Before the Draft: Nose Tackle
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DRAFT POTENTIAL:
- Day 1: THAT’S REALLY FUNNY!
- Day 2: STILL SILLY, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE
Today we start taking a look at the Steelers’ defense. The series will run through the end of March.
It didn’t seem possible way back in March of 2000, but a better nose tackle than Joel Steed would emerge in Pittsburgh, and his name was Casey Hampton. The 6′01″ behemoth has held between 315 and 325 pounds his entire career, and he knows how to throw it around better than anyone else at the position. In a 3-4 defense, a huge, ridiculously powerful nose tackle is a must, and Hampton goes beyond prototypical to almost-supernatural.
Filling Steed’s shoes was a big task, but Hampton quickly stepped up and took control of the defensive line. Flanked by Kimo Von Oelhoffen and Arron Smith most of his career, the three put together one of the best run-stuffing groups in recent memory, consistently ranking in the top five in the league in yards per carry against.
Hampton is a special player. Alongside Troy Polamalu, Alan Faneca, Ben Roethlisberger and, to a slightly lesser extend Hines Ward, Hampton is without a doubt one of a small group of players who are simply indispensable.
Behind Hampton is Chris Hoke. The funny thing about the situation is that Hoke could easily be starting for a number of teams. His size is largely comparable to that of Hampton but his technique leaves a little to be desired. Granted, displacing Hampton in the lineup would be a titanic task, both figuratively and literally, but Hoke certainly has the skills to step up when needed and is more than an adequate replacement for Hampton if needed.
Basically, a 3-4 Steelers defense simply doesn’t need another nose tackle. The big question mark here, though, is how much 4-3 Mike Tomlin is going to introduce into the playbook. While these two would make a good 4-3 defensive line into a phenomenal defensive line, playing them both at the same time makes for a dramatically increased chance of disaster through injury. If the team will utilize a 4-3 defense in any way, shape or form, they will need to find a third tackle for their roster. So here’s a tell-tale sign of what the team plans to do defensively for the 2007 season: if they draft a defensive tackle or sign one of the free agents available, they will utilize the 4-3 defense to some extent. If not, this season will remain strictly 3-4. Without a third option, there is no way they can run a 4-3 without it carrying an immense risk.
If a nose tackle is drafted, don’t expect it on day one. With the kind of talent the team already has at the position, they would be drafting a 3rd-string player, at least for 2007. That’s because Hoke’s contract runs out after the 2007 season. Hampton is locked in through 2009, and his salaray cap numbers actually decrease after this season.
Expect the Steelers to start looking at nose tackles no sooner than round five. That puts players like Kansas State’s Quintin Echols (6′01″, 328 pounds) or Florida’s Joe Cohen (6′03″, 313 pounds) on the map for Pittsburgh. Neither of them posess the kind of strength Hampton has, but then again few players in the league do — at the Pro Bowl strength competition, Hampton was bested only by Larry Allen, who managed to lift the 225-pound bar a mere one more time than Hampton. But Echols matches Hampton pound for pound, while Cohen’s smaller size would make him a more likely fit in a 4-3 scheme.
A switch to more 4-3 isn’t very predictable until next season, even if a defensive tackle is drafted this season. The team will likely experiment with it if a third tackle is added, but the tell-tale sign of more dramatic change in defensive philosophy will be whether they re-sign Hoke next year.
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