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Toledo's Diontae Johnson (3) finds running room during a college football game between the University of Toledo and Western Michigan University at Western Michigan's Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Thursday, October 25, 2018.
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Paul Zeise mailbag: Did the Steelers draft Diontae Johnson too high?

The Blade/Kurt Steiss

Paul Zeise mailbag: Did the Steelers draft Diontae Johnson too high?

Welcome to Paul Zeise’s weekly mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and 93.7 The Fan radio host answers your questions about sports, life and everything in between. If you want to ask Paul a question, tweet him @paulzeise or email him at pzeise@post-gazette.com.

Let’s get started:

Jared Starks, Greentree: Do you feel that Toledo University WR Diontae Johnson was a "reach" in the 3rd round by the Steelers like a lot seem to think?

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Zeise: I keep hearing this and can’t understand how anyone can say definitively what a third-round choice is. At that point it is a crap shoot. Could the Steelers have made a trade to slide down a few spots and maybe acquire another fifth- or sixth-round pick or something and still gotten Johnson? Yes, perhaps. They also could have lost him and he is clearly the receiver they wanted. I think a big part of it is they see him as having a similar skill-set to Antonio Brown. He apparently runs excellent routes and he apparently is excellent at catching the ball. And while his 40 time wasn’t off the charts, he is quick and seems to be one of those players who plays faster than his straight-ahead speed. Again, I don’t know what he will become but I find it ridiculous that people talk about how teams “reach” in the third round. 

Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert answer questions about the upcoming NFL Draft Monday, April. 22, 2019, at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pittsburgh.
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Marty Gressich, Irwin: Everyone seems high on the Steelers’ draft choices but I can’t see it. They drafted a runt linebacker who is injury prone, a slow runt receiver and a big corner who can’t cover with their first three choices. What exactly am I missing here?

Zeise: I just addressed the “slow runt receiver” in the first question. I actually think he will be fine. Obviously Devin Bush is the key to this draft. If he is indeed injury prone and doesn’t pan out, then you will be right. He has a lot of talent, though, and his skill-set suggests he is perfect at that spot in the Steelers’ scheme. There seems to be a lot of evidence that Bush will work out. The cornerback — Justin Layne — is a bit of a project but he is the kind of player a team should gamble on. He has great size and he is physical, and by all accounts he is an excellent football player. He is just not very experienced at corner. That means he has a lot of room to grow and improve. Obviously we won’t know about any of them for a few years, but I do think the Steelers have a chance to have had a great draft.

Robert Gateway, Export: Is it too early to judge the Chris Archer trade as a bust? Huntington gave up too much to acquire an average at best pitcher.

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Zeise: There are two parts to the Chris Archer trade. The first is the revisionist history some seem to want to engage in now that it looks like it isn’t going to work out the right way. The bottom line is almost everyone was excited about it when it happened. Almost everyone lauded the Pirates for finally doing the right things in terms of making a trade for a top player on the market. And most people were down on Tyler Glasnow. The idea that now you can criticize the Pirates for the deal is not fair. I thought they did a great job of moving some prospects and trying to make their current team better. Now, that being said, this does have a chance to turn out to be one of Neal Huntington’s worst trades. That doesn’t mean he should get criticized for making it, it just means that it isn’t going to work out. Archer is probably above-average but not much more. And Glasnow and Austin Meadows have a chance to be stars. That happens some times, but it doesn’t mean people can go back in time and criticize Huntington for a deal they all applauded.

Matt Burk, Pittsburgh: Do you think the reason Gerrit Cole didn’t want to be here is because of the way he was handled by the Pirates coaching staff? The Astros have him throwing his best pitches more often and that has led to greater success. Have you considered this?

Zeise: There were so many reasons why Cole didn’t want to be here, and that is probably one but only a small one. He had issues with Huntington. He was irritated by the way things were handled with his contracts. He was far away from home and he sometimes butted heads with Clint Hurdle. He needed to go somewhere else and it has worked out for him.

George Velley, Sharpsburg: Why is Gregory Polanco back playing? The guy cannot throw the ball. How is this a good plan? Why would the Pirates rush him back before he is capable of doing all of the basics necessary to play outfield?

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reacts after a touchdown against Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, at Heinz Field.
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Zeise: The thinking by the Pirates is that Polanco is one of their best bats and they want to get him into the lineup. He is cleared medically and now he just needs to get back up to full speed. I agree that it isn’t looking good for him to not be able to throw players out at third and home. But he is one of their best hitters and lord knows this team needs as much help on offense as possible.

First Published: May 1, 2019, 3:17 p.m.

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