Though he rarely divulges the secret sauce, Mike Tomlin occasionally gives clues, and this year he might have given one to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft ideas. Tomlin alluded to the team’s desire for flexible players along their defensive line early in the NFL Draft while discussing Keeanu Benton’s versatility. More significantly, he discussed how Benton’s adaptability enables him to play football in any situation, which may provide a crucial clue to their draft strategies.
“We took Keeanu Benton that high because of his versatility, especially in today’s game, where there isn’t a lot of nose [tackle] play based on matchups and other factors. I believe we play sub-package football for around 80% of the time. His versatility is therefore a strength for both him and us, as he is not diminished by offensive players who may or may not be on the field’, Tomlin stated. A two-down nose tackle in the first round is essentially ruled out by that seemingly harmless phrase. A nose tackle selected by the Steelers in the draft will be able to play out to a 3-technique and possibly farther in sub-packages.
This means that if the Steelers select Kenneth Grant, it will be as a pass rusher who helps them in the subpackages they play in most often rather than as a nose tackle who can improve their run defence. Grant is not excluded, but it is much less probable that the team will select him if they believe he is only a two-down player and a run stuffer. Instead, they are more likely to consider Walter Nolen and Derrick Harmon.
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