Draft Preview Series: Interior O-line Edition - Pouncey v. Iupati

Posted Sun, 03/28/2010 - 14:10 by steelperch

 


The Steelers may look to upgrade an offensive line that has struggled mightily in recent years early in this April's draft. With Max Starks locked up long term, and the Steelers seemingly high on Willie Colon, it’s safe to assume that if a premium pick was spent on the line it would most likely be along the interior.  Only two players carry 1st or 2nd round grades as interior O-linemen this year, and both have been linked to the Steelers in mock drafts, visits, and scouting reports.  Those two players are Idaho Guard Mike Iupati and Florida Center Maurkice Pouncey.  Here is a case for why each player should be the Steelers top pick:

Maurkice Pouncey is the chosen one……     (SteelPerch’s take)

Ray Mansfield  --> Mike Webster -->  Dirt Dawson -->  Jeff Hartings -->  Sean Mahan/Justin Hartwig?#!@!  The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the greatest lineages of talent at one position in any sport.  Center for the Pittsburgh Steelers was like RB at USC or Center for the LA Lakers.   The Steelers went on a 40 year run where their starting Center played at or near Pro Bowl level practically every season.  Then Hartings retired and Sean Mahan happened.  He was promptly replaced by an adequate Justin Hartwig, but being adequate isn’t the same as being great, and it isn’t what the position deserves.  At least not in the Steel City. Here are the key reasons why Maurkice Pouncey is the right choice for the Steelers:


1.  Elite Centers are much harder to find than a good RG:  Last year the Steelers had their eyes on Alex Mack and Eric Wood.  Both were gone before the Steelers 1st round pick came around. They then attempted to trade up in round 2 for the 3rd best available Center in Max Unger, but were unable to move up and he was gone by their 2nd pick.  Those were the best Center prospects to come along since 2006 when Nick Mangold was taken by the Jets and has since been a consistent Pro Bowl level player.  This year Pouncey almost assuredly will be there for the taking, and if he is they need to pull the trigger.  There are no other Centers similar to him in this draft, but there are always guards and tackles that can be converted to RG that fall deeper into the draft.  Many teams are moving more towards zone blocking which allows power players like Mike Johnson, Brandon Carter, Marshall Newhouse, Chris Scott, or John Jerry to fall deeper into the draft.     

2.  The 3-4 defense trend:  The Center position has elevated in importance as the 3-4 defense usage has increased.  Just in the AFC North you have to face Ngata and Rogers four times a year.  The league now has more 3-4 defenses than ever before and having a quality center that can handle those monster NT’s is imperative.  Pouncey lined up against some top flight NT’s in the SEC such as Terrence Cody and Dan Williams and performed quite well.  It can also be argued that RG is the position of least importance along the O-line as it has been a revolving door for the Steelers manned by a random cast of undrafted free agents, diabetics, and converted tackles over the years.

3.  The Dirt Dawson career path factor:  Dawson started his career at RG for a year before moving to lock down the Center job.  Justin Hartwig remains under contract and can perform at an adequate level for another year.  Pouncey would immediately be the best RG on the roster, and the starting experience would pay off come year 2 when he’d likely slide over to Center.  Pouncey started his career at Florida as the starting RG as a freshman before moving to C as his brother filled in at RG..          

4.   The Kraig Urbik factor:  I know, I know, most of you have forgotten about him.  But what if the 3rd round pick from last year shows up to camp this year and is blowing people up, and you just spent a 1st rounder on another guard in Iupati?  Now you have a logjam of three good young Guards under contract, none of which can play center or tackle.  Also factor in Foster and Legursky.  Either of those guys may develop into a starting caliber player in time.  By taking Pouncey it affords you the option and flexibility to play him at RG or at C depending on where he is immediately needed.  You don’t get that with Iupati.  Position flexibility, the ultimate Tomlinism.  

5.   The bust factor:   Pouncey was a three year starter in the SEC.  The tape is there, the pedigree is there.  Iupati played at Idaho against lesser competition, and struggled with pass protection when he saw elite competition at the Senior Bowl.  He was often seen lunging and grabbing which resulted in penalties and sacks allowed.  I’d bet hardly anyone reading this article even knew Iupati was six months ago.  You could make the argument that Iupati is raw and may have a higher ceiling, but he definitely also has a lower floor.  Pouncey in a worst case is a starting caliber center or RG, Iupati worst case is a lesser version of Chris Kemoeatu.

No player in a decade has been closer to Alan Faneca than Mike Iupati   (Iron City’s take)

It's no secret the Steeler run game was as good or better than any team in the NFL for much of Bill Cowher's tenure. He achieved part of that by simply taking an ex OG and converting him to OC and putting a perennial all pro OG in Alan Faneca next to him to form a great interior combo. In my mind, great OG play can hide mediocrity at the OC position. On Sundays, its no longer the same board drill that was run in practice. One of the Steeler bread and butter run plays is the inside zone run. A play where the guard tandem blocks to the mike backer to create a cutback lane or the OC needs the footwork to simply achieve a zone step to get inside or outside leverage on a NT to shield him off the ball. The days of needing a center to drive block Bob Lilly or Curly Culp 3 yards off the ball to have any kind of success in the run game are gone. The other bread and butter run play is in the G Power series which constitutes a down-down-around combo block where the RG-OC block down and the LG pulls up into the hole. Alan Faneca made multiple pro bowls by perfecting this and its a staple of the Steeler run game.

No player this decade has looked so much like Alan Faneca coming out of college this season than Idaho OG Mike Iupati

6'6" 330 lbs with arms like vines and feet like a dancing bear. He's a mammouth with raw and unmatched talent that would come in and start at OG from day 1. Most people condemn him from one Mike Mayock comment during the Senior bowl of having his hands wide and borderline holding at times. But if you put on his game tape at Idaho you'll see a rare talent that can explode out of his stance and dominate at the point of attack as well as any OG I've personally seen since Faneca. I’m not talking about dominating an Idaho schedule, I’m talking about a man that size, with that kind of movement, is nearly impossible to find and he's the only one in this draft with that kind of body control. His punch at the point of attack is brutal and a knockout blow. Bengal LB Ray Mauluga will attest to that as he made Iupati a You Tube sensation after getting pancaked and planted into the turf while trying to blitz the interior of the Idaho OL.

Not only is Mike Iupati the perfect fit for the style and philosophy of the Steelers run game, but when you put him in motion to pull up into and lead a back into a hole, he rarely, if ever, misses his target. He's a heat seeking missile that never quits on a play and is guilty blocking multiple defenders on any given play due to his propensity to play to the whistle. He's Samoan in heritage and basically a blank slate to be worked with. His coaching at Idaho was nowhere near what he'll get in the NFL which makes his potential upside that much more exciting. Regardless of what any Joe Schmo nickel & dime analyst tells you, this kid does have skill-set and ability to kick out to RT in a year or two. And, has the size and footwork to eventually kick to LT after some coaching. So he may follow the career path of, and you can think of him as a more talented Max Starks in that regard.

His run blocking is exciting, and Oh by the way, he hasn't given up a sack in his last 807 snaps. Do you really need to hear more?