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Lack of offensive linemen in draft concerns Steelers
Jerry DiPaola is the Tribune-Review high school sports editor. He can be reached via e-mail.
But right now, Steelers offensive tackle Marvel Smith doesn't know in which direction he will jog when he breaks the huddle at minicamp next month.
Since the departure of offensive left tackle Wayne Gandy to the New Orleans Saints, there has been considerable talk about moving Smith to the left side to fill the void.
Smith has been a starter at right tackle for the past three seasons, but Steelers coach Bill Cowher on Monday called it a "very natural move" for Smith, who was a left tackle at Arizona State.
"I know we have talked with him about that being a possibility," Cowher said, "and I know he is excited about it."
As a matter of fact, right tackle Todd Fordham was signed from the Jacksonville Jaguars to facilitate the move.
"Marvel would love to do it," Smith's agent Kenny Zuckerman said. "To him, that's just another challenge."
It also could mean more money to Smith, who is due for unrestricted free agency in 2004 if the team doesn't sign him to an extension this year. Left tackle is considered a premium position that demands bigger salaries for its players.
But the draft is still five days away, and Cowher isn't ready to anoint Smith the successor to Gandy. Not today, anyway.
"I think the best thing you can do right now is let's see where we are after the draft," Cowher said. "If something were to present itself, then I don't think you want to lock yourself into making those decisions right now when you don't have to."
The Steelers also could look at young veterans Oliver Ross and Mathias Nkwenti as candidates to replace Gandy. That would mean leaving Smith at tackle and disrupting only one position.
There is also an outside chance that a rookie left tackle with ability to move into the starting lineup this year could be selected in the draft Saturday or Sunday. But that's a considerable reach. Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said it's a weak year for offensive linemen.
"I think if you look for a weakness in this draft, and it is a little bit alarming to us, but the offensive line is not as deep as it has been. It may be a trend. I don't know. But it is concerning."
That was one of the reasons why the Steelers signed Fordham.
"If the numbers are down," Colbert said, "you better strike while the players are available."
There are a handful of tackles who will be considered in the first round, led by Utah's Jordan Gross, Stanford's Kwame Harris and Hawaii's Wayne Hunter. Iowa's Eric Steinbach probably will be a first-round pick, but he is more tightly linked to the guard position.
Hunter, who played only one season on offense and is leaving school early, may be available to the Steelers at the 27th overall pick.
"But it's the draft," Hunter said. "You never know."
Hunter, 6-5 5/8, 303 pounds, is one of the strongest and quickest tackles in the draft, having performed 37 bench-presses of 225 pounds and a 5.12-second 40-yard dash at the Indianapolis scouting combine.
He's also not afraid of the competition he will face in the NFL.
"It comes with time," he said of making the transition from the Western Athletic Conference. "But given my athletic ability, I think I will make the transition pretty easily. I'm excited. I love change. I can't wait to go up against bigger defensive linemen."
Hunter requested the shift from the defensive to the offensive line because he believed that Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense would better prepare him for the NFL.
"I went to the offensive line coach (Mike Cavanaugh) to see if I could try it out," he said, "and I said I could always go back (to defense). But I ended up loving it."
After a season in which he recorded 31 pancake blocks and allowed only four sacks, Hunter thought he was ready for the pros. Cavanaugh and Hawaii coach June Jones didn't totally endorse Hunter's decision to skip his senior season, but he leaves with their blessings.
"They would have been happier if I stayed," he said. "They just felt I could have helped the team more and could have helped myself. But when I made the decision, they backed me 100 percent."
Hunter said he hopes to return to school to complete his degree in speech, but he adds, "I might make enough to not have to work the rest of my life. But it's kind of a personal thing to get the degree and hang it on the wall."
With the presence of Smith, Ross, Nkwenti and Fordham, the Steelers have no urgency to draft a tackle. But Hunter may have more potential than any player still on the board when it's the Steelers' turn to pick. Assuming, he gets past the Cleveland Browns at No. 21.
The Steelers have had good success drafting offensive linemen in the first round. Left guard Alan Faneca (No. 26) turned into an All-Pro, right guard Kendall Simmons (No. 30) was a starter in his rookie season and right tackle Leon Searcy (No. 11) was a solid player on a Super Bowl team. The exception is tackle Jamain Stephens, a bust at No. 29.
In the past 10 years, offensive linemen have been the surest bets in the top part of the first round. Of the 15 taken with a top 10 pick since 1993, 10 earned Pro Bowl berths and all 15 turned into solid players.
| NFL Draft: Offensive lineman |
Steelers' centers
Player (Exp.) - Ht. - Wt. - Notes
Jeff Hartings (8th year) - 6-3 - 295 - An anchor in the middle and maybe the best acquisition in the Kevin Colbert era.
Chukky Okobi (3) - 6-1 - 310 - Russ Grimm still has a lot of polishing to do on this prospect.
Top draft prospects
* 1. Jeff Faine, Notre Dame
Tale of the tape: 6-2 7/8, 303
40 time: 5.08
Did you know?: Told he may be picked in the second round, Faine decided to come out early, but he would have stayed in school if the projection was any lower.
2. Al Johnson, Wisconsin
Tale of the tape: 6-3 1/2, 305
40 time: 4.98
Did you know?: He started 36 of his last 37 games in college.
3. Bruce Nelson, Iowa
Tale of the tape: 6-5 1/4, 301
40 time: 5.40
Did you know?: He walked on at Iowa, but became a starter by his second year on campus.
4. Brett Romberg, Miami (Fla.)
Tale of the tape: 6-2 1/8, 295
40 time: 5.22
Did you know?: Until the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, he never allowed a sack as a college player.
5. Austin King, Northwestern
Tale of the tape: 6-3 7/8, 299
40 time: 5.47
Did you know?: He has been a starter since his freshman season.
Best of the rest
Wayne Lucier, Colorado; Dan Koppen, Boston College; Chad Setterstrom, Northern Iowa; Ben Claxton, Mississippi; Todd Wike, Maryland.
*--Underclassman
Steelers guards
Player (Exp.) - Ht. - Wt. - Notes
Dave Costa (1st year) - 6-5 - 307 - There is a need for depth at this position, so Costa has an opportunity.
Alan Faneca (6) - 6-5 - 305 - One of the best in the business at left guard.
Kendall Simmons (2) - 6-3 - 313 - Last year's No. 1 draft pick looks to be a keeper.
Keydrick Vincent (3) - 6-5 - 330 - He has made the most of his limited opportunities.
Top draft prospects
1. Eric Steinbach, Iowa
Tale of the tape: 6-6 1/4, 297
40 time: 4.94
Did you know?: He came to Iowa as a tight end, and when he gets to the NFL, he'll be either a guard or tackle.
2. Vince Manuwai, Hawaii
Tale of the tape: 6-2, 304
40 time: 5.19
Did you know?: He earned letters in high school in Hawaii in football, track, basketball and paddling.
3. Derrick Dockery, Texas
Tale of the tape: 6-6, 347
40 time: 5.50
Did you know?: He started 18 games at right guard and six games at right tackle the past two seasons, with a total of 31 in three seasons.
4. Montrae Holland, Florida State
Tale of the tape: 6-1 1/2, 333
40 time: 5.3
Did you know?: He has endured four surgeries -- one to his ankle and four arthroscopic knee procedures.
5. Torrin Tucker, Southern Mississippi
Tale of the tape: 6-5 3/4, 328
40 time: 5.34
Did you know?: He was a starter as a freshman and an All-Conference USA selection as a senior.
Best of the rest
Anthony Davis, Virginia Tech; Taylor Whitley, Texas A&M; David Diehl, Illinois; Gus Felder, Penn State; Jeff Roehl, Northwestern.
Steelers tackles
Player (Exp.) - Ht. - Wt. - Notes
Josh Burr (1st year) - 6-9 - 320 - A year on the practice squad might help him get a real job this time.
Mathias Nkwenti (3) - 6-3 - 300 - After two seasons of inactivity, his scholarship may run out, if he doesn't step up.
Oliver Ross (5) - 6-5 - 309 - He'll compete for the right tackle job, as soon as Marvel Smith moves to left tackle
Marvel Smith (4) - 6-5 - 308 - He was drafted as a left tackle, but moved to the right side. Now, he's moving back to where he is more comfortable.
Todd Fordham (7) - 6-5 - 308 - He struggled at left tackle in Jacksonville and was only marginally better on the right side, which is where he'll be in Pittsburgh.
Top draft prospects
1. Jordan Gross, Utah
Tale of the tape: 6-4 1/2, 300
40 time: 5.03
Did you know?: He's not the biggest tackle, but he's a tae kwon do black belt who can squat 550 pounds and bench-press 395.
* 2. Kwame Harris, Stanford
Tale of the tape: 6-7, 310
40 time: 5.20
Did you know?: He will be a first-round pick this year, but if he had stayed in school, he would have been a top-five selection in 2004.
3. George Foster, Georgia
Tale of the tape: 6-5 3/8, 338
40 time: 5.23
Did you know?: He was a backup during most of his first three years in college, started nine games in 2001, and then, a wrist injury suffered in a car accident forced him back to the bench as a senior.
4. Jon Stinchcomb, Georgia
Tale of the tape: 6-5, 302
40 time: 5.06
Did you know?: He was a first-team Academic All-American with a 3.75 grade-point average in microbiology.
5. Brett Williams, Florida State
Tale of the tape: 6-5, 321
40 time: 5.25
Did you know?: He was All-ACC as a junior and All-ACC and All-American as a senior.
Best of the rest
Todd Williams, Florida State; *Wayne Hunter, Hawaii; Tony Pashos, Illinois; Ben Johnson, Wisconsin; Steve Sciullo, Marshall.
*--Underclassman
The Steelers' scenarios
The Steelers believe they have lessened the urgency to use a premium pick on an offensive tackle by signing Todd Fordham this year and Oliver Ross last year in free agency. That could be true, but there are probably several tackles in the draft who are better than Fordham and Ross right now. Among them are Utah's Jordan Gross and Stanford's Kwame Harris (top 15 picks) and Florida State's Brett Williams and Georgia's Jon Stinchcomb (second-round picks). Most likely, the Steelers will try to fill other needs early in the draft and try to steal a tackle late. Don't be surprised to see the team draft a developmental center -- Northwestern's Austin King comes to mind on the second day.
