For the fourth consecutive season, the Steelers will bring back the same exact starting offensive line in 2018, something unheard of in today's NFL.
But it's unheard of because of free agency. Teams just don't often invest as much money in their line as the Steelers have in their current group of tackles Alejandro Villanueva and Marcus Gilbert, guards Ramon Foster and David DeCastro and center Maurkice Pouncey. The depth also has been impressive, as well, with Chris Hubbard and B.J. Finney starting key games in recent years.
That depth took a big hit this offseason when Hubbard, who made 10 starts last season, mostly in place of Gilbert at right tackle, signed a five-year, $36.5 million contract with Cleveland in March as a free agent. The Steelers couldn't come anywhere close to that deal and will face tough decisions at the end of the 2018 season with Foster and Finney, who both will be free agents.
Do they re-sign Foster, 32, and/or Finney, 26, or try to find a capable replacement in this year's draft? Both Foster and Finney came into the league as undrafted free agents -- as did Hubbard and Villanueva -- showing that the Steelers don't necessarily have to use a high draft pick to fill the spot. That could lead them to select an interior lineman in later rounds with an eye toward the future when the draft is held April 26 through 28.
Jerald Hawkins, a fourth-round pick in 2016, will be expected to be the top backup at tackle, but there's also the fact Hubbard was the team's third center. That's a luxury, to be sure, but if Finney is going to be the top interior backup, the team might need to add a player capable of playing that position as something more than just a fill-in.
The crop of interior linemen in this year's draft is a good one, headed by Notre Dame's Quenton Nelson, who some argue might be the most talented player available. Nelson, a guard, is so good he figures to be selected in the first six or seven picks, a rarity for the position.
Nelson will be long gone by the time the Steelers pick in the first round at 28th overall, and they don't figure to be in the market for a lineman early in the draft regardless. But there's some good value to be had perhaps in the middle rounds, most notably with Ohio State center Billy Price.
Price (6-4, 312 pounds) was considered by many to be the top center prospect in this draft prior to the NFL Scouting Combine. Ironically, it was his body that let him down.
A first-team All-America player who made 55 career starts at Ohio State, Price tore a pectoral muscle while bench-pressing at the combine. The injury won't keep him out of his entire rookie season, but it might force him to miss training camp.
"Getting ready for the bench press, I got into my warmup set, had no problem, no issues," Price said. "(I) got the first rep off, got to the third, thought I was still doing well, felt a pop. Immediately racked it. Something didn’t feel right. I’ve been lifting since I was in the fifth grade. I’m familiar with my body and I try to be very aware of what’s going on. I didn’t feel something right. I grabbed it. Felt a little bit of swelling, a little bit of a pop or a tingle."
It also will likely push him out of the first round of the draft and makes even taking him in the second round questionable. If he's still there in the third, the Steelers would have to be very interested. Price had surgery March 6 to repair the issue.
The question will be if Price lasts that long. He most certainly hopes he does not and feels teams should look at his durability in college if they question his health.
"Playing 55 games at Ohio State, the resume and the body of work is there," Price said. "I have a great relationship with the strength staff back at Ohio State if anybody were to ask, can this kid run? Can this kid move? How’s his bendability? They have all the numbers. They have all the metrics with that."
If the Steelers don't want or get a chance at Price, who else might fit the bill?
Here are my rankings of the interior linemen, taking into account Price's injury:
INTERIOR LINEMAN RANKINGS
1. Quenton Nelson, G, 6-5 329, Notre Dame
2. Will Hernandez, G, 6-2, 348, UTEP
3. James Daniels, C, 6-3, 295, Iowa
4. Isaiah Wynn, G, 6-3, 313, Georgia
5. Connor Williams, G, 6-5, 310, Texas
6. Martinas Rankin, G, 6-5, 305, Mississippi State
7. Billy Price, C, 6-4, 312, Ohio State *
8. Frank Ragnow, C, 6-5, 305, Arkansas
9. Tony Adams, G, 6-2, 322, N.C. State
10. Austin Corbett, G, 6-4, 305, Nevada
*-injured
In later rounds, Will Clapp of LSU or Scott Quessenberry of UCLA both have experience at guard and center and could give the Steelers some flexibility.
Quessenberry has the confidence needed to at least take on the role the Steelers might ask.
"I can play all five positions, I believe," he said. "I'm going to come in, I'm going to work hard, I'm never going to get in trouble, I'm never going to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons. You're going to get someone who is really smart, really intelligent and can help others along the way. Just someone who is a blue-collar worker and a really good football player."