2020 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers 7-round mock draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their left guard Ramon Foster to retirement in the offseason. Foster had been a stalwart on the team’s offensive line for 11 years and his presence on the interior will be missed. With an aging offensive line, the Steelers will need to find future starters and depth pieces to keep the once elite unit average.

The Steelers picked up Stefen Wisniewski in free agency on a two-year/$2.85 million contract. But at 31-years old, the former Kansas City Chief guard is hardly a long-term solution at left guard. At the same time, consistency issues have plagued his career, as this will be his fifth team in nine seasons.

PennLive.com reports the Pittsburgh Steelers may move 2019 right tackle Matt Feiler to the left guard position. This theory stems from the fact Feiler played the position on the Steelers practice team when he first arrived in Pittsburgh. But Feiler played 100 percent of all offensive snaps in 2019 and committed all of three penalties, according to Pro Football Reference. Feiler is also a free agent after 2020 and not exactly a long-term solution at the position either.

At the very least, the Steelers must address the interior of the offensive line in the 2020 NFL Draft if they hope to have any type of cohesion on the line next season.

With left guard Logan Stenberg from Kentucky, the Steelers would be getting an experienced left guard with the physical tools to become a starter in the NFL. Stenberg is not what you would call a finished product. But in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, finding Day One starters is always going to be a challenge.

Stenberg has a ton of potential. At 6-foot-6, 322-pounds, Stenberg has the raw attributes to play guard at the NFL level. Add a little more weight and he could play center, an important detail when considering the future of Maurkice Pouncey as the starting center in Pittsburgh.

Pouncey has a cumbersome contract and was ranked one of the worst centers in the NFL last season. For a team that is as cap-strained as the Pittsburgh Steelers, this could lead towards Pouncey leaving before his contract expires.

Stenberg has a ton of experience at the left guard position. After playing intermittently during his freshman season, Stenberg has been the starter at left guard since 2017. That’s three solid seasons of work at the college level. His size and intensity make him stand out on film and he does a good job of moving defensive tackles off their paths.

He has been called the most hated player in the SEC, a label he relishes in interviews. He talks about how his style is the way football is “supposed to be played”. During his Combine media appearances, he talked about how he likes his reputation for mean, tough football, bemoaning the “cupcake, pretty boy” football he perceives the game to be heading towards, according to AL.com.

While his attitude may certainly win him a certain level of admiration, his nasty style of play certainly draws the attention of referees on the field. According to The Draft Network, Stenberg committed 14 penalties in 2019, including a personal foul penalty that saw him miss time during last year’s Belk Bowl. His NFL.com scouting profile has him “looking to get away with excessive sneak-holds” as one of his weaknesses.

Those types of penalties may get overlooked in college, but in the NFL he will be held much more accountable. Stenberg has the size and intensity to play the guard position. If he can work on his penalty issues, he could be a long-term starter for the Steelers after 2020. At the very least, he could serve as a competent back-up on the team if he doesn’t pan out as a starter.