O-Line Coach Paul Dunn had to go. Arguably the O-line was not particularly strong when he started and between injuries and depth there were lots of excuses. The problem was that players didn’t seem to develop much. There was talent, but not much was done with it.
Consider that the O-line will almost certainly have two players drafted in the 2008 draft. Mike McGlynn will get picked up by somebody on day 2 (Insider subs.).
Pitt’s Mike McGlynn runs from drill to drill like his hair is on fire. It is hard to miss a 309-pound offensive lineman running at full speed down the field to get to a drill. While hustle and “want to” are great traits, he needs to settle down a little bit. McGlynn is an intriguing prospect because he could potentially fill in at every line spot in the NFL with the exception of left tackle. At this point, he is a master of none, but does have some upside, particularly as a guard. McGlynn is also able to deep snap, which adds to his versatility. If he gets the opportunity to snap for punts — it is a safe bet that McGlynn will hustle down the field.
Right now the speculation is 3d to 4th round, but more likely would be sometime in round 5 or after once the combines, scouting and measurements really happen.
Jeff Otah is the other, and everyone is putting him in the first round.
Mel Kiper, Jr. puts him at #13 to the Carolina Panthers (Insider subs.).
Don Banks at SI.com has him at #15 and the Detroit Lions (poor guy).
Todd McShay at ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. puts him all the way at #23 and the Steelers (Insider subs.).
The Steelers could use two of their first three picks on offensive linemen. They have bigger holes to fill inside at center and guard, but with his combination of size and skills Otah is far and away the best lineman available in this scenario. G Roy Schuening (Oregon State) and C John Sullivan (Notre Dame) could also become Steelers in later rounds.
Now Dunn did help develop Otah and McGlynn. Of course, by the same token, despite having two seniors who will be on NFL rosters next season, the O-line was still a joke and never got better.
So in that respect, it’s hard not to believe that new O-line coach Tony Wise has to be an improvement. Teaching and coaching wise, he better be. He’s been at the NFL for the last 18 years, and it’s hard to imagine he’s going to bring much initially to the recruiting side of things.
nli signing dates
Note that Duhart, Mustakus, Mick Williams, and Maleki are all seniors in 09. Losing the top 4 DTs in one year could be troublesome. Word is Caregein will step in, but other than him, there isn’t much at all. Look for Pitt to recruit 2 or 3 DTs along with a DE or two next year.
I guess it is pretty crazy that I’m noticing this, but it seems to be a serious concern.
Chas I disagree there. I dont know much about the guy but I think young kids are obviously very impressed by a guy with that background in the NFL. Its obviously helped DW and I think Wise will be able to jump right in as well.
Losing 4 DTs in one class is extreme, and Todd Gack only named 3 DEs and 1 DT. To me, naming the DEs is somewhat irrelevant to the depth at DT.
Seems likely that the other DTs in the rotation will have to be freshmen or sophomores.
I agree that we shouldn’t be worried about 2010 now, but we’re building a program not a team.
Tony hit it on the head, you build a program and have people in the pipeline that can step in when called upon and perform on the field.
Also you should see improvement in the oline, Wise is a good coach but Dunn came from Kentucky and guess what?
The Kentucky oline improved dramatically when Dunn left.
– I think it’s Dutch!
Here’s your money.
