysts realize that his production on the field does not match what his measureables show he should be
able to do. Now it looks like Fletcher Cox is the consensus top 10 DT, Michael Brockers is also ahead of Poe on most draft boards, and all of those comparisons to Haloti Ngata have been thrown right out the window.

Well, let's just look at how poor Poe's on-field production is compared to those other
bohemoths:

Poe:

2009 27 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks
2010 41 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks
2011 33 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack

Cox:

2009 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack
2010 29 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks
2011 49 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks

Brockers:

2010 25 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, and no sacks
2011 54 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks

Ngata:

2004 46 tackles and 4.0 sacks
2005 61 tackles and 3.0 sacks

I was not able to find Ngata's tackles for loss stat for each individual season, but his
Wikipedia entry credits him for 17.5 tackles for loss in 04-05 combined (and 6.5 sacks in those 2 seasons instead of 7.0).


What I'm getting at...is he really THAT far off of these other guys in terms of on-field performance? His on-field numbers aren't eye-popping like his combine numbers are
(where he was simultaneously the biggest DT, the fastest DT, and the strongest DT), but he at least seems to be in the general neighborhood of some of these other top-rated DT's.

One of the complaints about Poe was that his motor tended to run hot and cold. Well, frankly, his team sucked, so he was on the field ALL THE TIME. The offense couldn't move the ball with regularity, so that lead to a lot of three-and-outs, meaning the defense is forced to go right back out there without any reasonable degree of rest. And the defense wasn't great at stopping anyone either, so he was often out on the field for long, drawn out drives. And since he was the centerpiece of their defense, the one and only guy that opposing offenses had to game plan to stop, he was constantly facing double teams or more. Not to mention that all of this was happening in the brutal Memphis heat (remember how poor our DL looked when we had to play early season games against the Titans in their building a few years ago).

Sure, he may never be a dynamic pass rusher, but that never stopped Casey Hampton from being an excellent nose tackle for us. He will never get big sack numbers, but he will be able to provide a decent push to collapse the pocket in the quarterback's face. He will be stout at the point of attack and able to occupy blockers. He also has the flexibility of being able to play multiple positions (which you know our coaches love). He's got tremendous upside, and is a hard worker with a great attitude and a blue collar work ethic. If he was just big, fat, and lazy, I wouldn't want him, but that seems to be the exact opposite of what he offers.

Remember, before the incredible combine, he was already being talked about as a late-first, early-second round type of guy. If he somehow slips to #24 because teams
are scared off by the Mamula comparisons, I'd happily take him. He won't be ready to start from day one (his game will need a little seasoning), but Snack and McLendon (with a little Ziggy sprinkled in if necessary) should be able to handle the majority of the snaps this year while the rook adjusts to the pro game, and he could be an absolute force for us once Hampton hangs 'em up.

[Reaper16]

Production != stats

[Blick]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

I'm not sure exactly what they're basing some of these opinions on. From all the game tape I've seen of Poe, there was a great deal of on/off motor. Some plays he would chase the RB across the field, and other plays he'd just stand there and watch from the other side of the pile.

And the author points to his amazing Combine workout as proof that he's not an on/off type player because "Generally, lazy fat boys don’t show up and do what Poe did at the Combine. That shows work ethic". I don't really agree with that. Work ethic is best shown by working hard all the time, not just when you're trying out for a job at the next level. Pointing to one workout and ignoring all the lackluster game tape that came before that is the exact opposite of how you show your overall work ethic.

How much "game tape" have you seen?

His work ethic is obvious in the weight room. Coaches at Memphis said work ethic wasn't a problem. Romeo and Pioli didn't seem to think it was a problem.

Work ethic is not an issue. If it was, he probably would have quit on those shitty Memphis teams. He didn't. He played even when he was gassed. He played wherever the coaches asked him to play.

Seems pretty coachable and hardworking to me.

[Chiefnj2]

Not many 350lb defensive lineman can play every snap of a game. It would be a miracle if Poe didn't "dog it" on some plays.

Based on very limited youtube clips the problem wasn't a drop in his production as the game went on. He pretty much looked the same in the first series as he did later in the game.