The draft doesn’t always go the way you want. But you don’t always know what you’re talking about, either, so it’s best to at least wait a couple of years before getting too upset. Unless your team passes over George Kittle for Joshua Dobbs, of course.
I came into the day hoping to see a nose tackle and safety coming out of the second round. Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a running back and a guard. Will either of them play this year? Who knows? I certainly don’t, not for certain. For all we know they’ll both play a lot. The left guard position is technically open for competition, so fourth-round pick Kevin Dotson could theoretically compete—if there is an offseason.
If he does, however, he may be telling the defensive line what the play is going to be. On purpose. The big man told reporters that he has done that at the college level to dispirit his opponents, when he wins the rep anyway, just because he’s better and stronger.
“I’ll tell him the play and they just have to try and find a way to do it when I know that they can’t”, Will Graves of the Associated Press quoted the newest Steelers lineman as saying during his introductory press conference with the media. “If I tell you the play and you still can’t stop it, it hurts you way more”.
New #Steelers lineman Kevin Dotson on trash talking and tipping plays on purpose.
“I’ll tell him the play and they just have to try and find a way to do it when I know that they can’t. If I tell you the play and you still can’t stop it, it hurts you way more.”— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) April 25, 2020
This offseason, Pittsburgh had their longtime starting left guard Ramon Foster retire after 11 seasons in the NFL. In addition, his direct backup, B.J. Finney, departed in free agency. The Seattle Seahawks targeted him early on. They would go on to replace him with veteran Stefen Wisniewski.
The plan entering the draft had been for Wisniewski to compete with Matt Feiler for the starting left guard job. Feiler, who has been, the primary right tackle for the past two seasons, would only be able to take that job if someone else were able to step up at his previous position.
At the least, it adds additional depth to an interior offensive line that also saw Fred Johnson and Patrick Morris claimed off waivers over the course of the 2019 season. If Wisniewski were to start at left guard, then the only reserves prior to bringing in Dotson would have been J.C. Hassenauer, Derwin Gray, and Christian DiLauro, who have a combined one game of experience on a 53-man roster. Only Gray, a 2019 seventh-round selection, was drafted.
Because of the conditions of the offseason, however, it will be very difficult for Dotson to have even an opportunity to compete for the starting job, let alone win it. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s unknown when players will have any official participation on a practice field. There is some cautious optimism that the season will be played, at least, but only time will tell.
