He hasn't gotten to the point where fans chant his name yet after every catch -- maybe because his first name doesn't roll off the tongue quite like "Heath -- but Steelers tight end Vance McDonald has established himself as a fan favorite with his physical style of play.
He's easily the team's best tight end since the beloved Heath Miller roamed opposing secondaries.
But it's that same physical style of play that also causes McDonald to get nicked up at times. And that became an interesting proposition for the Steelers when No. 2 tight end Jesse James was signed by the Lions to a four-year, $22.6-million contract in free agency earlier this year.
With James gone and McDonald's injury history -- he missed at least one game in each of his six NFL seasons -- the Steelers have a hole at their backup tight end position.
Xavier Grimble is back, but hasn't shown the consistency yet to be handed the No. 2 job. Bucky Hodges spent the year on the practice squad last season, while promising youngster Jake McGee was on injured reserve, but the Steelers could certainly add another high profile body to the position in this year's draft, which begins April 25.
That's especially true considering that with the trade of Antonio Brown to the Raiders, the Steelers might want to use the tight end even more in the passing game than they did a year ago, when McDonald and James combined for 80 receptions for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns.
This is a great year to be in the market for tight ends. In fact, many consider Iowa tight end TJ Hockenson -- who has drawn comparisons to Kansas City's Travis Kelce -- a top-10 prospect in this draft. And he's hardly alone in terms of talented tight ends available this year, as 15 to 20 are expected to be selected and stick on NFL rosters in 2019.
But while everyone is looking for the next Rob Gronkowski, Kelce, Zach Ertz or George Kittle, realize none of those talented tight ends were first-round selections.
That's good news for the Steelers, who will probably be looking for help at the position in the middle rounds -- unless Hockenson would somehow fall to the 20th pick in the draft, where the Steelers will make their first selection.
While Hockenson, Iowa teammate Noah Fant and Alabama's Irv Smith Jr. are considered the top three tight ends available this year, they're hardly alone in terms of players who can come in and contribute early on.
Stanford's Kaden Smith, San Diego State's Kahale Warring and Mississippi's Dawson Knox all could hear their names called before the second day of the draft ends. And they could be joined by Jace Sternberger of Texas A&M and Josh Oliver of San Jose State at a position that is one of the deepest in the draft.
Finding the right fit will be critical. The Steelers prefer tight ends who aren't just bulked up receivers, which is why a guy such as Oliver has drawn their interest.
While Oliver (6-foot-5, 249 pounds) had 98 receptions for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns in college, he's also considered a solid blocker. But his 4.63-second 40-yard dash time also opened some eyes to his athleticism and ability to work down the seam.
"I think that’s a huge part of my game, the versatility I have," Oliver said. "I’m able to be spread out wide, be in the slot, in tight with a hand on the ground. I think that’s something I can take to an NFL team.
"If you look at any good tight end they are able to attack the seam in the NFL. All those guys are versatile. They’re able to beat you in the pass game but also be viable run-blockers too.”
Another tight end who could interest the Steelers is Foster Moreau of LSU. While he didn't garner a lot of numbers in the passing game -- the Tigers don't exactly have a wide open passing offense -- Moreau did catch 52 passes for 609 yards and six touchdowns.
But the 6-foot-4, 254-pound Moreau showed up prominently as a run blocker and then opened eyes at the NFL Scouting Combine with his athleticism. He ran a 4.66 40-yard dash and had a 36.5-inch vertical jump, while doing the 60 and 20-yard shuttles in 7.16 and 4.11 seconds, respectively. Those were all among the best numbers at the position, showing Moreau has the capability to be more than just an extra blocker.
"They didn't expect me to do that," Moreau told The Advocate of Baton Rogue recently. "That was not expected because I haven't shown that on my game tape, which is apparent. But it's fun to get out there, raise questions. Not prove people wrong, but just kind of take people aback, be a pleasant surprise."
In later rounds, West Virginia's Trevon Wesco has the blocking skills the Steelers desire in their tight ends. In fact, Wesco might be the best pure blocker at the tight end position in this draft. But he was barely used in the passing game at WVU, catching 28 passes for 366 yards and two scores in three seasons, with 26 of those receptions coming in 2018.
Wesco has some versatility to his game, as well. He lineup up in the backfield as a fullback quite a bit at WVU and also did so at the Senior Bowl.
"They like me at tight end. It just helps that I can play fullback also," Wesco said of the NFL teams he has spoken to. "I can line up back there also so I am a kind of a two-for-one kind of a deal."
