Fourth in a daily series leading into the 2020 NFL Draft, April 23-25:
The Steelers' offensive line took a step backward in 2019. With the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, the team was inexperienced at quarterback, which affected the way protections were called and adjusted.
And without Roethlisberger behind center, the Steelers largely ran whatever play was called, whether it would work against a particular defense or not.
Add in the fact left guard Ramon Foster's play had slipped and it led to some less than stellar play overall on the line.
But Foster retired last month, leaving a hole in the starting lineup. B.J. Finney would have had an opportunity to replace him but left in free agency to sign a two-year deal with the Seahawks that could be worth as much as $9.5 million.
The Steelers declined to match that and couldn't guarantee Finney a starting spot, largely because they feel their best option might be moving right tackle Matt Feiler to guard and allowing Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner to battle at right tackle in training camp.
In fact, that was a move the team made when Foster missed a game against the Rams last season because of injury. Feiler moved inside to guard and Okorafor, a third-round pick in 2018, started at right tackle.
The team also covered its bases in case that didn't work out, signing veteran Stefen Wisniewski in free agency. Wisniewski, who has started two of the past three Super Bowls, can play guard or center, meaning he essentially takes Finney's spot on the roster in that role -- at worst.
With center Maurkice Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro both coming off Pro Bowl seasons, and 2019 seventh-round draft pick Derwin Gray also on the roster, the Steelers have enough bodies to fill their roster on the interior of their offensive line.
That's probably a good thing, because the group of interior offensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft isn't exactly stellar. But with Pouncey, DeCastro and Wisniewski all in their 30s, adding to that group later in the draft wouldn't be a bad idea for the Steelers.
And if they do so, they could look to the same program that produced their top draft pick a year ago, Michigan.
Michigan's Cesar Ruiz is expected to be the first interior offensive lineman selected in this year's draft, and -- if by chance -- he lasted until the Steelers' top pick at No. 49, he would be tempting. At nearly 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds, Ruiz has the size to play guard, but he primarily lined up at center for the Wolverines.
He has some of the leadership tendencies the Steelers valued in Pouncey when they selected him in the first round in 2010 in that, as his college coach, Jim Harbaugh said, "players gravitate towards him."
Ruiz said that leadership comes naturally. In fact, it's why he likes to play center.
"I'm in charge. I'm in charge of the whole show," Ruiz said. "If something goes wrong, I'll take the heat for it. Things are going good, I'll take the shine for it as well."
For teams looking for a center, LSU's Lloyd Cushenberry, Temple's Matt Hennessy, Keith Ismael of San Diego State, Nick Harris of Washington and Wisconsin's Tyler Biadasz would be the other players of interest.
With Wisniewski now on the roster and also capable of playing center, the Steelers could look for a developmental guard in later rounds.
But that's exactly where most of the action on guards in this draft is expected to take place. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see the first two rounds go by without a guard being selected.
Robert Hunt of Louisiana-Lafayette and John Simpson of Clemson are considered the top two guards available. Both will likely be gone by the time the Steelers make their second selection in the draft (pick 102) at the end of the third round.
But the Steelers have three picks in a window between that third-round compensatory selection and their two picks in the fourth round (124 and 135) in which a group of guards could draw their interest. That group would include Shane Lemieux or Oregon, Ben Bredeson of Michigan, Damien Lewis of LSU and Logan Stenberg of Kentucky.
Bredeson was a two-year captain at Michigan, where he was a four-year starter, the last three of which came next to Ruiz. But he practiced at all three interior positions at the Senior Bowl, showing some versatility.
"They ask if I can play center, right guard, any of the interior three positions, so it’s come up a lot," Bredeson said of his experience talking with NFL teams. "It’s something I’m absolutely capable and willing to do."
Another Michigan lineman could interest the Steelers in later rounds. Jon Runyan started 24 games the past two seasons as the Wolverines' left tackle, but will likely shift inside to guard at the pro level.
His father, Jon Sr., was a fourth-round pick in the 1996 draft and played 14 seasons in the NFL. Like Bredeson, he would give the Steelers some backup flexibility while he worked toward a starting job.
"I kinda see myself projecting more inside at the next level, but I still feel like I will always have the capability of kicking out to tackle based on my athletic ability," Runyan said. "I even did kinda play center my first year at Michigan, so I still have that. I’ve been pitching my versatility as an offensive lineman. Teams tell me not to push off the tackle idea. It’s something I’m fine with. I don’t care. My whole career, I’ve always just wanted to get on the field.”
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