David DeCastro might have been the best interior offensive line prospect of the decade and he would have been a big addition to what’s been a poor Steelers’ offensive line for many years. For that reason, it’s very sad to see the 24th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft go down with a knee injury like he did during the Steelers’ 3rd preseason game last week. After the game, it was determined that DeCastro tore his MCL, partially tore his patellar tendon, and dislocated by knee cap. He was given a recovery of 3-5 months and it’s very possible we won’t see him play in an NFL game until 2013.
However, the Steelers are not giving up on him for this season, at least not right now as they are keeping him on the active roster, rather than putting on IR, in hopes that he can give them something come late season and playoff time. Normally that kind of treatment is reserved for elite veteran players, but that just shows how good DeCastro is and how highly the Steelers think of him. Had he been healthy this year, he could have easily been a top-10 guard this season. If his recovery isn’t going well, they won’t hesitate to put him on IR midseason though, which would free up a roster spot.
As long as DeCastro is out, Ramon Foster will continue to start at right guard. Foster was an average player as their right guard last season, but DeCastro would have been an obvious upgrade. Meanwhile, fellow rookie Mike Adams is struggling at left tackle this preseason, so I’m not as high on their young line as I originally was. Also on their young line are two solid young players, 2011 2nd round pick Marcus Gilbert and 2010 1st round pick Maurkice Pouncey, at right tackle and center respectively.
Willie Colon is a veteran at left guard making the position switch from right tackle. He’s looked good this preseason, but he’s played in just 1 game in the last 2 years since being ProFootballFocus’ 5th ranked offensive tackle in 2009. The Steelers will obviously be hoping he stays healthy because their depth is pretty thin with DeCastro going down and Foster having to fill in at right guard. Doug Legursky, who really struggled in limited action last year, would be the left guard if anything happened to Foster.
If you’re interested in doing a fantasy football league with me, here’s the link (no draft date set yet, currently standard, with the option to become PPR with group vote). http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/football/commissioner/Registration/Private.aspx?league=55086&password=FanSpot2
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