From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, I’ll be profiling Alabama OT Tyler Steen.
#54 Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama (R-Senior) – 6050, 321lb
Senior Bowl/Combine Invite
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Tyler Steen | 6’5, 321lb | 10 1/2 | 32 3/4 | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’1” | 29.5 | 31 |
The Good
— Great size and height for the position
— Thickly built lower half to absorb power and create momentum
— Experienced blocker, battle tested in the SEC
— Can create a push forward thanks to leg drive
— Has a quick vertical step out of his pass sets
— Does a good job mirroring pass rushers when engaged on blocks
— Has strong hands when punch lands inside defender’s chest
— Possesses the lateral footwork to flow with blocks past initial punch
— Smart blocker that can pick up twists and stunts
— Times his punch well when he strikes
— Can hit and replace with hands when pass rushers knock hands down
The Bad
— Lacks ideal arm length for the position
— Needs to add more functional strength to his frame to stonewall in pass pro and generate more push in the run game
— Tends to be more of a waist bender that lunges forward on blocks
— Lacks core strength and balance
— Naturally sits in his stance with high pad level which causes him to play upright
— Doesn’t possesses great hip and knee bend for the position
— Not very effective out in space or on the move as a run blocker
— Needs to do a better job preventing inside counters
— Can be slow to pick up speed rush off the edge
Bio
— Redshirt Senior Prospect from Miami, Fla.
— Born June 24, 2000 (age 22)
— Younger brother, Blake, is a member of the University of Virginia football team
— Grandfather, Sgt. Rodney Maxwell Davis, served in the Marine Corps
— Ranked as a three-star offensive line prospect and played for powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas as a prep athlete
— Was an OL/DE recruit out of high school
— Committed to Vanderbilt and four seasons at Vanderbilt; started 33 consecutive games (38 games played)
— Committed as a DL then transitioned to OL his true freshman season
— Started all 12 games at right tackle for the Commodores as a sophomore
— Made the move to left tackle as a junior and started in all nine contests
— Continued in his starting role on the left side in 2021 and played in all 12 games
— Graduate transferred to Alabama in the summer of 2022
— Started all 13 games at left tackle & totaled 25 knockdown blocks
— Second team All-SEC (2022)
Tape Breakdown
Tyler Steen went from playing for one of the SEC bottom dwellers at Vanderbilt to suiting up for the prestigious Alabama Crimson Tide as a graduate transfer his final season. The decision proved to be the right one for Steen, who earned all-SEC honors and has become one of the more notable OT prospects in the top half of this draft class. Steen totaled 46 starts between the Commodores and Alabama over the last four years, starting 12 games at RT and 34 at LT.
When watching Steen’s tape, you see a proficient pass protector with the footwork for the blindside. He has a quick vertical step on his pass set to set the depth of the pocket along with the ability to match and mirror pass rushers, as you can see in the clip below, making the edge rusher run the arc of the pocket, giving No. 9 Bryce Young a wide-open alley to run and pick up the first down.
Steen can hit and replace with his punch and stand up pass rushers at the LOS, like on this clip against the Texas Longhorns, cutting up the inside after first landing a one-arm stab on the defender’s inside shoulder, playing with independent hands as he keeps his QB clean.
Steen is a cerebral blocker with plenty of game experience under his belt. He does a great job of identifying twists and stunts up front and does a good job communicating with the guard, passing off one defender while picking up the other to keep pressure from getting into the pocket.
While more of a proven pass protector than run blocker, Steen doesn’t shy away from getting down and dirty in the trenches. He has the pure size and mass (6’5, 321lb) to drive defenders off the football. In this clip against Texas, he takes the defensive lineman for a ride on the snap of the ball and finishes on top of him for the pancake block.
There are several notable technical issues that stand out when watching Steen’s tape. He is a frequent waist bender, often lunging into his blocks — regardless of if he is in pass protection or run blocking. Here is an example of each where Steen plays with his pads well over his toes, picking up a penalty on the first clip for the blatant tackle while losing his balance and eating the turf on the second clip as he lunges forward into his block.
Along with lunging forward on blocks, Steen often tries to rely too much on reaching with his punch than playing with sound footwork on a snap-to-snap basis. This causes him to get out of position and for defenders to beat him around the corner or across his face. As we see here against Texas, he reaches out his arm without moving his feet to cut off the defender, who gets into the pocket and pressures Young to throw early.
While willing to get out in space, Steen just isn’t the fleetest of foot when it comes to getting a body on a man and picking up blockers at the second level or out on the edge. His athleticism is limited and his tendency to play over his feet doesn’t help matters, as you can see in this clip below.
Conclusion
Tyler Steen has the size and experience you look for in an OT. He has the versatility to play either tackle spot and has shown to be a capable pass protector who can generate a push in the run game. Still, his technical issues need to be ironed out to be trusted with a starting role at the next level, as his lunging hamper him from consistently getting a body on a defender in the running game. Steen should compete for a role as a swing backup early at tackle while developing into a starting-capable player down the road.
When watching Steen, Joe Noteboom of the Rams comes to mind as a similar type of player coming out of TCU in 2018. Noteboom, a third-round draft pick, has nearly identical size to Steen (6’5, 321lb) and needed some refinement and development behind Andrew Whitworth before becoming a starter at LT. He saw action on the inside to start his career, something Steen could do as well as he saw time inside at guard at the Senior Bowl.
Steen is a developmental tackle that the Steelers could look at in the middle rounds of the draft to bring in to work with as he competes for swing tackle behind Chuks Okorafor and Dan Moore Jr. this season. Should his development go well, Steen could compete for a starting role down the line.
Projection: Late Day Two/Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.4 — Rotational Player (4th Round)
Games Watched: at Tennessee (2022), at Texas (2022), vs Kansas State (2022)
