Even though one would think the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t spend an early-round draft pick on an offensive lineman this year now that the team has re-signed guard Ramon Foster to a three-year contract, it isn’t stopping them from doing their due diligence when it comes to the tackle as they make their way around the country to observe the college pro days.
On Friday, the Steelers had a heavy presence at the Ohio State pro day to observe several of the nation’s top draft prospects go through their various workouts and one of those players was tackle Taylor Decker, who they met with recently at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.
Not only was Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spotted Friday talking to Decker, Mike Munchak was also one of several NFL offensive line coaches present for the highly-publicized annual Ohio State event.
3 Bucks post Pro Day workout with legends Dante Scarnecchia, Jeff Davidson, Mike Munchak, and Russ Grimm. #LoveThat pic.twitter.com/deDZIJrTzA
— Jim Cordle (@JimCordle63) March 11, 2016
Decker was the only Ohio State offensive lineman to participate in the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine last month in Indianapolis. The Buckeye left tackle measures in at 6’7″, 310-pounds and figures to be one of the top two or three at his position in this year’s class.
Being as the Steelers still stand to lose free agent tackle Kelvin Beachum during free agency, they could be left without experienced depth at the position should that ultimately wind up happening. Currently, the Steelers offseason roster includes tackles Alejandro Villanueva, Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams. However, it should be noted that Adams’ long-term future is currently up in the air right now as he missed all of last season with a back injury.
While Villanueva filled in admirably for Beachum last year after he was lost in Week 6 to a left knee injury that landed him on the team’s Reserve/Injured list, his play was far from being classified as Pro Bowl-caliber. Should Beachum ultimately wind up re-signing with the Steelers, the team’s need for another young tackle would obviously diminish greatly.
