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Steeler Report: Jarret Dillard would be a perfect fit for Steelers
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PITTSBURGH- It's no secret now that the Steelers will look to find a receiver in the draft. Bruce Arians also let the cat out of the bag, so to speak when he made this comment to Mike Prisuta of the Tribune Review.
"It'll be Limas, Martin Nance and whoever we draft, one of those cats,"
Sources say there are two guys on the watch/want list if they are available, when the team picks at No. 32 - Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland and North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks.
In the next few weeks we'll touch base on the both of them. For now, though, how about a sleeper, a guy that would really fulfill a need and be there for the taking in second or even possibly as late as the fourth.
His name is Jarret Dillard, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound burner from Rice University.
True the Steelers utilized a No.2 pick on Limas Sweed last year, mostly in part because Ben Roethlisberger wanted a big guy in the offensive scheme. But has size become overrated when it comes to the wide receiver slot?
After all, Santonio Holmes is just 5-foot-11 and all he did was win the Super Bowl MVP.
Dillard posted some impressive stats at the recent NFL combine, where he posted a vertical jump of 42.5 inches and the best broad jump 10 feet, 9 inches, and he runs around a 4.3- 40.
What he did in college was even more impressive. In 2007 at the New Orleans Bowl, Dillard caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to set a new record for games with a touchdown in a single season (13); besting the mark he shared with Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss of 12.
Dillard also holds the NCAA record for career touchdown receptions with 60, eclipsing the prior mark of 50 set by former Steeler Troy Edwards. In addition, he was only the 10th player in NCAA history to exceed 4,000 career receiving yards. Last year alone, he had 87 grabs for 1,310 yards.
But the one thing besides all his stats that was eye catching is this tidbit. His best day of 2008 was a 158-yard effort against Texas. That was the most yards gained by a receiver vs. the Longhorns, including all three finalists for the 2008 Biletnikoff Award (Michael Crabtree, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin).
So there is no question that he is very explosive and athletic. One draft publication says he is a home run threat any time he has the ball, much like Nate Washington brought to the table. The question now, with all the stats why not a first round pick?
His biggest setback is not playing against the type of competition that a guy such as Heyward-Bey has done. He also is small by NFL standards at 175 pounds. But one thing about Dillard, as defenses shifted their focus onto him n 2007/08 - he still performed at a high level and made his teammates better.
NFLdraftdog has compared him to Marvin Harrison, but time will tell as to whether he can have an impact on the NFL level.
Considering this guy has been called the consummate team player from his coaches, it will interesting to watch in 50 days if the Steelers call his name. For more on Dilliard see the You Tube video below.
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