When the San Francisco 49ers roll into Pittsburgh Sunday, they will be bringing a familiar face with them.
That face is DL Javon Hargrave, a third-round pick of the Steelers back in 2016 who developed into quite the nose tackle for the Steelers over his four seasons with the team. However, Hargrave priced himself out of Pittsburgh, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent where he played for three years before inking a massive contract with the 49ers this offseason.
C Mason Cole spoke to the media Monday and was asked if the offensive line will get a scouting report on Hargrave from Steelers DL Cameron Heyward, who played alongside Hargrave for four seasons. Cole chuckled and mentioned another player who has a good understanding of what Hargrave brings to the table after being on the same team with him last season.
“Yeah, for sure, for sure,” Cole said to the media Monday on video from Steelers.com. “You know, we’ve had some guys play with him. Isaac [Seumalo] played with him in Philly. You know, we played him last year too so that’s usually how it works. Whoever you’re playing, you’re always playing with guys that have played ’em before… been on the teams with them. So, you’re always gathering intel from anyone.”
Heyward and Hargrave shared the field for four seasons together during Hargrave’s time in Pittsburgh, combining with DL Stephon Tuitt to make one of the best defensive lines in the league. Hargrave learned under Heyward’s wing, going from a former third round pick out of South Carolina State to a legit pass rusher and stout run defender for the Steelers. Since then, Hargrave’s game has only improved, becoming one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, posting a career-high 11 sacks last season in Philadelphia. Given that Heyward knows Hargrave well and played so much with him, it would be wise to consult him from a defensive lineman’s perspective to see what Hargrave may do in various pass rush situations.
Both Hargrave and Seumalo left the Eagles this offseason with Hargrave signing with San Francisco and Seumalo coming to Pittsburgh. Still, Seumalo is the latest member of the Steelers offensive line who has seen Hargrave on a daily basis, the two facing one another in training camp as well as in practices throughout the week. Being a smart, cerebral player, Seumalo has probably picked up on some of Hargrave’s tendencies as a pass rusher, having knowledge on how to slow him down as a pass rusher from getting to the quarterback.
The Steelers could use that extra insight from both Heyward and Seumalo as Hargrave played well against his former team last season when Pittsburgh traveled to Philly. He had eight total tackles (six solo), a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and two sacks on QB Kenny Pickett, dominating Pittsburgh’s offensive line with his combination of power and finesse as a pass rusher.
Hargrave went from one dominant defensive line to another, leaving an Eagles squad that totaled 70 sacks last season to a 49ers unit that has DL Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrell, and Drake Jackson. The status of Bosa for Sunday is still up in the air, but Hargrave will be active and raring to go, hoping to wreck his former team’s regular-season home opener. The Steelers must prevent Hargrave from having a similar impact this Sunday to what he did last season. Adding a player like Seumalo will surely help, but the whole offensive line will need to play as a cohesive unit to prevent “Gravedigger” from impacting the game.
