College: Alabama
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 314 pounds
Positives
Assignment Knowledge: At the collegiate level, many lineman have multiple mental mishaps per game that cost their teams a down and possibly a loss of yards. For Steen, that is not the case. Free rushers are a quarterback’s nightmare, but with Steen at guard, that will not be an issue on that side of the interior offensive line. Steen is aware of his assigned defender and proceeds to get in front of him. At the second level in the run game, Steen seldom runs into the fray without being locked on to a defender. He finds his target and charges in to attempt to halt the defender from reaching the ball carrier.
Functional Movement Skills: Steen is a good, not great, mover. Laterally, he is able to keep up with defensive tackles, forcing them to attack him head on as opposed to moseying their way around him. In a panic, Steen is quick enough to move over and, at the very least, slow down a defender that was not picked up by his teammates. From a lateral standpoint, Steen’s only deficiency is overextending, which should be fixed rather easily. In space, Steen can move fluidly between defenders and, if need be, stall two different defenders on a given play.
Negatives
Poor Strength: In every aspect, Steen lacks functional strength. On initial contact, Steen noticeably losses as his upper body is jolted backwards, forcing him to take a step back to recover. A typical NFL defensive tackle will be able to take advantage of such issue. Likewise, he fails to move people as a run blocker. Yes, he gets in the way, but aside from that, he is near useless. He can not clear lanes for his running backs. On a tangent, not only does he lack upper body strength, but his base is subpar. Once he is forced to step back after initial contact, he is forced to rely on his lower body strength, or lack thereof. Defensive tackles with merely average strength will be able to plow Steen over if they get correct leverage.
Play Style: While it may be a product of his short arms (30 ½”) restricting him from being able to get efficient contact (which would still be an issue by itself), Steen plays passively. As a pass blocker, Steen does not seek contact. When run blocking, Steen seeks his man, but does not attack him with any sort of aggression. He allows others to attack first which, considering his lack of upper body strength, leads to Steen losing plays as soon as they begin. As an interior lineman, or professional football player in general, a passive mentality will not fly.
NFL Comparison: Gino Gradkowski, Baltimore Ravens
Although Gradkowski is technically a center, he was drafted as a guard. Considering Steen’s short arms and skill set, he may also be best fit as a center. Gradkowski plays with the same lack of strength and passive mentality that Steen does. At the next level, Steen is also likely a depth player-type talent, if that.
Draft Outlook
Considering he played for a publicized school like Alabama and is a smart player, Steen will certainly be selected. That being said, his poor strength and passive play style makes him worth nothing more than a fifth round pick. He has a slim chance to go before then, but he likely will not. Steen will be drafted as nothing more than an interior offensive line depth player.
Best Fits
The Dallas Cowboys are lacking in the department of interior offensive line aside from Travis Frederick, but even then, there is no depth behind him. Steen can come in as a three-position depth player that acts as insurance in the case of injury.
As of now, there is no true center behind Eric Wood of the Buffalo Bills. Considering he would not have to start, he can smoothly transition to center and become a full time backup center behind Wood.