Steelers OL Kendrick Green could prove to be a steal in the NFL Draft

The Steelers took an offensive lineman that seemed like a reach in the third round of the NFL Draft, but here’s why Kendrick Green could be a steal. 

Steelers fans were dialed in on a center early on day two of the NFL Draft, and it’s not hard to see why. Pittsburgh recently lost former All-Pro Maurkice Pouncey to retirement, and apart from bringing back B.J. Finney on a minimum one-year contract, they did nothing in the way of replacing him.

After surprising nobody by going with Alabama running back Najee Harris in the first round, many believed that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert would fill arguably the biggest need they’ve had all offseason: finding a starting-caliber center. There were several quality options ripe for the picking.

While Landon Dickerson was off the board too early in the second round for the Steelers to even start getting nervous about whether or not he was going to make it to them, fans were salivating at the chance of getting their choice between Creed Humphrey and Quinn Meinerz. However, the team went an entirely different route with Penn State tight end, Pat Freiermuth.

The Freiermuth pick wasn’t all that surprising, as there were reports that the Steelers may have even been interested in taking him in the first round had Najee Harris been off the board. However, after grabbing a tight end at pick 55, the center position still needed to be addressed.

Remarkably, Quinn Meinerz made it all the way back around to the Steelers with the 87th pick, and many analysts thought this is one we could pencil in. However, Pittsburgh threw us a curveball at the last minute by taking Illinois offensive lineman, Kendrick Green.

Why Kendrick Green could be a steal for the Steelers

We did have knowledge that the Steelers were at Illinois Pro Day, but I didn’t really give Green a second thought at this point in the draft. According to our consensus draft board that averages the rankings of over a dozen NFL Draft analysts, green was the 110th ranked player available. With Quinn Meinerz still on the board, we thought this would be the pick. However, after taking a closer look, it’s not hard to see why the Steelers have so much interest in a player like Kendrick Green.

At 6’1 7/8” and 305 pounds, Green is very short for an interior offensive lineman, and I find it interesting that he played significantly more snaps at guard during his time at Illinois. But if you can get past these few minor factors, you can really see all that Green has to offer – including remarkable athletic traits. Here are some interesting facts about Green:

Despite mostly playing offensive guard in college, Pro Football Focus claims that Green was able to transition effortlessly back and forth between the two positions, and the Steelers have already said they want him to play center for them. In addition, Green’s impressive athletic traits offer a lot of intrigue, and his foot quickness and ability to get to the second level really show up on tape.

Green is a player that graded out better every year in college and declared for the draft early as a true junior. In his most recent season in 2020, Green earned an 88.6 overall grade from PFF and was ranked the 6th best guard in the country out of 440 qualifying players. With a great track record when it comes to health, terrific athletic traits, and position flexibility along the interior offensive line, Green is a player with a lot of upside in the NFL.

Players like Creed Humphrey and Quinn Meinerz are great athletes in their own right and they each have some traits that stand out. However, the Steelers think they may have gotten a special player in the third round with Kendrick Green and he is just starting to scratch the surface. In a few years, perhaps he could prove to be one of the steals of the 2021 NFL Draft.