The distraught for a lot Pittsburgh Steelers fans was loud during the 2021 NFL Draft as the team passed on heavily needed offensive linemen to take RB Najee Harris in the first round. That move by the Steelers was no mistake by any means, with Harris seemingly becoming one of the league's top backs aiming for a rushing title next season!
People were upset due to the fact that the Steelers opted to pass on selecting an offensive lineman, which was a need extremely high on the team's priority list. The team selected offensive linemen in that 2021 NFL Draft, but not until the third and fourth rounds.
However, the Steelers might have gotten an absolute steal in the fourth round last year with selecting LT Dan Moore Jr. He definitely showed a lot of promise in his first year and was thrown into the fire, if you will, starting in 16 games for the Steelers.
KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 16: Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. (65) blocks Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) in the third quarter of an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan 16, 2022 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
On Friday’s episode of The Ramon Foster Steelers Show on the DK Pittsburgh Sports YouTube channel, former Steelers guard, Ramon Foster and Dejan Kovacevic spoke about the second year tackle's real value to the organization.
Kovacevic brought up a discussion that he said he and Foster had earlier in the week, "just saying which guys could conceivably end up being in the Hall [Pro Football Hall of Fame]."
"And you threw in Dan Moore and pretty much knocked me off my chair. What do you think in there when you say that?" Kovacevic asked Foster.
Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
Foster responded by prefacing his answer with first "getting formalities of it out the way":
"He's playing for a franchise man, that's always above board, meaning there's a bigger magnifying glass on Pittsburgh than some of the other organizations around the league, that plays a part in it, DK. I'm looking at the fact that he started, not just played, he started early as a rookie in this NFL league, man. He's also a draft pick, too.He's coming in with the idea that he will have, I think if all goes well, man, with Kenny Pickett, a franchise quarterback, that he's protecting the back side of it. That's the other aspect of it too, DK, is he is protecting the backside of the quarterback."
Foster continued praising the second year left tackle:
"As far as what he did in year one, I think the the sky is the limit for a kid like him. Only five penalties throughout the year, because you can't really look at their offensive stats. I'm not sure how many sacks he gave up as far as his detriment to the team, but I would think if he gave up eight, it would be a whole lot less the next year.""He was always available. He played almost every snap last year, and he was just a good part of this team."
"But the fact that they felt confident with a rookie at left tackle DK, I think that kind of puts him a little bit above most when you're looking at how you judge him."
You guessed a little too high Foster, Moore only gave up 7 sacks in his rookie season, which was tied for 10th in the entire NFL. The Steelers gave another vote of confidence for Moore when they opted not to select a single tackle in the 2022 NFL Draft!
Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
Foster praised Moore's technique and more when asked, "What is it that you've seen that you've liked?"
"The technique is there early for a guy like himself. He finishes well, DK, which is a big component on saying, who gets that HOF, how many highlights do you have? That's the one thing that really stood out with Maurkice [Pouncey] early on. He gets into space. You got to have highlights when talking about guys like that. I've seen him play overly physical DK at that position, too, and just the calmness in how he's approached it, to0, DK."
Moore was Mr. Reliable for the Steelers as a rookie left tackle and will look to continue to build a stellar career in Pittsburgh for years to come!
What do yinz think about Foster's comments about Steelers' promising LT Dan Moore? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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