Welcome to our Steelers Draft Profiles. What we’ve done is create lists of top prospects with our take on their abilities based on what we’ve seen of them. Once published, we will continue to update these very articles on a regular basis as new information comes in about the players. In today’s article, we feature the offensive tackles.
Peter Skoronski, JR. – Northwestern – 6’4″ 295lbs
Lots to like about this kid… Plays hard and through the whistle… Good, athletic feet allow him to get into position quickly… Pretty solid with his hand usage… I’m concerned about his lack of arm length. Normally this signifies a move to guard at the NFL level… Smart kid who received academic offers from Duke and Stanford as well as Northwestern. His football I.Q. is demonstrative of his overall smarts… Gets to the second level nicely and often with authority…
Paris Campbell, JR. – Ohio State – 6’6″ 310lbs
Like Skoronski, a smart kid on the field and in the classroom… Athletic with room to get stronger… Played guard before kicking out to left tackle where he played for just one season… Hand usage is good but there’s plenty of room for improvement and consistency… Bull rush seemed to give him some issues against Georgia…
Dawand Jones, JR. – Ohio State – 6’8″ 360lbs
A ‘Hulk-like’ figure, Jones is likely to be one of the most discussed prospects in this draft… He started at right tackle for two seasons for the Buckeyes and was also offered several Division-1 offers in basketball as well… Probably more dominant in the running game than in pass protection but he isn’t bad at protecting his QB either… 89″ wing span already has teams salivating at thought of him anchoring their O-Lines for years to come… Love his feet and constant movement when run blocking… Some concern about his feet and overall quickness in pass protection.
Notes: Jones announced on 3/8 that he will be visiting the Steelers for one of their 30 visits.
Jaelyn Duncan, SR. – Maryland -6’6″ 325lbs
First thing that stands out here is experience. Duncan started over 40 games during his Terrapins’ career… While he’s very athletic in both facets of blocking, there are also significant areas of improvement that need to occur… Functional strength can be better… Overall consistency is lacking… Really interesting guy to watch on the move; pulls with speed and commitment… Has to learn how to sustain blocks longer…
Tyler Steen, SR. – Alabama – 6’5″ 312lbs
Started is career at Vanderbilt where he saw action in over 30 games… He will need to add strength… I’d call him a high-level pass protector but his run blocker needs work… Need to see more assertiveness in that department… When you compare him to other highly-regarded tackles you notice the technique seems off… He’s not as polished as some others… His athleticism is really good and it covers up some of the issues he has with technique…
Broderick Jones – SO. – Georgia – 6’4″ 315lbs
Two-time starter for the back-to-back National Champion Bulldogs… Probably the most athletic of all of the tackles in this draft… Was a basketball player before turning his focus to football… Runs ridiculously well for an offensive tackle… Terrific feet and superb lateral movement… Strong hands and really good punch… Lack of experience will be a problem for some but not for me; when you starts 18 games in the SEC that’s good enough in my book… More than capable of getting out his stance and pulling or lead blocking… His technique sometimes varies and I attribute that to his youth… He can sometimes be over-aggressive…
Anton Harrison – SO. – Oklahoma – 6’5″ 305lbs
Already has prototypical size and length but could use more functional strength… Has some technique things to work on from my vantage point; mostly hand related… I’d like to see more out of him in the run blocking department… Doesn’t move guys out of the way like some of his fellow tackles… Has pretty solid balance and mirrors pass rushers better than I expected… Really athletic through his hips which is good but he can open up too quickly at times…
Matthew Bergeron – SR. – Syracuse – 6’5″ 320lbs
Plenty of experience with four years for the Orange… Solid player who can make things look smooth and effortless at times… Has some length but I’m not sure he’s figured out how to use it yet… High I.Q. player who can run block and pass block efficiently and effectively… Will need to add functional strength… Has the look of a guy that could see more time at guard than tackle…
Wanya Morris – SR. – Oklahoma – 6’5″ 320lbs
Versatile player who can play both right and left tackle… Started at Tennessee for two years before transferring to OU… For a 5-star recruit I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t lived up to the hype… Reminds me of a guy who has literally all of the tools but just hasn’t figured them out yet… Has the anchor you tend to see more in guards than in tackles which could mean he moves there over time…
Warren McClendon – SR. – Georgia – 6’5″ 300lbs
A three-year starter at Georgia, he brings tons of big game experience… I like how quickly he can climb to the second and third levels… Pretty strong kid in his upper body… Fiery, competitive kid who plays to the whistle; this can sometimes work against him though when his technique suffers… Has a slight tendency to get a bit lazy on plays that last longer than normal… Athletic pass rushers could create problems for him in those situations.
Ryan Hayes – SR. – Michigan – 6’7″ 310lbs
Size is obviously impressive… Gets after people in the run game… Good drive blocker who helped anchor one of the top O-Lines in the country… He’s a solid overall athlete but I can see speed giving him fits… His arm length isn’t what you’d expect from a guy 6’7″ and he’s almost slow when kicking into pass protection… Overall, a very solid player and excellent ‘team’ guy… Arm length issue could move him to guard but I worry about his ability to anchor there.
Carter Warren- SR. – PITT – 6’5″ 325lbs
Missed all but four games with injury in his final season… Prior to that he had played in nearly 40 games for the Panthers… Already 25 years old… A very solid pass blocker who can use a combination of power and agility to defeat rushers… Run blocking needs work; doesn’t have that ‘finish him off’ mentality… Strong handed young man… Depending on the style of offense, he could fit in very well if you don’t mind the older age…
Others we are watching… Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion… Asim Richards, North Carolina… Blake Freeland, BYU
