Continuing with our series to pass along word of where the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stack up in Matt Miller’s NFL 1000. The group tackled fullback last week and Roosevelt Nix was ranked the 7th best out of 20 with an overall score of 75/95.
A man who was an afterthought before training camp, and for the first part of it, Nix’s strong special teams ability – including a blocked punt in the final preseason game versus the Carolina Panthers – earned him a role and he slowly worked his way into the offense, eventually becoming the true lead-blocking guy. Special teams wasn’t taken into consideration in this series but Nix predictably earned high marks for his power and blocker. Per Miller.
“He impressed as a pass protector with his awareness and toughness in the backfield. He’s quick to react to pass-rushers and is agile enough to slide and pick up edge blitzers.”
He was knocked a bit for his run blocking, Miller saying linebackers would beat him to his spot, and I pointed out throughout the season that Nix had a habit of dropping his eyes on contact, falling off his blocks.
The Atlanta Falcons’ Patrick DiMarco finished at the top of the list, an underrated season helping to pave the way for Devonta Freeman. Marcel Reese, Kyle Juszczyk, Mike Tolbert, and Jalston Fowler rounded out the top five. Will Johnson was not on this list, though it’s unclear if he was viewed as a tight end in this excercise.
Ex-Steeler John Kuhn was ranked low on the list, coming in 14th place with a score of 70.
