Patrick Graham is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new defensive coordinator. He’s got a lot of experience in that role, holding that title with multiple teams since 2019. The Steelers’ defense has a lot of talent, but it underperformed last year, and many blame that on the coaching staff. Graham has a chance to bring that group back to greatness. While he hasn’t been with the team for very long, he shared the one aspect of the roster that has him most excited.
“The size, the mass of the human beings that we have lined up out there,” Graham said Friday on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “This is what you envision in terms of your defense to look like, in terms of length, size, mass.
“They’re just big men. Every time I’ve met one of them, most of them are all bigger than me, and I’m not a small guy, but they dwarfed me. And I’m like, yes, this is exactly what I want it to look like.”
Graham played along the defensive line at Yale, so that speaks to how big he is. However, the Steelers’ roster is full of huge human beings, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Isaiahh Loudermilk is listed as their tallest defensive player at 6-7′, although he’s a pending free agent, so Graham might not get to coach him. The Steelers have plenty of other large defenders, though.
Cam Heyward is listed at 6-5′ and 295 pounds. He’s been one of the Steelers’ best players for years, and if he doesn’t retire, then he should be a key figure in Graham’s defense. Yahya Black is also 6-5′, but he weighs even more than Heyward, being listed at 336 pounds. Derrick Harmon isn’t much smaller than him, either, coming in at 6-4′ and 313 pounds.
The Steelers don’t just have size along their defensive line, though. Linebackers Payton Wilson, Jack Sawyer, Alex Highsmith, and T.J. Watt are all 6-4, and defensive backs Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey are both over six feet tall, too.
The Steelers’ defense doesn’t lack physical traits. However, that doesn’t always equate to success on the field. It’s up to Graham and the rest of the coaching staff to put the players in positions to succeed. Graham hasn’t had a lot of talent to work with in recent years, but that shouldn’t be a problem now.
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