Part 3: *Offensive Tackles and Interior Offensive Linemen. **By Thomas Cooper (TMC)
The Steelers have spent considerable resources on the offensive line in previous drafts including two 1st*round picks on interior offensive linemen and two 2nd*round picks on offensive tackles. *The 2015 NFL draft does not boast elite talent on the interior offensive line and may not have an interior offensive linemen drafted in the first round if Brandon Schreff and La’el Collins stay at tackle and Cameron Erving slips out of the tail end of the first, both likely scenarios. *The Steelers have a 4-time All-Pro center in Maurkice Pouncey. *At right guard, they have David DeCastro who has the potential to become an All-Pro player. *Ramon Foster is a steady presence at left guard, but Foster is entering the final season of his contract. *Cody Wallace is the primary depth on the interior with Chris Hubbard being the final interior linemen, but he cannot be viewed as more than a developmental player at this point. *The Steelers could look to add a potential starting left guard if they feel they can upgrade the position and quality depth is always desired. *It is unlikely the Steelers spend a high draft pick on an interior player, but there are some guys that could draw interest as early as the third round. *The most likely route is a mid-to-late round selection if a talented player slides to them. *While the names Laken Tomlinson, A.J. Cann, and Ali Marpet are the talk of most draftniks, it is likely that all three will be taken in the 2nd*or 3rd*round, meaning the price may be too great for the Steelers’ budget. *There are several interesting prospects that could fill the void if they are available.
Arie Kouandjio of Alabama is a player that if often overlooked. *He is widely considered a 3rd*round talent, but he has been passed on draft boards by players like Tomlinson, Tre Jackson, Marpet, and Cann. *When*you factor in potential centers and a wealth of tackles in this draft, he could be a forgotten player that slips down draft boards. *Kouandjio is 6046, 310 pounds with long arms and massive hands. *He did not workout at the combine and ran an average 5.48 forty at the combine. *He did not show great quickness in his workout and does not have any strength numbers since he is dealing with a hand injury. *On film, Kouandjio has a lot of positive things to offer. *He will play a little high at times and lead with his head, leading to some bad moments on film where the defensive player slides off his block or gets leverage. *When he bends his knees, plays with his head up, and extends his arms, he is much better. *At the Senior Bowl, Kouandjio was often matched against Danny Shelton and more than held his own against the highly rated defensive tackle. *He can have some issues with smaller, speed players but recovers well and shows enough power and bend to reset his feet and hold his ground. *He has good power at the point of attack and has the ability to move defensive players to create lanes. *While his athletic numbers are not elite, he does show a quick bounce to the hole when pulling and the ability to turn up the field and catch linebackers and safeties as they move in to fill. *He also has the ability to double the nose tackle and scrape onto linebackers on the second level, being the key down the field blocker on some of Alabama’s longer runs. *He has the look of a player that could develop into a quality left guard at the next level. *
Mitch Morse of Missouri is an interesting prospect, especially with Munchak as the Steelers offensive line coach. *Morse is 6053, 305 pounds. *He ran a solid 5.08 forty at the combine with a strong 4.50 shuttle time. *He threw up 36 reps on the bench. *All of those numbers are elite for the guard position. *Where Morse has issues is his arm length, which is on the short side for an offensive tackle and that is the position Morse played at Missouri. *This could mean that Morse’s NFL future is inside instead of as a left tackle, although his overall build compares pretty favorably to another Munchak disciple, Michael Roos. *This presents an interesting comparison considering, on film, he simply looks like a left tackle. *Morse has good feet and mirrors well in pass protection. *He picks up games and blitzes well. While he has excellent strength numbers, he is not a pile mover in the run game. *He has the feel of a finesse blocker that is at his best when walling off the defensive player. He does show good movement skills and could develop into an excellent pulling player in time. He has the physical attributes to potentially be coached up as a guard, but it is highly likely he would be given a chance as a left tackle before being moved inside and due to his intelligence, technical skills, and overall athleticism; his ultimate home may be at center. With all the various skills he has, he simply appears to be the type of player Munchak would covet. *While he opened some eyes with his combine numbers, he still has not risen up draft boards and appears to be a third day selection, which also fits into the area where the Steelers may add offensive line help.
Sean Hickey of Syracuse is another player with Steeler ties. Hickey has been working with Tunch Ilkin in preparation for the NFL draft. *Hickey is 6053, 309 pounds and while he did not do any running at the combine due to a hamstring injury, he did put up an impressive 35 reps on the bench. *Hickey was a left tackle in college, but he does not have elite arm length and could move inside at the next level. *He has massive hands and plays with excellent power. *He is a nasty run blocker that rarely gives ground and will often drive his man off the line. *He shows the ability to collapse the edge. *If he dropped his pad level as a run blocker, he could potentially become dominant in this area, but his overall power is pretty obvious. *As a pass blocker, he can struggle some in space and will lose some defensive players as the play wears on. *He can struggle with speed and players that throw a second pass rush move. *Hickey just appears to be a natural fit inside and could thrive once he makes the move. *He shows good enough feet to slide to the second level as a blocker and does a nice job of catching linebackers and creating lanes down the field for his runningback. *The biggest question will be if Hickey has the athleticism and footwork to operate as a pulling guard and if he does, he could settle in as a left guard and become a 10-year NFL starter at the position.
The Steelers have spent considerable resources on the offensive line in previous drafts including two 1st*round picks on interior offensive linemen and two 2nd*round picks on offensive tackles. *The 2015 NFL draft does not boast elite talent on the interior offensive line and may not have an interior offensive linemen drafted in the first round if Brandon Schreff and La’el Collins stay at tackle and Cameron Erving slips out of the tail end of the first, both likely scenarios. *The Steelers have a 4-time All-Pro center in Maurkice Pouncey. *At right guard, they have David DeCastro who has the potential to become an All-Pro player. *Ramon Foster is a steady presence at left guard, but Foster is entering the final season of his contract. *Cody Wallace is the primary depth on the interior with Chris Hubbard being the final interior linemen, but he cannot be viewed as more than a developmental player at this point. *The Steelers could look to add a potential starting left guard if they feel they can upgrade the position and quality depth is always desired. *It is unlikely the Steelers spend a high draft pick on an interior player, but there are some guys that could draw interest as early as the third round. *The most likely route is a mid-to-late round selection if a talented player slides to them. *While the names Laken Tomlinson, A.J. Cann, and Ali Marpet are the talk of most draftniks, it is likely that all three will be taken in the 2nd*or 3rd*round, meaning the price may be too great for the Steelers’ budget. *There are several interesting prospects that could fill the void if they are available.
Arie Kouandjio of Alabama is a player that if often overlooked. *He is widely considered a 3rd*round talent, but he has been passed on draft boards by players like Tomlinson, Tre Jackson, Marpet, and Cann. *When*you factor in potential centers and a wealth of tackles in this draft, he could be a forgotten player that slips down draft boards. *Kouandjio is 6046, 310 pounds with long arms and massive hands. *He did not workout at the combine and ran an average 5.48 forty at the combine. *He did not show great quickness in his workout and does not have any strength numbers since he is dealing with a hand injury. *On film, Kouandjio has a lot of positive things to offer. *He will play a little high at times and lead with his head, leading to some bad moments on film where the defensive player slides off his block or gets leverage. *When he bends his knees, plays with his head up, and extends his arms, he is much better. *At the Senior Bowl, Kouandjio was often matched against Danny Shelton and more than held his own against the highly rated defensive tackle. *He can have some issues with smaller, speed players but recovers well and shows enough power and bend to reset his feet and hold his ground. *He has good power at the point of attack and has the ability to move defensive players to create lanes. *While his athletic numbers are not elite, he does show a quick bounce to the hole when pulling and the ability to turn up the field and catch linebackers and safeties as they move in to fill. *He also has the ability to double the nose tackle and scrape onto linebackers on the second level, being the key down the field blocker on some of Alabama’s longer runs. *He has the look of a player that could develop into a quality left guard at the next level. *
Mitch Morse of Missouri is an interesting prospect, especially with Munchak as the Steelers offensive line coach. *Morse is 6053, 305 pounds. *He ran a solid 5.08 forty at the combine with a strong 4.50 shuttle time. *He threw up 36 reps on the bench. *All of those numbers are elite for the guard position. *Where Morse has issues is his arm length, which is on the short side for an offensive tackle and that is the position Morse played at Missouri. *This could mean that Morse’s NFL future is inside instead of as a left tackle, although his overall build compares pretty favorably to another Munchak disciple, Michael Roos. *This presents an interesting comparison considering, on film, he simply looks like a left tackle. *Morse has good feet and mirrors well in pass protection. *He picks up games and blitzes well. While he has excellent strength numbers, he is not a pile mover in the run game. *He has the feel of a finesse blocker that is at his best when walling off the defensive player. He does show good movement skills and could develop into an excellent pulling player in time. He has the physical attributes to potentially be coached up as a guard, but it is highly likely he would be given a chance as a left tackle before being moved inside and due to his intelligence, technical skills, and overall athleticism; his ultimate home may be at center. With all the various skills he has, he simply appears to be the type of player Munchak would covet. *While he opened some eyes with his combine numbers, he still has not risen up draft boards and appears to be a third day selection, which also fits into the area where the Steelers may add offensive line help.
Sean Hickey of Syracuse is another player with Steeler ties. Hickey has been working with Tunch Ilkin in preparation for the NFL draft. *Hickey is 6053, 309 pounds and while he did not do any running at the combine due to a hamstring injury, he did put up an impressive 35 reps on the bench. *Hickey was a left tackle in college, but he does not have elite arm length and could move inside at the next level. *He has massive hands and plays with excellent power. *He is a nasty run blocker that rarely gives ground and will often drive his man off the line. *He shows the ability to collapse the edge. *If he dropped his pad level as a run blocker, he could potentially become dominant in this area, but his overall power is pretty obvious. *As a pass blocker, he can struggle some in space and will lose some defensive players as the play wears on. *He can struggle with speed and players that throw a second pass rush move. *Hickey just appears to be a natural fit inside and could thrive once he makes the move. *He shows good enough feet to slide to the second level as a blocker and does a nice job of catching linebackers and creating lanes down the field for his runningback. *The biggest question will be if Hickey has the athleticism and footwork to operate as a pulling guard and if he does, he could settle in as a left guard and become a 10-year NFL starter at the position.
