Who will be the first rookie to earn a starting role?

I told people when we drafted him He would be good. I was actually surprised he lasted as long, and was worried that teams had found some injuries, or that he had done something wrong that wasn't reported.

 

I would tend to agree with you but for the presence of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in the offense..... we might use 3 wides in certain situations, but i'm sure the base offense will only use 2

 

Hell of a first name.

 

I'm not sure what their presence has to do with it. McCarthy has a tendency to go three wide or a fullback.

 

Really?????? Emphasis on running the ball??
2 rb 1's and you're not sure what their presence has to do with using 2 wr's as opposed to 3????
I'm surprised at you

 

If this is the criteria, we're really just talking about who's ther first "starter" to get injured with a rookie next on the depth chart.

Unless Max wins the starting position outright.

Maybe Dunker can win the RG job? But it sounds like he's been playing LG in rookie camp and OTAs.

 

Sometimes it’s easier to just go with the flow

 

They can only play one at a time. They had two quality backs last year in Warren and Gainwell. They had two quality backs the year before in Harris and Warren. Arthur Smith's offense was supposed to emphasize running the football, too, but he actually had a history of focusing on using two or three tight ends at a time.

The difference now is you've Mike McCarthy, whose offenses usually rank among the highest percentage of plays with 11 personnel on the field. You can emphasize the run with three receivers out there. What you lose in blocking, you gain in spreading out the defense and creating room for your backs. if I remember correctly, he has talked about his focus being on touches, not carries, and you've got two backs who are threats as receivers, too. If you hadn't noticed, Dowdle and Warren are both explosive guys who can thrive in an offense that creates room for them to work rather than just trying to use blunt force to move the defense.

It isn't the addition of Dowdle that might push them to more two-receiver sets. It's Nowakowski, if he can be good enough to make an impact as a rookie. McCarthy does like using a fullback, but Nowakowski still needs to show he can handle that.

I'm surprised at you not seeing all that.

Regarding the other guy's comment, it may be easier to go with the flow, but it's better to be right. He might want to try it once in a while.

 

I will have to wait, and see. If Im running the show, which Im not, I run 2 TE predominantly except of course in certain situations, but its McCarthy who is running the show, and we shall have to wait, and see what He feels

 

I think Gennings Dunker has all the makings of a solid NFL guard. He’s big, strong, fairly athletic (9.56 RAS), durable, and plays with a real mean streak. As a run blocker, he grades out highly and brings that mauler mentality every snap. He’ll need to clean up his balance (guards have to play lower than tackles) and improve his pass-blocking technique. He also has to show the coaching staff he’s assignment-sound and quick with the playbook.

For now, Spencer Anderson has the edge due to his Steelers game-day experience. He’s a low-mistake, safe option to start the season, but he’s basically a below-average starting guard. Look for Dunker to push him hard and potentially earn starts sometime this year.

Max has little chance to win the starting job this camp. I think he is a pentaly prone ( in college ) rookie with a limited football background. Not a strong run blocker either.

This is a great link: https://www.college2pro.com/steelers-pff-metrics-how-does-their-offensive-line-grade-out/

 

Nice cut and paste per se

Agreed that Max has little chance to win the starting job “in camp”

But the only thing between him and a starting job is Dylan Cook who is just a placeholder until Max is ready

 

I agree that using two tight ends is the best fit for their talent. It just doesn't fit with McCarthy's past preferences.

 

I remain skeptical that Max is close to contributing anytime soon. While he shows good athleticism with good foot speed and footwork, his run blocking is underdeveloped. His hands measure just 9 inches, and he racked up too many penalties in college. I speculate this is largely due to poor base strength and a lack of anchor when defenders get into his body.

The level of competition he faced in college was average at best.

Cook, on the other hand, is a decent starter right now. His play in 4 games was not that of a " placeholder " . This feels like the team’s plan is: let Cook walk and sign elsewhere for bigger money elsewhere in 2027 while the rookie is signed on a cheap, cap-friendly four-year deal with a fifth-year option.

Once the pads come on in camp, we’ll get a much clearer picture of what Max’s real floor is as a pro. I wasn't exactly thrilled we spent our first round pick on Max, as I felt better players were on the board.

 

I see Joel Buschleague still hasn’t figured out basic internet use.

 

Probably very true, but we shall see how it pans out. I thought there were a few D players to take then, although Im pretty happy with most of the picks

 

My understanding is that they have been playing Dunker exclusively at LG so far.

We're also playing McCormick at LG.

I don't see how Dunker is going to best out Anderson for the RG guard without playing any RG.

Maybe things change re: Dunker. But if the early reports re: usage are correct, they seem to suggest that they're intending for him to learn the position as a backup in his rookie year. Which I don't think is a crazy idea.

 

I don’t think Max starts this year unless injury forces the issue with Cook or Fautanu.We’ll learn a lot more once the pads come on. Our edge rushers are going to test him immediately. They could eat this rookie alive if he’s not ready. My main concern from his college play is the penalty volume. He drew 16 flags in 31 starts — basically one every other game. That’s a big red flag when most of those came against Big 12 competition, which is a clear tier below the Big Ten and SEC.His hand placement is inconsistent, and he needs to add more base strength to anchor better against NFL power.

 

At who’s expense

Oh never mind

 

I still think the Steelers will regret passing on Safety Dillon Thieneman and picking Max. I had the same bad feeling when we passed on Christian Gonzalez for Broderick Jones.

 

He won’t be starting by Weeks 4 or 5 unless there’s an injury at tackle.

First, he needs to fully learn the playbook and his assignments.

Second, he has to earn the trust of the coaches and Aaron Rodgers with consistent with solid play in practice and preseason.

If you want a hint on when he might be ready, keep an eye on what the coaches or J.J. Watt say. If they start calling Max a standout in practice, that’ll be a good sign.That said, a guy with a shaky football background who’s penalty-prone and not a strong run blocker usually doesn’t earn early snaps.

Unless the tackle position gets hit with injuries, I expect Max to stay on the bench for a while. He could see some early action on special teams as a kick protector, though.

That is my $.02

 

The Steelers missed badly on Broderick Jones as a first-round pick. His play to date has been disappointing, and now he’s dealing with a serious neck injury. He’s almost certainly going to start the season on the PUP list. I strongly suspect the phones in Omar Khan’s office are ringing with trade inquiries — even if it’s just for a 7th-round pick. (We all know Khan won’t admit that publicly.) Perhaps a beat writer will ask Khan this question? Besides Madden who would have the b@lls to do so?

Meanwhile Cook has in starts last year (three regular season + the playoff game), he performed better than average among starting NFL tackles in sacks allowed and penalties. Independent evaluations back that up. As a first-year starter, he’s far more likely to improve with more reps, not regress.The previous regime (Tomlin and the old OL coach) never gave him a real chance until injuries forced their hand. And when they finally did? He exceeded expectations. Cook is on a cheap deal this year and hits free agency next offseason. Factor that into the Max pick.

Let’s be honest the Steelers have whiffed on several first-round picks in recent years, and none of them got a 5th-year option:

Broderick Jones
Kenny Pickett
Najee Harris
Devin Bush
Terrell Edmunds

Most Steeler fans were sold on all of them. I said on draft day that I didn’t like any of those picks and preferred other players who were available. As for drafting Max Iheanachor in the first round this year… There were better players on the board in my opinion. It feels like another Khan-driven reach like recent 1sr round picks. I know you’re very optimistic about Max, but I’m not seeing it yet.

Most rookie tackles struggle.