The Steelers are known for being physical on both sides of the ball and that starts with strength
In 1978, when I started watching the Steelers play with an understanding of what was transpiring on the field, I was immediately drawn to the physical prowess of the offensive line, the defensive line, and the entire team for that matter.
My late father played semi-professional football for a few seasons when I was young. He had a bench and weights in the garage where he would work out. When he was at work, I would often mess around trying to lift those weights.
As I got older, I got more serious about lifting because I wanted to be as strong as the Steelers offensive linemen. One lineman, in particular, was and still is my favorite player. As a former competitive powerlifter, I ponder this question: Who are the strongest players in Steelers history?
Before we get started, keep this in mind: I know I am stating the obvious here, but there is a difference between football strength and weight room or gym strength. In other words, football players could not necessarily compete in strongman competitions. Conversely, strongmen would not necessarily be great football players.
The Steelers drafted a defensive lineman in the 2011 NFL draft who has become a ‘rock’ of the front seven
When we drafted Cameron Heyward in the first round of the 2011 draft, I remember thinking how cool it was since his father, Craig ‘Ironhead’ Heyward played his college ball at Pitt. Entering his twelfth season, Heyward has become a stalwart on defense and someone we frankly cannot do without.
If you’ve watched Heyward play, I don’t have to tell you how strong he is at the point of attack. There have been innumerable instances where he sheds a block and registers a tackle for loss, or he sheds a block and either registers a sack or applies enough pressure to force an errant throw.
So, how strong is Heyward? Good question. According to an article that appeared in the 2011 NFL Draft Series of the Men’s Journal, Heyward is quoted as saying this when asked what his max numbers were on the squat and bench:
"“My bench was around 385, 395 lbs and my squats were at 500 lbs”."
Now, that’s pretty impressive, but keep in mind, as we progress through this discussion, we will be talking about weight-room strength, not necessarily football strength. Let’s see who comes in number fourteen on the list.