Anatomy of the Steelers drafts is an ongoing series leading up to the NFL Draft which examines the successes and failures of past Pittsburghdraft choices.
Todays article focuses on the Steelers 2014 sixth round draft pick, Daniel McCullers.
Easily one of the largest athletes during his time in college, and also now in the pros, McCullers has been playfully called many nicknames, including Big Dan and Shade Tree. The Steelers made waves by selecting the massive defensive tackle, and four-year starter with the Volunteers, in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
McCullers NFL.com Draft Profile is intriguing to look back on:
A big-boned, short-area plugger with some underachiever traits, McCullers has raw tools that could become special if he learns to harness the innate strength in his body and pairs with a DL coach who can refine his mechanics.
But thats not what stands out the most: NFL.com listed McCullers as a projected second/third round pick. Landing him several rounds later was a tremendous value, of course depending on where the Steelers had him on their own draft board.
The need was a great one. The Steelers were still attempting to replace several outstanding defensive linemen. Defensive end Aaron Smith retired early. Casey Hampton played a full career, but his potential suitors hadnt panned out. Pittsburgh was also trying to move on from Brett Keisel (who hadnt re-signed with the team until August of the same year).
While Cameron Heyward was a shining star, several other picks were underwhelming. Nick Williams, Rashon Harris, Thadeus Gibson and Doug Worthington are long forgotten names in Pittsburgh. Thats okay because most of those players were late round flyers. However, a bigger investment was made in the fourth round of 2012 (two seasons earlier) with the selection of nose tackle Alameda Taamu. Taamu was to inherit Hamptons role on the defense but found himself on-and-off of the roster due to off-field issues.
With Stephon Tuitt arriving earlier in the same draft as McCullers, the Steelers could now focus on a traditional defensive tackle. Big Dan would be that pick.
As the compensatory selections started in the sixth round, the New York Jets took WR Quincy Enunwa off the board, while two picks before Pittsburgh was on the clock, the Jets struck again by drafting QB Tajh Boyd. Boyd would later go to camp with the Steelers but never took a preseason snap.
OT Mitchell Van Dyk is another player who would enter a Steelers camp but would get picked following the selection of McCullers. Tight end Rob Blanchflower would be selected shortly around the same time by Pittsburgh (several picks later in the seventh round) while the only other player of note is Green Bay Packers WR Jeff Janis.
2017 could be the make or break year for McCullers NFL career. McCullers story has yet to be fully written, but he enters the last year of his rookie deal this season, after being passed over for starting roles by former Steeler Steve McLendon and 2016 third round draft pick Javon Hargrave. Big Dan finds himself as more of a situational player (i.e. goal line packages) and a special teams player than an effective every down player. In McCullers defense, Pittsburgh hasnt used a true 3-4 package for more than 1/3 of their defensive plays in years. In a pass happy league, linemen are often removed for defensive backs to cover receivers. This further limits the time McCullers has seen on the field and could make his render his services obsolete in the near future.
Founder and Head Writer of Steel City Underground. Crusher of trolls. Voice of reason. Cant decide whether I like the Steelers more than craft beer. Why do I have to choose?
Original post:
Anatomy of the Steelers drafts: Daniel McCullers - Steel City Underground (blog)
- Chocolate Artistry [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 4th, 2010]
- La Cabeza Circuitoide [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2010]
- Stuntkid: Anatomically Correct [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2010]
- "The Secret Museum" Exhibition Opening, Observatory, This Saturday, April 10, 7-10 PM [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- "The Secret Museum" Exhibition Opening, Observatory, This Saturday, April 10, 7-10 PM [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Flat Surgery [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 7th, 2010]
- Job Opportunities at the Medical Museion, University of Copenhagen [Last Updated On: April 9th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 9th, 2010]
- "The Secret Museum" Exhibition Opening, Observatory, TONIGHT! April 10, 7-10 PM [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- Animal Body Worlds at the Neunkirchen Zoo, Saarland, Germany [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2010]
- Congress for Curious People: Lectures Begin Tomorrow Night at the Coney Island Museum! [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- Job Opportunities at the Medical Museion, University of Copenhagen [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- Animal Body Worlds at the Neunkirchen Zoo, Saarland, Germany [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- "The Secret Museum" Exhibition Opening, Observatory, TONIGHT! April 10, 7-10 PM [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- Anatomic Fashion Friday: Skeleton Bodysuit [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- Diabetes Ads [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- Anatomia del corpo humano [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2010]
- "The Brading Collection of Taxidermy, Waxworks, Costume and Similar Items," Duke's Auction House, Dorset, April 13th (Today!) [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2010]
- Anatomy Pillow [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2010]
- A Brief History of Automata, An Illustrated Lecture and Demonstration by Mike Zohn, Obscura Antiques and Oddities, TONIGHT! Coney Island Museum [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2010]
- "The Brading Collection of Taxidermy, Waxworks, Costume and Similar Items," Duke's Auction House, Dorset, April 13th (Today!) [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2010]
- A Brief History of Automata, An Illustrated Lecture and Demonstration by Mike Zohn, Obscura Antiques and Oddities, TONIGHT! Coney Island Museum [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2010]
- Hip Pockets [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2010]
- "A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science and Bad Taste," An Illustrated Presentation By Dr. Pat Morris, Congress for Curious People, Coney Island Museum [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- “Wild Anatomy” by Rachel “Thirsty Fly” Caldwell [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- Charles Wilson Peale and the Birth of the American Museum, Coney Island Museum, Tonight!!! [Last Updated On: April 16th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- "The Congress for Curious People," Epic 2-Day Symposium Begins Tomorrow!!! [Last Updated On: April 16th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- "A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science and Bad Taste," An Illustrated Presentation By Dr. Pat Morris, Congress for Curious People, Coney Island Museum [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2010]
- Charles Wilson Peale and the Birth of the American Museum, Coney Island Museum, Tonight!!! [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2010]
- "The Congress for Curious People," Epic 2-Day Symposium Begins Tomorrow!!! [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2010]
- Anatomic Fashion Friday: Lady Grey Jewelry [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2010]
- "Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads" Book and Lecture by Stephen Asma, Thursday April 22, Observatory [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- "The Silken Web: The Erotic World of Paris, 1920-1946," Mel Gordon Lecture at Observatory, Tomorrow April 20th [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- Marylin Monroe Exposed [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- The Dance of Death, 1919, Attributed to Josef Fenneker [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- "Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads" Book and Lecture by Stephen Asma, Thursday April 22, Observatory [Last Updated On: April 21st, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2010]
- "The Silken Web: The Erotic World of Paris, 1920-1946," Mel Gordon Lecture at Observatory, Tomorrow April 20th [Last Updated On: April 21st, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2010]
- The Dance of Death, 1919, Attributed to Josef Fenneker [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2010]
- Military Docs Pluck Live Shell From Soldier’s Head [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 21st, 2010]
- "The Rogue Taxidermy Kunstkammer," The Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, La Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- "Museums, Monsters and the Moral Imagination" Lecture by Stephen Asma, Tonight!, Observatory [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- "The Rogue Taxidermy Kunstkammer," The Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, La Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles [Last Updated On: April 23rd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 23rd, 2010]
- "Museums, Monsters and the Moral Imagination" Lecture by Stephen Asma, Tonight!, Observatory [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 23rd, 2010]
- Feminal Artery [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 23rd, 2010]
- Anatomic Fashion Friday: Penis Trousers [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- The First Full Facial Transplant [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2010]
- "Anatomical Art: Dissection to Illustration," Exhibition Curated by Marie Dauenheimer, Arlington, Virginia [Last Updated On: April 26th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2010]
- "Anatomical Art: Dissection to Illustration," Exhibition Curated by Marie Dauenheimer, Arlington, Virginia [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2010]
- John C. Miller [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 27th, 2010]
- "Three Unique Medical Museums in Northern Italy," Lecture by Marie Dauenheimer, Observatory, Saturday May 1 [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- This Is Spinal Tape [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- "Excellent Old-School Science Models," Life Magazine Photo Gallery [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- "Three Unique Medical Museums in Northern Italy," Lecture by Marie Dauenheimer, Observatory, Saturday May 1 [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2010]
- "Excellent Old-School Science Models," Life Magazine Photo Gallery [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2010]
- Ventricle Vase [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2010]
- "Imaging / Imagining the Skeleton," Symposium, Tomorrow, Friday, April 30, 1:00-4pm, CUNY Graduate Center [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- Synthetic Being [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- Tomorrow Night at Observatory! "Three Unique Medical Museums in Northern Italy," Lecture by Marie Dauenheimer [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- "Imaging / Imagining the Skeleton," Symposium, Tomorrow, Friday, April 30, 1:00-4pm, CUNY Graduate Center [Last Updated On: May 1st, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 1st, 2010]
- Tomorrow Night at Observatory! "Three Unique Medical Museums in Northern Italy," Lecture by Marie Dauenheimer [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 1st, 2010]
- UIC’s Biomedical Visualization Program on CBS [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 1st, 2010]
- Kim Joon [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 1st, 2010]
- Head of Discovery and Engagement, Wellcome Library, Employment Opportunity [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2010]
- Talking While Driving [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2010]
- "Experimenting with Death: An Introduction to Terror Management Theory," Lecture, Observatory, Thursday May 6 [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2010]
- Skin Drawings [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2010]
- Kabinett des Grotesken ("Cabinet of the Grotesque"), Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, Spiegel Online [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2010]
- Head of Discovery and Engagement, Wellcome Library, Employment Opportunity [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2010]
- "Experimenting with Death: An Introduction to Terror Management Theory," Lecture, Observatory, Thursday May 6 [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2010]
- Kabinett des Grotesken ("Cabinet of the Grotesque"), Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, Spiegel Online [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2010]
- WAD Magazine [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2010]
- "The Saddest Object in the World," An Illustrated Meditation, Observatory, Friday, May 7th [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- "An Atlas of Topographical Anatomy after Plane Sections of Frozen Bodies," Christian Wilhelm Braune, 1877 [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- The Taxidermy of Mr. Walter Potter and his Museum of Curiosities, Melissa Milgrom [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- Industrial Strength Lungs [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- The Taxidermy of Mr. Walter Potter and his Museum of Curiosities, Melissa Milgrom [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- Tonight!!! "Experimenting with Death: An Introduction to Terror Management Theory," Lecture, Observatory [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- Original Fritz Kahn Posters and Key Booklet, Sotheby's Vintage Posters Auction, May 13 [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2010]
- "The Saddest Object in the World," An Illustrated Meditation, Observatory, Friday, May 7th [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2010]
- "An Atlas of Topographical Anatomy after Plane Sections of Frozen Bodies," Christian Wilhelm Braune, 1877 [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2010]
- Tonight!!! "Experimenting with Death: An Introduction to Terror Management Theory," Lecture, Observatory [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2024] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2010]