Vance McDonald kept his impending retirement to himself during the season, only informing some of his teammates in the moments following the team's playoff loss to the Browns that he was hanging up his cleats.
McDonald's retirement leaves a pretty good-sized hole in the Steelers' lineup.
That's especially true for a team that is intent on running the ball better in 2021. They have a receiving tight end in Eric Ebron. What they might not have is a true No. 2 blocking tight end behind Ebron, whose blocking is, well, more suspect than the Pirates' starting pitching staff.
The Steelers have former fifth-round pick Zach Gentry, practice squad player Kevin Rader and journeymen Dax Raymond and Charles Jones on the roster behind Ebron. There's not a lot of experience there.
The Steelers could look to fill that void in the NFL Draft, which will be held April 29 through May 1.
They won't have a shot at the position's top prospect, Florida's Kyle Pitts, who some believe might be the best non-quarterback available this year.
At 6-6, 245 pounds, Pitts ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He's got size, speed and is a willing blocker, to boot. He's probably the best tight end prospect to come into the NFL in decades, profiling better than many of the receivers in recent years.
"I think you can make a strong case he's the best player in the draft," said NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. "I have him as the third-best player right now. When I update it, and I've seen a lot more going through all these defensive players, I just watched all these corners, and I'm watching these corners with first-, second-, third-round draft grades in the SEC and they can't cover the guy."
Pitts had 43 catches for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games in 2020.
Penn State's Pat Freiermuth is widely considered the No. 2 tight end in this draft and while he's not nearly as athletic as Pitts, he was just as big a part of the Nittany Lions' passing game -- when he played. A back injury that required surgery limited him to just four games in 2020 and kept him from testing at Penn State's pro day. But he had 23 receptions for 310 yards and a touchdown in that limited playing time.
Closing fast on Freiermuth to be perhaps the second tight end taken are Miami's Brevin Jordan and Notre Dame's Tommy Tremble.
Jordan (6-3, 247) isn't a great blocker, but offers some down-the-field receiving skills, while Tremble could be the pick for teams looking for a better blocking tight end.
At 6-3, 241 pounds, Tremble is a bit undersized, but the Fighting Irish used him as their primary blocker, first behind Cole Kmet, then behind freshman sensation Michael Mayer in 2020. Because of that, Tremble managed just 35 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons, but he tested very well at Notre Dame's pro day, including running a 4.60 40-yard dash.
"Tommy Tremble from Notre Dame, who's the best blocking tight end in the draft who also is really, really explosive and dynamic, has some upside as a receiver," said Jeremiah. "(He) just didn't get a lot of targets, didn't get a lot of balls. But really, really explosive."
One player who didn't have a lot of trouble with targets was Hunter Long of Boston College. His 88 targets in 2020 were 30 more than any other tight end in the country and he caught 57 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns. But like many receiving tight ends, his blocking is sub-par.
In later rounds, Michigan's Nick Eubanks, Dylan Soehner of Iowa State or Ohio State's Luke Farrell might interest the Steelers as more in-line blocking types. All were used more in that role at their respective colleges, though there might be more there for them as receivers, particularly Eubanks and Farrell.
Lolley's Tight End Rankings
1. Kyle Pitts, Florida
2. Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
3. Tommy Tremble, Notre Dame
4. Brevin Jordan, Miami (Fla.)
5. Hunter Long, Boston College
6. Kenny Yeboah, Mississippi
7. Tony Poljan, Virginia
8. Nick Eubanks, Michigan
9. Noah Gray, Duke
10. Tre’ McKitty, Georgia
Also See
Lolley's Defensive Line Rankings
Lolley's Edge Rusher Rankings
Lolley's Wide Receiver Rankings
Lolley's Quarterback Rankings