Steelers Want Carlos Davis Ready for More Than Defensive Tackle
PITTSBURGH -- Despite the obvious lack of a true nose tackle, the Steelers waited until the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft to add a player with experience at the position.
"I mean, a traditional 3-4 nose tackle, again, I don't want to say it's dying, but it's less and less of base defense," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said following the NFL Draft. "When you're in a defense 75 percent of the time, different sub packages, I don't know if anyone really has a base defense even though you do say you're a 3-4."
So, here they are - heading into whatever phase of the virtual offseason comes next, utilizing a group of players to try and fill the role of departed Javon Hargrave.
Currently, the Steelers' 90-man roster consists of Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, Isaiah Buggs, Chris Wormley, Cavon Walker, Josiah Coatney, Dewayne Hendrix, Henry Mondeaux, Dan McCullers, and Carlos Davis. Of the 11 players, only two have experience playing the traditional nose tackle role.
Which brings us to Davis. Drafted in the final round of the NFL Draft, stepping into a roster at 300-pounds, Davis appears to be the most "traditional" defensive tackle on the roster.
"Carlos at 300 - again, 3 plus, he's 305, 308, could he play inside at nose, sure," Colbert said. "He doesn't have the great length that we had had in that schematic, but also, he can play as a rush defensive tackle like Javon did on the inside. Base defense, I'm sure he will line up at the nose, and then in the sub packages he'll be an inside rusher."
Davis isn't spending time learning a 'dying' position, though. Instead, he's working across the defensive line like the rest of his teammates.
"I was told to know all three positions," Davis said during rookie minicamp last month. "I did play nose in 2018. I played strictly nose. I knew how to play all three positions in college, and they expect me to know all three positions for the Steelers."
Davis said neither position (nose and defensive end) is easy to learn in the NFL. Coming from Nebraska, he's played a similar role on the inside, but he's continuing to learn as he adjusts to the Steelers' playbook.
"The nose is pretty much the same as what I ran in Nebraska. The plays have different meanings," said Davis. "Each system is doing a little bit different. The end spot is a little more different than what I was doing at Nebraska, but the nose is pretty much the same."
However, defensive end will remain a learning experience.
"The end spot for Nebraska was just more of get up field and contain," Davis explained. "With the Steelers, I am just moving a little bit more."
That movement doesn't worry Colbert. At this point, the team is expecting to run defensive tackle-by-committee, which will likely include Davis.
Colbert is aware Davis is a late-round pick, but through scouting he and his brother, Khalil, the Steelers GM isn't worried about Davis struggling to meet the demands of the defensive line.
"Again, when you're running 4.79 at that size and Coach mentioned he threw the shot and discus at Nebraska," Colbert said. "They're very athletic. Again, I'm mentioning he and his brother. But they - I don't know if we've seen the best of those guys yet."
Noah Strackbein is a Senior Writer at AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
