Tyler Steen Update

The Eagles did something interesting when they drafted Tyler Steen in the third round recently. They announced him as a guard.

Now, adding to the trenches, @ZzTylerzZ00#NFLDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/AGexYy7FHv

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 29, 2023

That’s not sloppiness. That’s not an accident. They want to use Steen at OG. In the rookie mini-camp, he played RG, a spot that happens to be an open competition. Cam Jurgens is leading the way for now, but his background is at center. He did practice at guard last year so the team has gotten a chance to get a feel for him playing there. Still, they want competition for the spot.

Steen started at RT for Vanderbilt in 2019. He then shifted to LT for 2020 and 2021. Steen transferred to Alabama for 2022 and was the blind-side protector for Bryce Young, the top pick in the draft. He’s played both sides, but always outside.

Steen went to the Senior Bowl when his season was over and was in for a bit of a surprise. Check out this story from Dave Zangaro:

…Steen arrived in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl this winter and was playing a lot more guard than he anticipated.

“I don’t think he was entirely pleased with some of the guard stuff,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said on a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “He made that known and someone came to me. I could just see him the first day and he’s kind of wearing it on his face.”

Nagy just asked Steen to trust him. Steen did.

And the next day, after going through a bunch of interviews with teams the previous night, Steen found Nagy to tell him he was right. Every team he spoke with told him how good it was to see him at guard. Steen realized how much the added versatility boosted his draft status.

The Eagles were one of those teams that wanted to see him at guard.

“Yeah, really valuable,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said. “You get to see him in the SEC playing tackle, and him going from (Vanderbilt) to Alabama I think was a huge growth, and playing left tackle for the University of Alabama, obviously that’s a high-profile position. There have been a lot of NFL players play that position, and you watch him play tackle and he’s had success there.

“Then he moved at the Senior Bowl, he played guard. You could see him moving people off the ball, you could see his athleticism in space.”

Steen had a good showing at the Senior Bowl, playing a variety of positions.

Tyler Steen had some impressive reps lining up at LT, LG, and RT during the Senior Bowl practices pic.twitter.com/ztt5vCDquE

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 4, 2023

I re-watched the Senior Bowl game. Steen played LG for most of his snaps and looked good. He used his arms to lock onto rushers and showed the strength to control them. He was able to get some movement in the run game. He came off the ball well and got up to the second level on some runs. He didn’t always make clean contact, but was athletic enough to get the LBs blocked.

I thought Steen was smart about who to block. Things are different at G than T. There is more traffic, but less space. He showed good awareness and handled the switch well. Steen gave up a couple of pressures on the final drive of the game. They were in a 2-minute offense and he got beat by quick moves from good DTs.

For a guy playing the position for the first time and doing so against good competition, Steen handled himself well. You can see how talented he is.

*****

Steen is 6-6, 321. The Eagles like to take chances on big OL.

• Halapoulivaati Vaitai – 6-6, 325
• Matt Pryor – 6-7, 332
• Jordan Mailata – 6-8, 360
• Landon Dickerson – 6-6, 333

He has the bulk to play inside, but also has good enough footwork to play OT. He did 31 reps at the Combine and you see that upper body strength on tape. He is powerful. Steen is a good athlete for G or T.

Tyler Steen was drafted with pick 65 of round 3 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.94 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 9 out of 1423 OG from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/ABW1rGjQkJ pic.twitter.com/wgWfmApokl

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023

He doesn’t have ideal arm length, at just 32.75 inches. That’s good enough to start at OT, but isn’t an issue at all at OG.

You can see Steen pull from LG here and block on the move.

Tulane RB Tyjae Spears is going to be a Superstar at the Next Level. He was the most dominant player on tape at the senior bowl. His elite vision, ability to change direction, and burst is truly special. pic.twitter.com/pukTgFQvqz

— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) February 4, 2023

We’ve seen Dickerson and Isaac Seumalo do that a lot. Steen looked natural for a guy adjusting to a new position.

We know the Eagles like versatile OL. Steen can start anywhere but center. The Eagles are having him focus on RG for now because that position doesn’t have a returning starter. Steen will likely be cross-trained at OT, but they will have him play RG as much as possible.

If Steen is able to beat out Jurgens for the spot, the Eagles would have Jack Driscoll as the backup OT, Sua Opeta as the backup OG and Jurgens as the backup C. That would allow those players to focus on positions in their training.

There is obviously risk in drafting a LT and moving him to RG. The Eagles see this as a calculated risk. Steen has the size, strength, athleticism and skill to be a good starting OG in the NFL. He lacks experience, but it helps that he has the best teacher in the league, a Mr. Jeff Stoutland.

Steen has played right and left sides so moving won’t be overwhelming to him like it was to Andre Dillard early on. Steen’s father is a retired marine so I’m guessing he can handle tough coaching from Stoutland. Steen initially went to Vanderbilt so I’m guessing he’s smart and can handle the mental challenges of life in the NFL.

If Steen does work out, the Eagles could have an outstanding young core of Mailata-Dickerson-Jurgens-Steen. They’ll go looking for the RT of the future next April. The best way for Jalen Hurts to earn his mega-deal is to keep him healthy and give him time to make plays. Adding a player like Steen will help Hurts to keep making plays.

*****

If you want more Steen, here you go.

Eagles Film Review: Tyler Steen could reasonably be a Week 1 starter

(by @JonnyPage9) https://t.co/cJPbweqys1

— Bleeding Green Nation (@BleedingGreen) May 8, 2023

*****

If you want less Chachere, here  you go.

Eagles have waived S Andre Chachere. pic.twitter.com/mkU7U2wPFj

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 8, 2023

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