Of the nine players the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted this weekend, the only selection we didn’t already have a draft profile for – and credit to our awesome team for their work – was 7th round pick Derwin Gray, offensive tackle out of Maryland.
So with the draft over, we had time to go back through some of Gray’s tape and get a feel for what the Steelers are getting with him. Our scouting report on him, followed by a tape breakdown and final thoughts below.
#55 Derwin Gray/OT Maryland: 6’4/4 320
The Good
– Great frame, excellent length (34 3/8 inch arms) with thick thighs and bubble butt
– Excellent play and grip strength, controls blockers when he plays with proper hand placement and ability to steer defenders out of their gap
– Plays with an attitude and desire to finish his blocks, plays through whistle and has some nasty to his game
– Runs his feet as a drive blocker and able to expand defenders, sets his hips to seal edge players and create inside lane, able to overwhelm and engulf smaller opponents
– Creates movement on his down blocks in the run game
– Hands and feet work in sync in pass protection, maintains a good base that doesn’t narrow and shows good knee bend
– Surprising snap out of his stance on his kickslide, gets to his spot and builds his house quickly
– Size makes him tough for pass rushers to go around even if they gain initial advantage
– Potential to become tackle/guard versatile
– Shows recognition and ability to pick up blitzers off the edge
– Seemingly good character who stayed on the straight and narrow
The Bad
– Has trouble hitting his target when climbing to the second level as a run blocker, misses with punch and easy for linebackers to slip by
– Will lunge at some of his blocks and drop his eyes, making him prone to falling off
– Needs to show consistent hand placement and better deal with bull rushes, can punch too high and/or with hands outside, exposing his chest and getting run back in the pocket without being able to anchor
– Attempts to re-punch his hands but struggles with placement when he loses initially
– Saw most time at one spot (left tackle) will have to show versatility as backup in the NFL
– Only average starting experience
– Below average athletic testing
– Older than most prospects (about to turn 24)
Bio
– 25 career starts for the Terps
– 22 starts the last two years, including all 12 games in 2017
– All starts came at left tackle but saw time on the right side in unbalanced formations
– Redshirt senior who spent first year out of HS at Fork Union Military Academy
– Underwent knee surgery in summer after junior year
– Missed two games in September of 2018 (Texas & Temple)
– Has young daughter
Tape Breakdown
I made the reference to Ramon Foster in the title for this reason.