The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line took a hit this offseason with Isaac Seumalo leaving in free agency. That creates a hole for the team at left guard. The Steelers have several options to replace Seumalo, including rookie Gennings Dunker. While he was primarily an offensive tackle in college, he figures to transition to guard in the NFL. Even though he was a third-round pick, Charlie Batch sees shades of Steelers great Alan Faneca in Dunker.
“Dunker has all the physical attributes that you want for a guard,” Batch said recently via the team’s YouTube channel. “He understands he has an opportunity to start at this point. He reminds me so much of Alan Faneca. You just look right at him, and if he can turn a career into Faneca, Steelers fans will be very happy with the selection.”
Faneca played for the Steelers from 1998-2007, being one of the league’s best linemen for most of that time. He was a six-time First-team All-Pro, two-time Second-team All-Pro, and nine-time Pro Bowler. That was enough to land Faneca in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Is Batch saying that Dunker is going to follow that exact same path? No, but there are some similarities, and that goes beyond both of them being redheads.
For example, while Dunker is expected to play guard for the Steelers, he could likely step in at tackle in a pinch. Faneca was mostly a guard in college, but he still saw some reps at tackle.
That’s the opposite of Dunker’s college experience, but the rookie could have a similar role to Faneca in Pittsburgh. Faneca played guard for the majority of his NFL career. However, the Steelers moved him to left tackle for part of the 2003 season due to injuries to other players. Faneca didn’t miss a beat, earning a Pro Bowl nod and being named a Second-team All-Pro.
While Dunker might not hit those same highs, he could fill that kind of role. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be the Steelers’ Week 1 starting left guard, though. He might need some time to acclimate after making the position change.
Still, perhaps Dunker can grow into a quality starting guard that can step in at tackle in emergencies. That versatility should help him get chances early in his career. If he ends up being even half the player that Faneca was, he’ll be a major hit.
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