If the Steelers are thinking offensive line in the first round of April's NFL Draft, Cordy Glenn might be the guy.
Although he played LT his entire senior year at Georgia, he started 13 games at LG during his junior season, 8 games at guard in his sophomore year, and even practiced some at guard during Senior Bowl workouts where he impressed scouts with his versatility.
Said Glenn at the Combine on which position he'd rather play, "I'm just hoping to get drafted. I'm pretty athletic. Hopefully I can be pretty good at it on the next level. There's not necessarily one I prefer."
All told Cordy Glenn started a Georgia Bulldogs record 50 games in the SEC Conference, so his top-end experience is beyond impressive.
Athleticism and strength were on display the the Combine, too, as he ran a 5.15 second 40-yard dash, good for 6th best among the entire OL grouping and certainly impressive for a man of Glenn's size. On the bench press, Glenn lifted 225-pounds 32 times, 8th best among the 55-linemen present.
When I asked him about the toughest defensive linemen he went up against in college, Glenn answered "It's probably between [Southern California's] Nick Perry and [LSU's] Tyson Jackson. I played pretty well against both of them, actually. In college they kind of threw everybody around, but I'm big and strong, too. People try to bull rush me, but I'm pretty good at sitting down. I just have a big, wide frame, so it's not a problem for me."
Could you see Glenn fitting in at left guard with the Steelers, eating up space between Marcus Gilbert at LT and Maurkice Pouncey at C?
Chris Kemoeatu is the incumbent at LG for Pittsburgh and is signed two more seasons, through 2013, after signing a five year, $20 million dollar deal in the offseason after the Super Bowl 43 victory. Kemoeatu reportedly took less money than the New York Jets offered that year to stay in Pittsburgh. He's started 53-games for the Steelers all told since being drafted in the 6th round out of Utah in 2005.
However, despite his loyalty to the franchise and previous contributions, Kemoeatu battled injuries throughout the 2011 season and had his share of struggles. His mobility did not appear to be what it once was, and the reality is that Kemoeatu could be a salary cap casualty in an offseason where the franchise is looking for free up dollars to keep restricted free agent WR Mike Wallace. 'Big Juicy' has a base salary this year of $3.5 million and could be expendable if offensive line help is on the way in the draft.
A young behemoth like Cordy Glenn could be that help, and if taken would likely compete with current Steelers linemen (albeit restricted free agents at the moment) Ramon Foster and Doug Legursky for two starting guard spots.
And of course, even if Pittsburgh keeps Kemoeatu for another season or two, the guard position could use an influx of high-end talent.
Does Glenn show the mobility that has typically been needed from a Steelers left guard in pulling, isolation blocks? Is new offensive coordinator Todd Haley committed to the run game in the traditional Steelers way of utilizing left guard action?
These are just a couple of the questions Steelers brass needs to answer before pulling the trigger on another offensive lineman in the high rounds of the draft. But a 1st-round talent at guard following in the footsteps of Pouncey in Round 1 in 2009 and Gilbert in Round 2 of 2012 would certainly be a sign that the team is committed to keeping quarterback Ben Roethlisberger cleaner in his final years in town.