Steelers’ draft ignoring offensive lineman
(This is the next installment of a 10-part series on the NFL Draft. Today蘑菇视频 story highlights the offensive line.)
The Steelers signed three offensive linemen off the street the other day, more than likely to compensate for having signed none off last year蘑菇视频 practice squad.
The empty pipeline蘑菇视频 not really a big deal, though, considering reserves B.J. Finney, Jerald Hawkins and Matt Feiler should be able to make up for the loss of top reserve Chris Hubbard to the Cleveland Browns.
And ahead of those reserves is a starting line that has only one player 鈥� 32-year-old Ramon Foster 鈥� up for a new contract at the end of this coming season.
So, having an empty pipeline is OK.
Or is it? The Steelers have been blowing off the position at a pace that has a scary precedent:
n In the last five years, the Steelers haven鈥檛 used a premium pick (rounds 1-3) on an offensive lineman, and have drafted only two overall.
n The last comparable dry spell is the five-draft stretch from 1959-63 when the Steelers drafted only one lineman in the first seven rounds, and that long-forgotten guard was a seventh-rounder.
In the ensuing six years, 1964-69, the Steelers went 19-62-1.
Yes, kind of scary.
The Steelers have been able to pretty much ignore their offensive line since 2012, and a lot of that has to do with Mike Munchak.
The offensive line coach was hired in 2014 and helped build one of the best lines in the league around three premium picks and Foster, the most senior member. Munchak then turned massive project Alejandro Villanueva into such a competent left tackle he was able to demand a four-year, $24 million contract two years before he was scheduled to become a free agent.
Munchak also worked his magic on Hubbard, and interior backup Finney, and the hope is that he蘑菇视频 doing the same with the two other reserves who saw action last season, Hawkins and Feiler.
The Steelers, in fact, hold Munchak in such high regard that some in the organization believe he, not Ben Roethlisberger, forced the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
On the same day Mike Tomlin announced Haley wouldn鈥檛 be brought back, Munchak turned down a second interview to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
It all puts Munchak on a warm seat with the Steelers, who have to be wondering how long they can push this barren spell of not drafting offensive linemen.
The average age of the Steelers鈥� starting offensive line on opening day will be 29.8. That蘑菇视频 quite older than the much respected 2005 championship line that averaged 27.6 years of age and fell apart soon thereafter.
But this line is still younger than the 1979 championship line that averaged 30.8 years of age. That line, like the team, was at the end of the road, specifically guards Sam Davis and Moon Mullins, who were playing their final seasons.
Perhaps this Steelers OL has one player entering his final season; perhaps not even that. But they had better take a look at the history creeping up on them, because if they thought the 1980s were bad, the 1960s were downright unfathomable.
MY TAKE
Unless they鈥檙e confronted with tremendous value early in the draft (and that蘑菇视频 rarely the case at this position), the Steelers won鈥檛 use a premium pick on an offensive lineman for a sixth consecutive draft. As for the later-round guys, Munchak prefers projects to have good feet since strength can be improved and technique can be coached. An example: While watching Lamar Jackson quarterback Louisville against North Carolina, I was awakened from my slumber by UNC蘑菇视频 6-5录, 320-pound guard, R.J. Prince, who, with a great flash of mobility, ran to the other side of the field to get out in front of a screen. He蘑菇视频 the kind of project who would interest Munchak, so it made sense that Prince met with the Steelers following his April 3 pro day.
VALUE BOARD
Third Round 鈥� Orlando Brown (T-G), Oklahoma.
Fifth Round 鈥� Joseph Noteboom (T-G), TCU; Jordan Mailata (T), (Australian rugby player); Cole Madison (T-G), Washington State; Brett Toth (T), Army: Brian O鈥橬eill (T), Pitt; R.J. Prince (G-T), North Carolina.