Oregon State offensive lineman Brandon Kipper was a busy man at this year’s NFLPA Bowl. According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Kipper met with 22 teams at this year’s event, including the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A redshirt senior, Kipper’s calling card is his experience and versatility. Able to play all over the line, he spent most of his time at right tackle and right guard, kicking inside for the 2022 season, logging all 781 of his offensive snaps there. He made 45 straight starts for the Beavers, one of the longest in school history. From 2019 to 2021, nearly all of his snaps came at right tackle but he has plenty of experience with over 2000 snaps there and nearly 3000 throughout his college career.
Kipper also brings impressive size. At the NFLPA Bowl, he weighed in at 6057, 326 pounds with long, 34 1/8 inch arms. An Idaho native who transferred from Hawaii, he’s viewed as a Day Three candidate. NFL Draft Scout ranks him as the 20th best guard in the draft and considers him a 7th round/priority free agent pick, though it’s still early in the draft process and things could shift.
A two-way player in high school, Kipper also excelled as a wrestler and those traits, hand use and leverage, could translate into his football career.
Of course, teams like the Steelers talk to plenty of players throughout the pre-draft process and their conversation with Kipper isn’t unique. But it’s always good to keep tabs on these names as possible late-round or undrafted candidates. Recent examples like Tre Norwood and Jaylen Warren are proof even those names can make immediate contributions to the team. At the least, Pittsburgh figures to improve their offensive line depth even if they plan on keeping the same starting five from the 2022 season. Depth here is lacking with Kendrick Green not guaranteed to make the team in 2023 while Trent Scott and Jesse Davis are pending free agents who won’t inspire much confidence even if re-signed for the minimum.
