Memphis big man Dontari Poe was one of the most impressive athletes at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, and he has been mentioned as a possibility for the Pittsburgh Steelers numerous times in 2012 NFL mock drafts. The 6-foot-4, 346-pound defensive lineman jumped up many draft boards by displaying superior athleticism in Indianapolis, clocking a 4.98 in the 40-yard dash and lifting 225 pounds a whopping 44 times.
There are some, though, who feel Poe's impressive combine stats do not necessarily translate to his play on the field. Via Mark Eckel of NJ.com:
"He'll be overdrafted," one personnel man said. "He did all of that at the Combine, so some team will take him way higher than he should go. I mean watch him play, just watch. He didn't do anything. And he wasn't playing at a very high level, either.
"All I know is he had one sack last year and it came against Austin Peay. You probably didn't even know Austin Peay had a football team."
The Pittsburgh front office does a tremendous job with the draft, so there is no doubt they are pouring through tape after tape on all potential draftees, Poe included, and if the Steelers do not see on-field performance matching 40 times and bench press reps, they will assuredly back away and make the right choice for the team.
For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain. For more on the NFL Draft, there's Mocking The Draft. Here's SB Nation's latest mock draft.