Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Steve McLendon has had no shortage of critics since he entered the starting lineup at nose tackle in 2013, but a growing consensus among analysts of the game find that the majority of those criticisms about his play are misguided, or simply not representative of his play.
There is one criticism, however, that has been all too legitimate, and it is one that he will have to overcome as he enters his final season as an under-30 player—the final year of his three-year, $7.25 million contract, which he signed after a brief flirtation with the Packers, prompting the Steelers to elevate their offer from his restricted free agent tender.