First – why sign with Pittsburgh and how did that occur?
I was a free agent and was just at home working out, honestly, when I got a call from my agent saying Pittsburgh wanted me to come in. I had a tryout for the Bears in June but that didn’t work out. I went to Pittsburgh and passed the physical and am hitting the ground running and have my nose in the playbook now.
You’ve got some stuff that you do for the community outside of football right?
I have a scholarship program I do every June and a backpack drive as well back home. I started those my rookie year. I don’t have a foundation yet but that’s the goal eventually.
I know you’ve worked a lot with Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer. What has he helped you with and what about him stands out in terms of his success as a coach?
He’s a great coach and a great developer of talent. I saw him bring a number of rookies in and he made them better. I came in from a small school as an undrafted free agent- he took a chance on me. One thing about him is he’s never complacent – he worked with Okung and Pouncey and coached them as hard as he did the rookies. He was the brains of the room and studied as much as we did to find anything that would help us get better.
Do you know any players on team – anyone you are close to or lined up against that you recall?
I trained with Duke Manyweather in Dallas with Dotson and Dan Moore – so those are two familiar faces. Nate Gilliam too. And I played against Heyward in 2019 which was pretty cool. He’s a great player who’s played at a high level for a long time.
Do you look at lineup and think about the opportunity at offensive tackle?
Not really. Personally I think in any situation there’s competition. I always think about it as “How can I make myself better?” When the opportunity is there I just have to be ready to execute. Of course I want to go in and start – I’ll play my tail off to get there.
Pittsburgh seems intent on establishing a more physical running game with Najee and some RPO – how does your style fit in with that?
I think it fits my background. They are tough and mean upfront and that’s my style. I’ve watched the Steelers and they always have a physical run game an solid run defense. I think I fit in well with that.
Injuries, smaller school then being an UDFA – a lot was stacked up against you but here you are. How has that journey impacted you now as a pro?
God is good! I was a walk-on at Grambling as well. Every step there’s adversity but I look at it as a challenge and not a setback.
I tell undrafted free agents – you’ll get an opportunity. One will always present itself – I believe in that. Just don’t fold on it. You have to be ready to execute. It’s my job to be ready to execute no matter what.
“No moment too big” was something many coaches said about you. How, especially from a smaller school like Grambling State, have you been able to find and maintain that composure?
I keep the tempo in my head. I study a lot and know the gameplan. I make the week the hardest part so on Sundays it just comes down to playing football.
When I hear the National Anthem – I still get goosebumps. I’m thankful, but when the clock hits and it’s time to run, I keep it football. I learned that from Philip Rivers. He was a great leader and as a rookie he really helped me that way.
Good segue. You blocked for some experienced quarterbacks like Rivers – what changes for you as a lineman blocking for younger, less experienced quarterbacks like Trubisky or Pickett?
Our job is to make their job easier. They have a lot on their plate reading defenses and running the offense. It’s my job to take the pressure off the quarterback’s plate. If I give them a clean pocket and open up holes in the running game – that helps them. That’s my job – to help make them more comfortable.
I have also seen many speak to how well you take and seek coaching – what are you best at right now as a tackle – and what do you need to work on most?
I think for my strength – I’m good with my hands and am aggressive when I need to be. I like to take the fight to the other guy when I can.
There are always things to work on too. You always need to be consistent with your footwork. That’s my biggest goal – to be consistent. To get to the spot, my hands and footwork…. It just takes one or two bad plays to have a bad game. I just need to focus on the small things and do them the right way.
What does success look like for you this season?
For me, success means becoming the starter, and of course, winning football games.
When I played Pee Wee Football the Steelers were my team – same logo and uniform! Now things have come full circle. We have a great head coach – I’ve always kept up with the team and want to add to them winning games and to win a Super Bowl.
Lastly, what should we know about you that has nothing to do with football?
I have a beautiful two-year old daughter and have been married for a year – my anniversary is July 10th. My daughter turns three in October.
In my spare time I love to grill – I have a big Green Egg and love to grill ribs, chicken, pulled pork.
You know the Steelers defensive linemen have a cook-off right?
Oh I’ll see if I can bring my stuff to the cook-off. I hear the offensive linemen are good too. J.C. Hassenauer – I saw his stuff and his beef ribs! He gave me some ideas. We have a challenge there!
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