Eagles rookie tackle expected to compete at right guard
Former offensive tackle Tyler Steen will need to learn a whole new position in the NFL, and he has only his tiny arms to blame.
To be fair, nothing about Philadelphia’s third-round pick is small. At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Steen spent three years pushing large men around the SEC, first as a defensive tackle at Vanderbilt, then as an offensive tackle with Alabama.
Steen has the size to play tackle in the NFL but doesn’t have the length. With arms just 32 ¾ inches long, The Eagles believe he’s better suited to play guard. It may sound crazy, but NFL teams prefer tackles with arms at least 34 inches long. Tackles need to keep defenders away from their bodies, and arm length is a legitimate factor.
Expect Steen to compete with Cam Jurgens, the team's second-round pick in 2022, for playing time.
Jurgens is expected to take over for Jason Kelce at center eventually and head coach Nick Sirianni made it clear that Steen will have the opportunity to compete for the right guard position. At worst, Steen’s size and experience should make him an ideal swing tackle, even with his short arms.
Steen understands this, which is why he volunteered to play guard at the Senior Bowl.
In discussing the move with SI.com’s John McMullen, he said, “I feel like I could play across the offensive line, so getting the opportunity to play guard at the Senior Bowl was pretty good. I took the same approach as playing tackle, and it felt pretty comfortable.”
Steen was the seventh tackle taken in the draft. Of the seven, only Peter Skoronski has shorter arms. Tennessee took the former Wildcat with the 11th overall pick but has been non-committal about where he'll play. Of course, the team just spent $29M to bring in LT Andre Dillard, so Skoronski will likely move to guard as well.
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