Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

The Steelers got off to a slow start, but went on to beat the Buffalo Bills 38-7 in the team’s third preseason game.

The Steelers’ starters struggled in the first quarter, and Buffalo actually led 7-0 at the start of the 2nd quarter.  The Steelers were only able to convert one 3rd down in the entire first quarter.  But Isaace Redman scored a touchdown for the Steelers halfway through the 2nd quarter to tie the game, and then Antonio Brown scored another touchdown just before the half, and the Steelers never looked back from there.

Byron Leftwich threw a 39 yard touchdown to Antonio Brown on the Steelers first play of the second half.  Leftwich tossed another TD to Derrick Williams early in the 4th quarter.  Daniel Hrapmann kicked a 40 yard field goal to put the Steelers up 31-7.  And then Chris Rainey made a 41 yard touchdown run to put the final nail in the coffin.

On defense, Troy Polamalu and Robert Golden each got an interception, and Chris Carter and Corbin Bryant each contributed a sack.  Lawrence Timmons also forced a fumble that was recovered by Ziggy Hood.

But all of the news from the game wasn’t good.  In fact, some of it was terrible.  First round draft pick David DeCastro left the game with a right knee injury.  He was scheduled to get an MRI following the game, but Mike Tomlin’s description of the injury was that it was “potentially serious”.

David DeCastro suffers injury

I’ve been following Coach Tomlin long enough to be fairly good at interpreting his comments.  My gut tells me that when Tomlin says that DeCastro’s injury is “potentially serious”, what he really means is that the kid is likely out for the rest of the season.

There are no medical reports to confirm that, but Tomlin is known for having a gift for understatement.  So when he says that an injury is “potentially serious”, fans shouldn’t expect to see that player again until next season.

Most of the Steelers players who were asked about DeCastro’s injury said that it didn’t look good.

I guess we’ll all have to wait until tomorrow to hear the results of the MRI, and to see just how serious the injury really is.

The Steelers don’t usually draft for need.  Instead, they take the best player available.  But in this particular instance, the best player available also happened to fill their greatest need.

I wrote here that the Steelers top need in this year’s draft was a guard.  I said that it was more important than drafting a nose tackle, inside linebacker, or any other position.  So you can imagine how happy I was to see David DeCastro, the unanimous pick as the top interior lineman in this year’s draft, still sitting there when the 24th pick came up?

DeCastro was the starting right guard for Stanford University.  He’s 6’5″, 316 lbs., and was best known for keeping this year’s #1 pick Andrew Luck’s jersey clean.  Now he’ll get the opportunity to do the same thing for Ben Roethlisberger.

David DeCastro

DeCastro was a three year starter for Stanford after being redshirted his freshman year.  He started every game during his 3-year college career, so there are no durability issues with DeCastro.  He was voted 1st team All-American, and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy (but lost to Alabama’s Barrett Jones) following his junior season.  He bypassed his senior season to enter the draft.

Most experts predicted that DeCastro would be selected within the top 15 spots in the draft.  The Steelers barely considered him, since they were certain that there was no way that he would be available to them at #24.

“We really didn’t think David would be there at 24 quite honestly,” said Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert. “We valued him that high. We said there were a few special players in this draft, and he was one of them.”

DeCastro is viewed as one of the best guards to come along in the past decade.  What makes him unique is that he’s a hybrid.  Offensive guards typically fall into one of two camps.  There are the “road graders”, who are big burly guys who excel primarily in run blocking (think Chris Kemoeatu).  And then there are the finesse guys who aren’t as big and strong as the road graders, but who are better at pass blocking and getting out on pulls and traps (think Alan Faneca).  But DeCastro is a combination of the two.  He may be the best run blocker in the draft.  But he’s also the best at pulling and trapping.  That’s why he’s often compared to legendary guard Steve Hutchinson.

“When you watch this team (Stanford) run the football, 80 percent of the time David DeCastro was leading the way,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Stanford played a pro style offense, so DeCastro should be well prepared for the NFL.  While he played right guard exclusively at Stanford, the Steelers think that he could play either left or right guard.

The Steelers selected offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert in the 2nd round last year, and they took center Maurkice Pouncey in the 1st round the year before.  So DeCastro is a continuation of the team’s concerted effort to upgrade their offensive line.

I never thought I’d be so happy to see the Steelers draft a guard.  But then again, I didn’t think David DeCastro would be available at pick #24.

Go Steelers!

Guard may be the most uninteresting position on a football team besides long snapper.  So many people thought that I was crazy when I said that guard is the most important need for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the upcoming draft.  But I stand by that statement.

The Steelers are weaker at guard than they are at any other position.  The only position that even comes close is nose tackle.  So the team needs to be looking very carefully at the guards in this year’s draft class.  And fortunately, there are a lot of good ones coming out this year.  Let’s take a look at a few of them, starting with…….

David DeCastro – Despite not being the biggest guard in this year’s draft class, David DeCastro is universally seen as the best.  He’s surprisingly athletic, and he excels  when asked to pull.  That’s what separates him from the standard “road graders” at the position.

If a team is looking for a guy who can excel in both run blocking and pass protection, then DeCastro is the guy.  And if all of the stars align properly, there are actually  some scenarios in which DeCastro could fall all the way to the Steelers at #24.  It’s not likely, but it could happen.

Cordy Glenn – If you want a big road grader, then Cordy Glenn is your guy.  He’s 6’5″, and weighs 345 lbs.  That’s a lot of beef.

The problem with Glenn is that some teams are projecting him as an offensive tackle.  Offensive tackles usually get drafted higher than guards.  Just think back to what happened to Branden Albert a few years ago when teams started thinking that he could be an offensive tackle.

But Cordy Glenn is a guy that I’d love to see lined up between Marcus Gilbert and Maurkice Pouncey.  Or I’d love to see Isaac Redman running for 1 yard behind Maurkice Pouncey, Cordy Glenn, and Willie Colon on the right side.  But regardless of which side Glenn lines up on, Ben Roethlisberger’s jersey will stay much cleaner because of his presence.

Kevin Zeitler – This is the guy that Steelers fans should be studying.  He’s very likely to be available at the #24 draft slot, and if he is, the Steelers may take him.

Frankly, I wouldn’t be completely happy with this pick.  Zeitler is a solid player who doesn’t excel at anything.  He reminds me a bit of another Wisconsin guard that the Steelers drafted a few years back.  Does anyone remember who that was?

Amini Silatolu – Silatolu is guy who could be a pleasant surprise for a team if they don’t draft him too high.  He’s a big Polynesian who played at a Division II school.  Therefore, he’s untested against top-rated competition.  But the Steelers thought enough of him to fly him into Pittsburgh for a visit, so they obviously like something about him.

His brawler disposition, combined with his tendency to hold, reminds me a bit too much of Chris Kemoeatu.  But as a 3rd or 4th round pick, I’d be happy with the selection.

Brandon Brooks – The Steeler brought him into Pittsburgh for a visit, so I have to assume that they’re considering him.  The kid is big.  I mean REALLY big.  He’s 6’5″, and weighs 350 lbs.

He played both offensive tackle and offensive guard at Miami (OH).  The Steelers love position versatility, so that’s bound to work in his favor.  He’d be a steal in round 4.

Senio Kelemente – He played left tackle at Washington, but I think he’ll have to move inside in the NFL.  He’ll need to gain weight, but his experience at left tackle helped his quickness.  He’d look nice playing right guard for the Steelers.  And I’d REALLY like him if the Steelers could get him in the 4th round.  I like him less if he’s drafted earlier than that.

Lucas Nix – Sometimes what you need is right in your back yard.  That may be the case with Pitt’s Lucas Nix.  He got injured and missed 5 games last season, but I’m sure the Steelers’ scouts still have him on their radar.