James Conner

[Johnny Canuck]

I appreciate the breakdown but I just don't think Conner is all that special of a player. With Conner healing up from his knee injury at the end of the season, the depth of this draft at RB, and Bell's mini hold out, I fully expect Pitt to take an RB in this draft.

In some crazy scenario where Conner is the starting RB in Pitt, I don't think he'll ever be anything close to what Bell is in Pitt. Maybe give him 65% of Bells production on the ground with maybe 20% of his production in the air (his hands looked BAD).

That would work out to 839 yrds rushing, 6 TDS, and 131 yards in the air. For ref those are numbers similar to Lynch (RB18) and Powell (RB25) last yr...and that's IF he somehow was the starter...highly unlikely.

Pitts o-line is not simply so good that anyone could run behind it and be a top 10 RB, Bell is just a special talent. Conner is not a special talent and is very replaceable. Even if Bell leaves after next season (in 2019) like many speculate, Conner still won't be worth much because the Steelers would likely just sign Coleman or Howard.

Conner is a cut candidate and I would only hold him if I was a conservative Bell owner. If you don't own Bell, try to sell Conner now, because once Pitt drafts another RB the guy is pretty much worthless.

[zelldawg26]

I appreciate the breakdown but I just don't think Conner is all that special of a player.

Pitts o-line is not simply so good that anyone could run behind it and be a top 10 RB, Bell is just a special talent. Conner is not a special talent and is very replaceable.

We have no idea what Conner is at the NFL level. All we know is that last year Tomlin was comfortable with Connor as the immediate backup behind Bell.

You are calling out Tomlin on what would be a 3rd round bust when you haven't seen Conner with anything near a full workload. Pittsburgh has the 8th best O-line in the NFL. Most NFL starting backs given 20+ carries (such as Bell) behind a line like that aren't gonna necessarily flop.. I say hold or buy Conner low before the draft, especially in deep leagues.

[BigBawseRoss]

im of the opinion Ridley would be the handcuff and not conner, conner basically stunk last year and then got hurt. I think it was a dumb pick for a feel good story. i dont get it, didnt get the Archer pick then either

[Johnny Canuck]

I appreciate the breakdown but I just don't think Conner is all that special of a player.

Pitts o-line is not simply so good that anyone could run behind it and be a top 10 RB, Bell is just a special talent. Conner is not a special talent and is very replaceable.

We have no idea what Conner is at the NFL level. All we know is that last year Tomlin was comfortable with Connor as the immediate backup behind Bell.

You are calling out Tomlin on what would be a 3rd round bust when you haven't seen Conner with anything near a full workload. Pittsburgh has the 8th best O-line in the NFL. Most NFL starting backs given 20+ carries (such as Bell) behind a line like that aren't gonna necessarily flop.. I say hold or buy Conner low before the draft, especially in deep leagues.

I didn't say he wouldn't produce if given the starting role, just that he would to a much lower degree than Bell. Pretty sure the numbers I put out in the previous post were around 950 total yards and 6 TDs (RB 18-25 type level).

Yes we haven't seen regular season game action for Conner...but the guy didn't look good in preseason...preseason. He had a full load in preseason, playing against practice teamers, and didn't look good.

Tomlin also was comfortable with Fitz Toussaint as a backup, that's not exactly the ringing endorsement your making it out to be. Being a 3rd round pick is great, but that doesn't equate to production. He was a reach then, and RB draft picks bust all the time.

Why would you buy before the draft lol, his value can only drop at the draft. Pitt not taking an RB will do nothing to his trade value - no one cares about Conner...because he's not a realistic fantasy football option at this point. Like I said, he's a cuff for a conservative Bell owner but that's about it.

[zelldawg26]

I appreciate the breakdown but I just don't think Conner is all that special of a player.

Pitts o-line is not simply so good that anyone could run behind it and be a top 10 RB, Bell is just a special talent. Conner is not a special talent and is very replaceable.

We have no idea what Conner is at the NFL level. All we know is that last year Tomlin was comfortable with Connor as the immediate backup behind Bell.

You are calling out Tomlin on what would be a 3rd round bust when you haven't seen Conner with anything near a full workload. Pittsburgh has the 8th best O-line in the NFL. Most NFL starting backs given 20+ carries (such as Bell) behind a line like that aren't gonna necessarily flop.. I say hold or buy Conner low before the draft, especially in deep leagues.

I didn't say he wouldn't produce if given the starting role, just that he would to a much lower degree than Bell. Pretty sure the numbers I put out in the previous post were around 950 total yards and 6 TDs (RB 18-25 type level).

Yes we haven't seen regular season game action for Conner...but the guy didn't look good in preseason...preseason. He had a full load in preseason, playing against practice teamers, and didn't look good.

Tomlin also was comfortable with Fitz Toussaint as a backup, that's not exactly the ringing endorsement your making it out to be. Being a 3rd round pick is great, but that doesn't equate to production. He was a reach then, and RB draft picks bust all the time.

Why would you buy before the draft lol, his value can only drop at the draft. Pitt not taking an RB will do nothing to his trade value - no one cares about Conner...because he's not a realistic fantasy football option at this point. Like I said, he's a cuff for a conservative Bell owner but that's about it.

The reason you buy low before the draft is because with them having issues with Bell now, if they don't take a back, you might see Conner with a much bigger workload. I know you don't want to hear that being a Bell owner, but they didn't waste a 3rd round pick to watch him ride the bench. There are many backs in this draft and it wouldn't surprise me if they grabbed one in the later rounds, but again they have more holes to fill than the RB position.
I just don't know if Bell can hold up for another season at that touch rate. I would think they would give him some rest here and there considering the amount of injuries he's had already. You are right about Conner being a cuff and a good one at that, but he's more than that going forward I think.

Opinions matter, especially coming from a Bell owner lol and I'll accept the criticism. But 20 totes for 98 and 4 for 26 in preseason where I've seen much worse, is hardly enough to say he was that bad. Not like the guy was averaging even less than 4 ypc.

[kamihamster]

I am a Conner truther but his value right now is very low and could get much lower if the Steelers draft another RB <= rd4. If you can get him for a late 3rd, or any 4th I wouldn't mind the move, otherwise just wait till after the draft. The upside is there for him if injury strikes Bell as is any backup they have behind Bell. I'm just not sure Conner is fully healed himself from the injury he got at the end of the year. If I were a betting man, I'd wager they draft another round 3 RB and Conner will fight for the backup job.

[Kurt G.O.A.T.]

so is conner worth a roster spot now? bell is as good as gone next season. apparently conner looked better in practices so far.

[Schmev22]

Decent refresher on Conner was posted at Dynasty Nerds a few days ago. Here's my thoughts, some of which are echoed in that article. Full disclosure, I own Conner basically everywhere and am a lifelong UPitt fan.

1. This is a highlight reel from his freshman/sophomore years at Pitt. So this is all from before the injury and illness.

https://youtu.be/byxgC3Hmlfk

I see a hard-nosed runner with enough speed who hits holes, has a serious nose of the end zone and is very difficult to bring down. His sophomore year rushing line was 298/1765/26, good enough for ACC player of year. I recall that, at this point, he was getting favorable reviews from the devy types and I even remember some light Heisman chatter. I think it would be fair to say this was a serious prospect.

2. I think most everyone knows what happened next, but just in case, he tore his right MCL in the opener of his junior year. In December, while recovering from that injury he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and spent the next 6 months in chemotherapy while continuing to train and rehabilitate his knee. He had his last treatment in May of 2016 and was told that it could take a year or more to return to full strength.

3. Returning for his senior year, Conner worked in Matt Canada's unusual offense (which featured a lot of jet sweeps and shovel passes). His line was 216/1092/16 and he added a receiving element to his game to the tune of 21/302/4.

4. Attended the combine approx 8 months post-chemo and put up pedestrian results. Was projected as a 5th-7th round selection.

5. Steelers took him 3rd round (105 OA). Preseason line 24/124/0. Regular season line 32/144/0. Sprained MCL requiring surgery in week 15.

So, that's the known stuff. Here's the conjecture:

1. I don't think a reasonable argument can be made that Conner "was never good". There's plenty of evidence that, before the injury/illness, he was being taken quite seriously as an elite NFL RB prospect. Most of the arguments for Conner being just-a-guy come from a good but not great senior season and lackluster combine. But I think too much emphasis is placed on those results and not enough on what he was prior to 2015. His senior year was just a few months removed from chemotherapy. He was quite likely not at full strength and he was also quite likely protected by the Pitt coaching staff. As for the combine, again, very likely still only at partial strength and, regardless, would not be the first guy to have a bad combine but be a good player.

2. The Steelers (seemingly) overdrafted Conner. Seeing him go on day 2 was a surprise to most. It's important to note a couple of things here. First, Pitt and the Steelers share facilities and their staffs are close. If any team was in a position to know Conner was being undervalued, it was the Steelers and they jumped the field to get him. Second, they also did this knowing full well that Lev Bell might not be on the team past 2018 (in fact there was some question if he'd be there last year, or what sort of hold-outs might be looming). So the Steelers, with the best possible info and exposure, decided he was worth (at least) a 3rd round investment and that he was unlikely to last to their 4th round pick and they did this while addressing a position of need.

3. Conner's NFL performance has been perfectly fine. He hasn't been used as a receiving back, but showed in college he could be used that way. His playtime has been minimal, but that's to be expected behind a guy like Bell who is not only great, but also clearly being used up by the Steelers (in the Demarco Murray / Cowboys way).

4. I really don't think Bell will be back in Pittsburgh after this year. Yes, his contract demands are kind of silly, but someone will pay him. At least, someone will pay him more than Pittsburgh will. There are always teams with cap to burn.

SO....the questions remain....what's in Conner's future? If Bell leaves, will he be getting the main job? If he does, what tier of player might he be? I admit that the range of outcomes is pretty wide, but I think, when you take into account all of the above, the upper ceiling is higher than people think and I think it FAR MORE than justifies the current asking price. If Conner still can realize the potential he showed as a sophomore, and he can get a full time job in Pittsburgh (both of which the Steelers seem to think are plausible), that's a hell of a buy at ADP 204.

[Pullo Vision]

Connor reminds me of Perine- try to fix your RB position by using a mid range pick. If he shows well in limited snaps, you devote your attention elsewhere in subsequent offseasons. If not, devote greater resources (picks or FA) to a fix.

Who knows if Perine would have had more opportunities if Guice didn't fall through the draft. Connor can show well enough and the Steelers could still get their Bell replacement next year.

[zelldawg26]

Yes. Even with Jaylen Samuels and especially in deeper leagues. It's a no brainer.

[Shcritters]

5 rushes for 57 yards and a TD against the 1B’s tonight certainly makes him look more than pedestrian. Could be interesting if Bell leaves after this year. You can certainly do worse than him in the 17th round of a startup.

[joeday]

As a Steelers fan and a Pitt grad who loves James Conner I must say that the 2019 starting RB for the Steelers is still not on their roster.

[kamihamster]

I am a Conner owner and on top of liking his talent, I remember the season when DeAngelo Williams had a monster season when he took over for Bell after he got hurt against the Chargers. I think Conner has just as much if not more talent than old DWill had back then, so if given the chance I think he can put up similar numbers.

[ninotoreS]

Conner's apparent development heading into year two sent Jaylen Samuels tumbling down my board a couple of rounds. I think Conner is definitely the Bell cuff to own, for now.

[Jacob]

Anyone think Conner has value beyond this year? I like him as a player but don't know if he can be a true RB1. I can get a 2020 2nd on a rebuild. Worth it, or hold and hope he's the starter next year?