Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
I for one am excited that the Steelers will enter this fall with an experienced and relatively congealed offensive line. However, this franchise could need help at offensive tackle and offensive guard as early as the 2016 regular season when one looks at the contract situations of four of their top six offensive linemen.
Two starters and one backup, (Kelvin Beachum, Ramon Foster, Mike Adams), will all be unrestricted free agents if they are not re-signed by next March. To offset potential losses, Pittsburgh’s brass could try to use a third round pick on a versatile prospect like Ty Sambrailo of Colorado State.
A mainstay in the offensive trenches in Fort Collins, Sambrailo started 42 of his 48 career games with the Rams. In addition to his massive amount of experience, Sambrailo started at four different positions (LT, LG, RG, RT) along Colorado State’s offensive line during his four years with the program. The last two of which Sambrailo spent at left tackle.
Sambrailo is a savvy offensive lineman who understands how to pick up blitzes, handles speed rushes well and knows how to ride guys past the arc point in the event he is beat, possesses good agility and quickness to handle speed rushes, and gets solid bend for a player of his size (6’6” 311 lbs.).
As a run blocker, Sambrailo can work well along the line of scrimmage or at the second level in space. His long arms (33”) allow him to keep opposing defenders at bay, he understands blocking angles well and also plays with good leverage. When Sambrailo gets engaged and is able to turn his hips, he is a great asset for any ground game to have.
While the former Ram can over-extend in pass protection at times, what will likely cause him to fall into the middle or end of the second day of the draft relates to his ability to anchor and his raw strength. Sambrailo could stand to gain a bit more weight and add some functional strength, because he was victimized on bull-rushes when he was unable to anchor and when he left his chest open for oncoming defenders.
Before he sees extensive game action, a season as a rotational player would be good for Sambrailo in 2015. However, the potential and skill-set exists for the former Colorado State star to be a very solid offensive lineman at the professional level. I personally see him fitting best at left guard in the NFL, but he has the tools to earn a shot to compete for playing time at left tackle and the versatility to chip in on the right side of the offensive line as well.
Next: Round 4