Jason Kelce Delivers Exciting Message About Steelers' New Draft Pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers' latest NFL Draft class is officially set, with the organization making 10 selections. Though the first round may not have gone as planned, they still ended up with a solid player in Max Iheanachor, who fills a position of need. The team would add the finishing touches to the offensive line towards the end of the third round when it selected Iowa tackle Gennings Dunker. Offensive line coach James Campen said after the pick that the team sees Dunker as a guard, potentially setting him up to be the team's future on the left side. 

Dunker had often been mocked to the Steelers on Day 2 of the draft, both in the second or early third round. They landed him 96th overall, their last pick in the third round. That is a great value for the team. Dunker is a more-than-solid run blocker, with work to be done on his pass protection. One of his issues is his hands, specifically his punch timing. 

His pad level is also inconsistent at times. The move to the inside should be a tremendous help, giving the defenders less space to work with and allowing him to get his big paws on a defensive lineman quicker. 

Two months ago, Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis Kelce, hosted their podcast New Heights, where they talked a little about Dunker. Kelce absolutely gushed over Dunker and his look. The obvious iconic mullet, but also his build. Believing he looks like he was built in a laboratory for an offensive lineman. 

"He looks like a Clydesdale," [Jason] Kelce stated. "If you were gonna design an offensive lineman in a laboratory, this is what he would look like. I mean, look at this guy."

Dunker obviously has a great look, but his film looks even better. His violence is something football has lacked for years now. Now, not only is he freakishly aggressive, but he's also a good athlete. Dunker scored an 8.56 out of a possible 10.00 on the Relative Athletic Score at the NFL Combine. That ranks 238th out of 1,645 offensive tackles since 1987. One of his cons as a prospect was athletic limitations, but the scores seem to refute that narrative. 

Offensive linemen take longer to adjust to the NFL level than players at most other positions. After all, they probably have the biggest change in competition of any position group. Once Dunker gets caught up to speed, he may be the NFL's next star at the guard position. Dunker, though, won't be a day one starter; third round offensive linemen usually aren't. He will likely have to wait a few weeks into the season before he gets his shot. Once he does, he may not give it back. 

Steelers' Interior Offensive Line Is Set Up Very Nicely

The Steelers already have one of the game's elite centers in Zach Frazier. Frazier was a second-round pick in 2024 and quickly rose to stardom. He doesn't have the Pro Bowls just yet, mostly because Tyler Linderbaum and Creed Humphrey are also playing in the AFC. 

The other man in the middle is right guard Mason McCormick, who made a nice improvement in year two as the starter. McCormick plays a lot like Dunker; both are very nasty and do whatever it takes to finish their blocks. 

With those three in the middle, there's no telling how good the Steelers' offensive line could be. One thing's for sure, it won't lack nastiness—something it has been missing for much of the 2020s. 

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