The Steelers drafted a stalwart guard in the first round of the 2012 draft
When the Steelers drafted David DeCastro, guard out of Stanford, in the first round of the 2012 draft, I was honestly surprised because I thought we needed help on the defensive side of the ball more than we needed help on the ‘O’-line.
The other reason I was taken aback by the pick was because of my personal preference to draft ‘O’-linemen from either the Big Ten or from the SEC. Admittedly, I had not watched a ton of Pac-12 football so I really was not all that familiar with DeCastro.
All that being said, things have worked out quite well for us with DeCastro. In his 8 seasons, DeCastro has made 5 consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, from 2015 to 2019, and has been named All-Pro twice. He has also started 111 games out of the 112 games in which he has played.
The attributes that I really like about DeCastro are that he is consistent and dependable. Even if he gets beaten on a play, he bounces back and does not seem to let it affect him. If you watch a Steelers game the way I watch it, the ‘O’-line is the unit I gravitate toward as you will find out as we progress through our discussion.
The reality is this: If the ‘O’-line doesn’t do their job, which is to run block and to protect our franchise QB, we generally don’t have a good chance of winning that particular game. DeCastro is one of the current group of ‘O’-linemen whom I believe is one of the best in the NFL. Yes, they had a sub-par season in 2019, but I think they will have a bounce-back season in 2020.
With DeCastro currently playing at a high level, I have no reason to believe that his play will decline. I think he will continue to make Pro-Bowls and continue to be named All-Pro. If that comes to pass, DeCastro may find himself being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after he calls it quits.
Let’s continue our discussion.