Zach Gentry may not cut it as a tight end for the Steelers, but here’s why a Villanueva-like move to offensive tackle could benefit the Steelers.
Zach Gentry was recruited as a former quarterback by Michigan before quickly making the switch to tight end. However, Gentry simply doesn’t have hands or athletic traits to stick around as anything more than the third tight end on the roster.
I know that brilliant offensive line coach Mike Munchak is no longer with the team, but maybe the Steelers can still create a diamond in the rough of Gentry. How? By turning him into a developmental offensive tackle.
This is a long shot, I know, but it’s not totally unthinkable. If you recall, Alejandro Villanueva was a wide receiver in college prior to becoming a two-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Steelers. He never even played a snap in the regular season in the NFL until he was 27 years old.
Not every oddball experiment works out this well, but with Zach Gentry possessing some impressive size metrics and the fact that he is already on the roster bubble, what do the Steelers have to lose?
Why Gentry could theoretically play offensive tackle for Steelers
Gentry entered the NFL in 2019 listed at 6’8 1/8” and 265 pounds. This means that his height, weight, and arm length already range from the 86th percentile to the 99th percentile among all NFL tight ends, according to Mockdraftable.com. By making the switch to offensive tackle, Gentry would still possess 97th percentile height with above-average arm length for the position.
But here’s the real difference and the part that makes this really intriguing. As a tight end, Gentry is a poor athlete with athletic testing numbers ranging from just the 7th to the 21st percentile among tight ends. As a tackle, however, he becomes one of the best athletes at his position.
With terrific height, length, and movement skills for the tackle position, Gentry would be in a very similar boat to Alejandro Villanueva when he made his transition. However, Gentry is still 2 years younger than AV when he made his first NFL regular-season appearance.
Right now, Gentry’s weight sits in the 265-270 pound range, so he would obviously need to hit the weight room and add calories to his diet. In reality, Gentry would need to be in the 300-range to really have a chance. However, Villanueva made a very similar transformation to his body prior to becoming an NFL tackle, so it certainly can be done.
As I said, the likelihood of succeeding in this type of transition is very slim. It’s even rarer to be able to get a Pro Bowl-caliber player like Villanueva out of it. However, there’s no denying Gentry’s extreme size, length, and frame. Because Gentry is a bottom-of-the-roster player who hasn’t panned out as a tight end, perhaps this is worth trying.