James Conner

[hjernazian]

Priest Holmes : Larry Johnson :: LeVeon Bell : James Conner

I don't get this. Are you saying he compares to these guys?

Note the double colon between LJ and Bell; it's analogy form.

Assuming that was his intention, he's saying that Conner will follow in Bell's footsteps in the same vein that LJ followed Priest's. Which is a ridiculous "hot take" comparison imho.

i assumed that as well.. but had to double check. i don't think he's anywhere near that comp.

[jetsfan5757]

I'd rather trade Murray or Powell at a loss over cutting Conner. His upside is DeAngelo Williams if anything happens to Bell.

I'm with you, and if I could trade either one of those two I would, problem is no one wants them, so they're likely cuts. People do want Conner however, can likely get a mid 2nd for him.

I'm in the minority I guess, but I'd keep Powell and maybe DeMarco over Conner. Powell is a starter (and was pretty productive), DeMarco might be a starter, Conner won't be barring a big surprise. Also, he showed little in preseason to make me think Pitt will rely on him in the event Bell leaves or gets suspended.

[jman3134]

I think I am one of the few who actually likes what he saw as the year went on in spot minutes. I thought he ran hard and seemed to progress as the season went on. I didn't like him much in the preseason. I'd hold at least until the Bell situation plays out.

[hjernazian]

I think I am one of the few who actually likes what he saw as the year went on in spot minutes. I thought he ran hard and seemed to progress as the season went on. I didn't like him much in the preseason. I'd hold at least until the Bell situation plays out.

Sadly, I don't have that kind of time. I have to make cuts by the end of January.

[kris_kapsner]

I’d trade Conner then.

[TheEastWest]

I took what I could get and just traded him for a 2019 3rd.. Even though I have Bell still a very good chance I would have cut him this offseason ..

[Plank]

I was hoping for more dynamic running than I saw from him, but think its too early to sell on him, ...

I would at least hang onto him until I see what PIT does with Le'Veon

[TheEastWest]

No way Pitt lets Bell walk! At the very least Bell is tagged again . My guess is Pitt also drafts a RB in the middle rounds .. Hard to bielive Pitt will go into next year with Conner coming off injury as their only possible backup to Bell ..

[hjernazian]

No way Pitt lets Bell walk! At the very least Bell is tagged again . My guess is Pitt also drafts a RB in the middle rounds .. Hard to bielive Pitt will go into next year with Conner coming off injury as their only possible backup to Bell ..

Bell will sit out before he gets tagged again. Talks about retirement are bologna. But he is definitely not taking another tag when the man should get paid at 26, especially for an RB. I see him either walking or getting paid and zilch in between. Pitt may draft or sign another RB regardless, but I don’t see them phasing Conner out without a real opportunity to shine if Bell were to get hurt or leave. I understand I am higher than most on Conner.

[zelldawg26]

When I look into where this back can go next year, I can see Ben handing this guy the ball in either 3rd down situations or eating into Bell's workload. The reasons are all over the board.
For one, James Conner has had a great college career with Pitt averaging just under 6 yards a carry and right at the 1400 yard mark. The guy has quite the story of being a cancer survivor, but we'll put that aside for now.

Since 2013 Mike Tomlin has drafted 3 running backs all within the first 3 rounds, one was Bell in 13, one was Dri Archer in the 3rd round of 2014, and last was Conner in the 3rd round of last year. Looking back at the Mendenhall days, he was a one back system coach. The bell cow gets the rock and that's where they go with it. From there it's Bell, and if Bell gets hurt again, it's not gonna be Stevan Ridley or Fitzgerald Toussaint taking the full load. It's gonna be their 3rd round pick out of Pittsburgh, the hometown hero.

Now looking at Dri Archer, we knew he fit the satellite/special teams player that had amazing 4.2 speed and was going to compliment Bell while the Steelers played him a few times.. but eventually he was let loose and was an afterthought along with being waived by 3 other teams and is now history.

James Conner is the complete opposite running back of Dri Archer. He has the weight and the height that most NFL teams look for in a strong work horse running back. He has a much better looking profile as a back in the ACC as opposed to Archers in the MAC (less tougher conference). He's averaged 5.9 ypc with over 4100 yards and 56 TDs in the 4 years of his college career at Pitt. To get an idea, Bell averaged 5.9 ypc as well with 34 TDs in his 3 year college career at Michigan State.

Now obviously James Conner is not Bell nor does he have the NFL experience just yet. But I feel like Tomlin going the opposite type back of Archer 3 years later, giving the draft capital in the 3rd round again has learned his lesson as far as 3rd round running backs are concerned. He doesn't need another 3rd round bust on his belt, and he also knows what is behind Bell if in case Bell gets injured for what would be his 6th injury. That is not made up.

Tomlin knows Bell wants his money and right now there is tension with no contract talks yet in the fold. Tomlin also knows he's buried Bell into the ground and understands his injury history on top of it. But the unfortunate thing is the NFL is a business and as good as Bell is, the running back position is expendable. That's proven year after year. Question is, with 5 injuries under Le'Veon Bell, is Tomlin the type of coach that will pull a Falcons move such as Atlanta did with Devonta Freeman?

If I'm a Bell owner in a deep dynasty league, it's a no brainer, you get Conner. If the Steelers draft high for a running back in a couple weeks, means Bell and Conners value goes down, not completely, but enough to hurt both of them. Call me crazy but I see them holding off till late.

If we look at Tomlin's history with the Steelers, they have needed to improve their defense for years in order to be that dominant force they were 10 years ago. They have drafted more defense over his career than offense, while Mike Tomlin has always been a defensive minded coach. In other words, I don't see the early back this year. I could be wrong, but that 3rd round pick of last year would be an absolute waste for Tomlin and the Steelers while Bell is also only 26 years old on top of that.
As far as Conner goes..with a run blocking unit like Pittsburgh's, the Pittsburgh hometown hero, the cancer survived story, the pedigree, the draft capital, the college production, Bell's contract issues right now, the lack of talent behind Bell and Conner, and the amount of holes elsewhere to fill in Pittsburgh, I'm acquiring him at low cost now.

All in all, there is just too many signs and way too much potential in his favor for next year.

What do you think of James Conner? Does he have the potential to be in a split backfield with Bell or do we see the 3rd round pick being irrelevant? And what happens with a Bell injury?

[skip]

I expect things to get worked out with Bell and him to be the #1 fantasy RB in 2018 with anyone else in that backfield doing very little.

[M-Dub]

Conner is slow and has abysmal burst and agility. If the Steelers don’t draft a RB (and that’s a big “if”), he might be worth a mid/late 3rd to a Bell owner worried about a possible holdout. Then again, if the Steelers don’t draft a RB, that’s probably a pretty good sign that they’re going to come to terms with Bell on a new contract. He has a great story, but as a football player, he’s a replacement-level roster clogger, both IRL and in fantasy.

[jordanzs]

I'm a Bell owner in a league where we have a veteran cutdown in August, where we need to cut down to 15 non-rookies. James Conner is on my team, and unfortunately, he's on the roster bubble.

[Bot101]

Theres been quite a bit of smoke about the Steelers like Guice a lot. Either thats to send a message to Bell. Or they are looking for his replacement. Conner is not the answer.

[zelldawg26]

Not saying to go break your bank for the guy. Most people will be down on James Conner and I don't expect many in shallow leagues to even comment or waste their time on a player that is behind the leagues best bell cow. But there are some interesting aspects to his game, (pedigree, vision, patience behind blocks) and we haven't seen nearly enough of him to jump the gun and make the final say that Tomlin made a bad pick or that he lacks burst and agility. Bell's vertical and 40 stunk, however when a player shines behind a line like that, nobody goes back to remember that they ended up in a share or a top spot because of injury, or because that player actually has a skill set that transfers over well from the college level. People tend to follow too closely on coach talk and opportunity rather than draft cap and college production.
I'm snagging Conner at least until the draft and for Tomlin to go high on a running back 2 years in a row would be a first for him in the draft and it doesn't speak highly of his previous 3rd round pick if he does. Most NFL coaches give their sophomore backs a chance at carries before ever considering their high picks a bust. Just throwin out my 2 cents here.