The draft profile basically amounted to “not quite big enough, strong enough, technical enough, or athletic enough, but with enough potential to be a viable backup if he can master his technique.” A 2021 UDFA for Houston, who has now landed in Pittsburgh. But we outsiders have no evidence one way or the other. Could he have matured into a viable lineman? Sure. Competed with Dotson for the Right Guard job in 2022, lost, and then spent the rest of the year on the 53 without a helmet. He failed due to a combination of slow hands when snapping the ball, poor balance, and what Ben Roethlisberger called a Guard’s emotional approach to the game rather than a Center’s analytical one. A Round 3 pick in 2021 who played Guard in college but was selected to be the heir to Maurkice Pouncey. The size problems get even worse when he tries to play Guard. Does okay as a backup, but the lack of size shows against the AFC North’s mammoth NT’s. A great backup, but a barely acceptable starter. Could he be resigned cheap? Quite possibly, and maybe Coach Meyer’s extra-aggressive approach would help since he supposedly lacks a little on the nastiness side. The Vikings signed him to a 1 year, $3 Million deal for 2022, and then traded him to Pittsburgh for a conditional 7th that probably wasn’t earned. In 2028 he earned a 3-year, $15 Million extension to be Miami’s RG where he earned a low C grade. Davis has started 80 games and played every OL position but Center. Has the ability to also play Guard, but he isn’t as good in that spot and likes it less. “Solid” is the very definition of Cole’s play. Coach Meyer called him “solid” if he can cut down on those problems. Hyde version has a furnished apartment in the Tomlin Doghouse, wallpapered with his sea of red flags. But his agility and mobility are average at best, and the decision-making is outright poor at times. That is job #1, and you can check it right off. Jekyll moves unwilling men in directions they don’t want to go, and he does it reliably. Dotson gyrates from really good to abysmal. The 2022 version would eventually earn a pro bowl or three, and if he gets better… oh boy. He breath the air of a Faneca or DeCastro, but with one more step he’ll be starting to sniff it. He was the best player on the line last year, and is still growing as a pro. Chicago’s Round 2 pick in 2018, he came over to Pittsburgh as the prize 2022 free agent and earned every penny. The material deserves some fine tooth comb debate down in the Comments. Please read the piece with more than the usual care. Author’s Note: Writing this article altered several of my opinions I’d held about Pittsburgh’s current offensive line, as well as my views on the best ways to improve it.
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