hawaiiansteeler
07-18-2015, 07:31 PM
PRE-CAMP ANALYSIS: Offensive line
Bob Labriola
Steelers.com
http://www.steelers.com/assets/images/imported/PIT/photos/2014-Photos/2014_Article/08-August/Adams_81114_Article_1.jpg
There is no such thing for an NFL team as too much depth on the offensive line.
With regards to its method of building an offensive line, the Steelers have come full circle.
In the early 2000s, the Steelers offensive line was composed of two No. 1 picks in Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons, a No. 2 pick in Marvel Smith, and an unrestricted free agent signing who originally entered the league as a No. 1 pick in Jeff Hartings. When third-round pick Max Starks joined the unit on the team that won Super Bowl XL, the Steelers had themselves a group that was high-pedigree and highly paid.
In the second half of that decade, the Steelers seemed to have chosen to shop in the bargain bins for offensive linemen. Starks still was around, but he was joined by a No. 4 pick from Hofstra in Willie Colon, a sixth-round pick from Utah in Chris Kemoeatu, an undrafted rookie in Darnell Stapleton, and a veteran free agent picked up after being cut in Justin Hartwig, a player who himself had entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick. That was the group that started in Super Bowl XLIII.
The trend began to swing back the other way when the Steelers used a first-round pick in 2010 on Maurkice Pouncey, and when he showed himself to be better than everyone else before his rookie training camp even was two weeks old, maybe that was what re-convinced the team of the importance in investing in its offensive line. Today, the top seven players on the roster include two first-round picks (Pouncey and David DeCastro), and two second-round picks (Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams). Add in Kelvin Beachum, a seventh-round pick in the same draft that brought DeCastro and Adams (pictured above), and it’s easy to see how the Steelers have changed course.
to read rest of article:
http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/PRE-CAMP-ANALYSIS-Offensive-line/c877e4bd-31a4-498c-8adb-75aad0c9fcb7
Bob Labriola
Steelers.com
http://www.steelers.com/assets/images/imported/PIT/photos/2014-Photos/2014_Article/08-August/Adams_81114_Article_1.jpg
There is no such thing for an NFL team as too much depth on the offensive line.
With regards to its method of building an offensive line, the Steelers have come full circle.
In the early 2000s, the Steelers offensive line was composed of two No. 1 picks in Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons, a No. 2 pick in Marvel Smith, and an unrestricted free agent signing who originally entered the league as a No. 1 pick in Jeff Hartings. When third-round pick Max Starks joined the unit on the team that won Super Bowl XL, the Steelers had themselves a group that was high-pedigree and highly paid.
In the second half of that decade, the Steelers seemed to have chosen to shop in the bargain bins for offensive linemen. Starks still was around, but he was joined by a No. 4 pick from Hofstra in Willie Colon, a sixth-round pick from Utah in Chris Kemoeatu, an undrafted rookie in Darnell Stapleton, and a veteran free agent picked up after being cut in Justin Hartwig, a player who himself had entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick. That was the group that started in Super Bowl XLIII.
The trend began to swing back the other way when the Steelers used a first-round pick in 2010 on Maurkice Pouncey, and when he showed himself to be better than everyone else before his rookie training camp even was two weeks old, maybe that was what re-convinced the team of the importance in investing in its offensive line. Today, the top seven players on the roster include two first-round picks (Pouncey and David DeCastro), and two second-round picks (Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams). Add in Kelvin Beachum, a seventh-round pick in the same draft that brought DeCastro and Adams (pictured above), and it’s easy to see how the Steelers have changed course.
to read rest of article:
http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/PRE-CAMP-ANALYSIS-Offensive-line/c877e4bd-31a4-498c-8adb-75aad0c9fcb7