After trading up with the Seahawks to get to 96th overall, the Steelers selected Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker. With the trade, the Steelers gave up picks No. 99 and No. 216.
Dunker, 22, played right tackle the past three seasons, but the Steelers will start him out as a guard, where his immense power and more appropriate build could be better utilized. He's 6-5 and 319 pounds and is a brutal finisher in his run blocking. He still needs work in pass protection, but the move to guard could help alleviate growing pains in that regard. The transition to the interior of the line isn't something that's scaring Dunker, either.
"At Iowa our tackles play like guards, so the biggest difference is kind of things happen faster, like the point of contact happens a little bit faster at guard compared to tackle," Dunker said via conference call. "But it wasn't a huge transition just because of how we play at Iowa. I also played guard my freshman year."
Dunker's power as a run blocker could really shine with the move to guard. He's a good athlete, earning a 8.56 Relative Athletic Score, so he's not the most dynamic, but can move a lot of bodies. The Steelers crave that for their interior offensive linemen. And now, with Dunker in tow and Mason McCormick going into his third season, the Steelers have exactly what they want.
Dunker could very well go into training camp and earn the starting spot at left guard. With first-round pick Max Iheanachor sticking at tackle, the starting line, from left to right, could be Troy Fautanu, Dunker, Zach Frazier, McCormick and Iheanachor. When including Spencer Anderson,Dylan Cook and Ryan McCollum, the Steelers have pretty decent depth up front.
THE ASYLUM
Third round: Gennings Dunker, guard, Iowa
After trading up with the Seahawks to get to 96th overall, the Steelers selected Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker. With the trade, the Steelers gave up picks No. 99 and No. 216.
Dunker, 22, played right tackle the past three seasons, but the Steelers will start him out as a guard, where his immense power and more appropriate build could be better utilized. He's 6-5 and 319 pounds and is a brutal finisher in his run blocking. He still needs work in pass protection, but the move to guard could help alleviate growing pains in that regard. The transition to the interior of the line isn't something that's scaring Dunker, either.
"At Iowa our tackles play like guards, so the biggest difference is kind of things happen faster, like the point of contact happens a little bit faster at guard compared to tackle," Dunker said via conference call. "But it wasn't a huge transition just because of how we play at Iowa. I also played guard my freshman year."
Dunker's power as a run blocker could really shine with the move to guard. He's a good athlete, earning a 8.56 Relative Athletic Score, so he's not the most dynamic, but can move a lot of bodies. The Steelers crave that for their interior offensive linemen. And now, with Dunker in tow and Mason McCormick going into his third season, the Steelers have exactly what they want.
Dunker could very well go into training camp and earn the starting spot at left guard. With first-round pick Max Iheanachor sticking at tackle, the starting line, from left to right, could be Troy Fautanu, Dunker, Zach Frazier, McCormick and Iheanachor. When including Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook and Ryan McCollum, the Steelers have pretty decent depth up front.
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