The Steelers' selection of James Conner in the third round was not just a feel-good pick, it was a pick that fits the bill of what they're doing on offense. Conner made his name in the NCAA as a downhill runner who kept his head up and could combine his ability to make opponents miss with his strength to bowl them over.
Like Le'Veon Bell, his assets don't involve elite speed that leads to insane breakaways. Instead, Conner's big runs come when he is able to follow lead blockers into open spaces and win one-on-one battles with defenders in those spaces.
Bell's skill set allows for the Steelers' offensive line to run a lot of zone-blocking schemes that leave it to him to pick his way through the holes. While Conner could succeed in these looks, his style is one that benefits more from having lead blockers, whether they're fullbacks or pulling guards.
Take a look at this counter he broke against Clemson last season. He sets up his path by squeezing behind the line as it leads to the left, but follows the fullback right into the C-gap for the big gain:
The fullback doesn't make a great block in front of Conner here. But his presence is often a security blanket for running backs in this situation as they see who they are supposed to follow and know that the first defender who approaches the gap will meet said security blanket.
This leads to the halfback being able to build momentum and run forward without worrying about having to make people miss so that he can pick up speed and be that much harder for opponents to bring down once he's in space.
And Conner is the type of player who can take momentum and create havoc for opposing defenses with it.
He's very much the power runner who isn't afraid to throw his shoulder down and plow right into defenders while keeping his feet churning to win the battle for momentum.
Sometimes Conner just needs to set his sights on a space created by his line, even when the fullback isn't leading the way. Take this goal line touchdown for example, when he buried his shoulder into Virginia Tech linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka:
Pitt's front line does a good job creating space for Conner, but Motuapuaka is still sitting right in the space that Conner wants to attack. Conner doesn't take that as a deterrent that would force him to bounce this run to the outside, he takes it as a challenge that he wants to confront and defeat.
That kind of attitude will pay off when you're given the space to build momentum and win those one-on-one type of battles. Fortunately for Conner, he was drafted by the Steelers; an organization that has a thriving crew of offensive linemen who will spend their third consecutive season with the same starters.
This crew and the schemes that they run when they want to provide lead blockers for Bell are a dangerous mix. Bell's brilliance is that he can use his insanely quick feet to work faster than his mind can think and just flow into spaces that he feels opening with his instincts.
But the Steelers' offensive line doesn't need to let him do all the work, as it is more than capable of creating wide-open holes with power runs and counter traps that allow any running back to just run downhill and look to take on whatever defender gets in their way.
This is where Conner will find a way to feel right at home with this Steelers' offense. Their offense has several different looks that can put him in more power run situations.
For example, take this play in which the Steelers pull Alejandro Villanueva as a lead blocker and give Bell an isolated look at the Ravens' All-Pro linebacker, Zachary Orr:
Bell does what Conner would aim to do in this situation, and that's absolutely bury Orr in the turf of Heinz Field. This is a very straightforward running play for the running back, who just has to run forward, remember his assignment and keep his head up when he hits the hole so he can see which player he has to beat.
But the Steelers also have a very solid fullback on their roster in Roosevelt Nix. Nix is a big and physical player who looks to not only fulfill his assignment but deliver punishment to anyone who gets in his way.
A mix of Conner and Nix could be a recipe for disaster to opposing defenses that aren't able to break through the Steelers' offensive line and have to rely on their untouched linebackers and secondary to deal with two physical downhill running backs.
Take another example from when the Steelers ran out of the I-formation with Nix acting as Bell's lead blocker. Bell doesn't have to employ his quick feet or make any of the amazing decisions he's known to make in the hole; all he has to do is follow his lead blocker and run hard in the hole:
Nix puts a great block on Orr and completely eliminates him from the equation, leaving Bell open to gain a first down on the play. This is absolutely something that fits the bill of what Conner could benefit from in the NFL.
Every rookie who gets an opportunity to play in the NFL will have obstacles to overcome and aspects of his game that are impossible for anyone outside of the team to identify. Some overcome them quickly with their natural talents, some work hard over time to eliminate their problems, and others never develop and flame out of the NFL.
What the tape shows of Conner is that his running style could be a solid fit for the power running style that the Steelers' offensive line sometimes exhibits as a change-of-pace for Bell. If the time comes that Conner has to carry the load, or if the Steelers just want to allow Conner to be their short-yardage power back, this could be the challenge the rookie from Pitt will confront.
While all this does seem exciting, do not expect Conner to get a healthy amount of plays called for him throughout the season if Bell is healthy. Bell rarely seems to tire, even when he's getting the ball repeatedly over several series. Conner may serve more as a spot player who comes in for short-yardage situations or when Mike Tomlin feels it is time to give his superstar running back a breather.
That being said, there might not be a better group for Conner to run behind if he were to get limited opportunities on any NFL team.
Conner's journey through the NFL could start off with a bang if he stays healthy and gets the opportunities to run behind some of the power running schemes that the Steelers' offensive line excels at operating.