5 greatest Steelers offensive lineman of the modern era

The Steelers ‘hit a home run’ in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft

When the Steelers drafted Dermontti Dawson, center out of Kentucky, in the second round of the 1988 draft, I could not help but think that one day, he would have some big shoes to fill if he was drafted to be the heir apparent to another future Hall of Fame center.

In his 13 seasons with the Steelers, Dawson was named to 7 consecutive Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro 6 consecutive times.  He started 181 out of 184 games in which he played.  Moreover, astonishingly, Dawson started all 16 regular-season games for 10 consecutive seasons.

To say that Dawson was a ‘rock’ at the center position would be an understatement of epic proportions.  What separated Dawson from the rest of the centers in the league at the time as his athleticism.  When Dawson became a starter in 1989, the Steelers were still very much a ‘ground and pound’ team that liked to run traps and counters with Dawson oftentimes leading the way.

Pulling both guards or pulling a guard and a tackle was pretty common back then, but having the center lead the way was anything but common and there were not many centers in the league who could accomplish that task, but Dawson did it with ease.

Dawson played his entire 13-year career with the Steelers; 12 years after he retired, Dawson was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of not only several other Steelers players but his predecessor as well.

Let’s wrap this up by talking about the greatest ‘O’-lineman in Steelers’ history.