As Steelers try to replace NT Javon Hargrave, value could be found in NFL Draft

In 2016, a rookie third-round draft pick beat out a more established player to win the starting nose tackle job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Javon Hargrave, from Division I FCS South Carolina State, was chosen over Daniel McCullers to fill the void after nose tackle Steve McLendon left via free agency.

Four years later, the Steelers are in a similar predicament. Hargrave played out his rookie contract and struck it rich when the Philadelphia Eagles gave him a three-year, $39 million deal that included $26 million in guaranteed money.

His departure leaves another vacancy in the middle of the defensive line. And, just like in 2016, the Steelers are more apt to award the job to a rookie draft pick rather than turn to McCullers, who remarkably is back for a seventh season despite making just three starts in 73 career appearances.

The moves the Steelers have made since the new league year began March 18 have done little to clarify the nose tackle situation despite several additions to the depth of the line.

The Steelers traded for Baltimore’s Chris Wormley and signed former XFL players Cavon Walker and Dewayne Hendrix, a pure defensive end. Although Wormley is listed on the team website as a nose tackle, general manager Kevin Colbert said this week that Wormley projects as a backup defensive end in the base 3-4 defense and as an interior lineman in subpackages.

With Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt entrenched on the outside and the Steelers playing in their base defense on about 25-30 percent of snaps, Wormley’s best chance for playing time would be in subpackages when a nose tackle isn’t required.

“Chris will be able to give us that along the line, especially in the subpackages, where he’ll be able to provide us play from the inside,” Colbert said. “In the base defense, my assumption is he’ll still be used as a defensive end, but if we have two defensive tackles, he would be one of those in the subpackages.”

Holdovers Tyson Alualu and second-year defensive end Isaiah Buggs could be in line for increased roles along the line, but neither is a prototypical nose tackle.

At 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, Walker is an intriguing possibility. He led the XFL in sacks before the league’s return season was cut short after five games, but players signed from start-up leagues typically are brought on to fill out the 90-man offseason roster and not compete for starting positions.

Which leads the Steelers to the NFL Draft, where they hold six picks and just one of the top 100 selections.

Expectations are the Steelers will take a skill position player with the No. 49 overall pick, and given the amount of time a nose tackle is on the field in their defense, it wouldn’t make sense to use such a high pick on the position. Hargrave, after all, didn’t log more than 50% of the snaps in a season until 2019 and that was because Tuitt missed the final 10 games with a torn pectoral muscle.

Still, in a recent predraft conference call, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. mentioned a few defensive tackles who could be available should the Steelers unexpectedly go in that direction in the second round.

“There really are some good Day 2 guys,” Kiper said.

Kiper’s top four interior pass rushers are Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike, Oklahoma’s Neville Gallimore, TCU’s Ross Blacklock and Missouri’s Jordan Elliott, although several could be gone by the time the Steelers make their first pick.

Madubuike (6-3, 293) was a two-year starter at Texas A&M before leaving with a year of eligibility remaining. He totaled 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in those two seasons.

Gallimore (6-2, 304) spent five years at Oklahoma and started games in all four seasons of eligibility. He was a third-team All-American as a senior.

Blacklock (6-3, 290) returned from an Achilles injury that cost him the 2018 season and had 3½ sacks and nine tackles for loss for TCU.

Elliott (6-4, 302) transferred to Missouri after his freshman year at Texas. He was a two-year contributor and started as a junior in 2019 when he led the Tigers with 10 tackles for loss. He also had three sacks while becoming a second-team All-American.

Later-round possibilities Kiper cited for the Steelers include Ohio State’s DaVon Hamilton (6-4, 320) and Baylor’s James Lynch (6-4, 289). Kiper has a third-round grade on Hamilton and a fourth-round grade on Lynch.

“There are a lot of defensive tackles in this draft that could help the Steelers,” Kiper said.

The question is whether the Steelers will take one or make due with the status quo.