In case you missed it, long time Pittsburgh Steelers center and future Hall of Famer, Maurkice Pouncey, announced his retirement this week on his Instagram account.
It is sad to see someone who has been such a large part of the Steelers family for so long walk away.
Now knowing Pouncey's final decision, it is time to look ahead to see who will be the one standing over the ball come this fall. Let's look to see what potential options there are in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Early Draft Options (Day 1 and 2)
Landon Dickerson, Alabama
Dickerson is likely the top center prospect in the 2021 class. The only reason it might be a question is because he is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the SEC championship in December. Dickerson has experience all across the offensive line during his time with the Crimson Tide. He settled into his role as their starting center over the last two years and really excelled. He has enough functional athleticism to succeed and climb to the second level when asked, but he is at his best when he is able to throw his size around. Standing in at 6'6" and 326lbs, he will immediately become one of the largest centers in the league. Once healthy, he can be an immediate day one starter for whatever team drafts him. Hopefully he is still available for the Steelers when their second round pick comes around.
Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
Humprey is one of the most experienced players in the draft as a whole, not just the center position. He has 37 starts under his belt, and has continued to improve each year as a starter. There were some concerns that he was tested enough in pass protection as most of his reps early on were with quarterbacks that can escape the pocket that had a lot of three step drops. This past season featured a lot of deeper drops by Oklahoma's quarterbacks, and Humphrey excelled. He also performed admirably at the Resse's Senior Bowl, which CJ Lester talked about in his article. I also tweeted out a solid rep for Humphrey against one of the better defensive lineman in the class. Humphrey and Dickerson are both very good round two options for the Steelers, so let's hope whichever they prefer is available for them.
Josh Myers, The Ohio State
Myers is someone who is a fringe Day 2 prospect, and he has one of the wider ranges of draft grades for the center position this season. He can go as high as the beginning of the 3rd round and the 3rd center off of the board, or he can fall to round 4-5. Myers is one of the best athletes in this class for his position, and there is no denying his ability to absolutely eliminate his man from plays. He can get over extended and tends to go for a pancake every chance he gets, which leads to him getting beat more than you'd like to see. However, his upside with his play strength and athleticism is as high as anyone's in the class. If he can eliminate the inconsistency and big misses, he will be a steal for whoever drafts him, which is hopefully the Steelers.
Mid-Round and Sleeper Options (Day 3/UDFA)
Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
If you have been paying attention to any of the pre-draft festivities, you would've learned by now who Meinerz is. Yes he is a DIII prospect, yes he did look like a man amongst boys, yes he is a legit mid-round option. Looking at his tape from his college days, all you can do is say wow, and continue to ask why he wasn't on someone's roster this season at a DI school. Unfortunately, that is all you can really learn from it. Since the level of competition was so low, he looks like the next Larry Allen. At the Senior Bowl, Meinerz got his first taste of real competition, and he held his own which showed he belonged. CJ wrote an article calling him a draft riser, and I called him one of the winners of the Senior Bowl week in my previous article. He likely shouldn't be hoped to be a day one starter, but give him a year or two to grow and get used to the speed of the NFL? He can develop into a Pro Bowl player given the tools he has. Steelers should be interested in rounds 4 or 5.
Trey Hill, Georgia
Hill is an absolute mountain of a man. He is a straight people mover in the ground game, and excels locking onto a man and driving on him. He is someone who helped make the Bulldogs ground game dominant over the last three seasons, as he is capable of opening massive holes both at center and guard. As great as Hill is in the ground game when he can lock on a target, he does struggle to climb to the second level. He is a subpar athlete, which hurts his ability to work in space, which might limit him to a man/gap or inside zone blocking scheme. Luckily, that is what the Steelers ran predominately in 2020. However, he also has some struggles in pass protection against explosive athletes. You'll be fighting an uphill battle to see him get pushed back into the pocket, but guys that can explode around him he struggles with. Hill has his flaws, but the Steelers have expressed commitment to improving their running game, and Hill can definitely do that. He can be had anywhere from the 4th-6th round.
Michal Menet, Penn State
Here is a real late round stab. Menet isn't someone who lit up the gridiron by blowing his opponents off of the ball. What he is, is someone with several years of starting experience who did everything he was asked at the college level. Menet is a late round option, or potentially even an undrafted free agent, who could come in early and start without killing your team. He is a fundamentally sound player who is can fit most schemes, but isn't a real detriment in any way. He is decent in pass protection, decent in the run game, and isn't frequently left whiffing on blocks. If every time the Steelers are on the board they didn't feel like there was a solid option for them, Menet is a solid late round get that could be a great fall back option.
All of these guys could be potential options to replace the hole that Pouncey's retirement has left. Let us know who you think the Steelers should target in the 2021 NFL Draft below.
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