Former Pittsburgh Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva had one of the most spectacular pathways to the NFL. At Army, he played tight end, offensive tackle, and defensive end, went undrafted, and after a failed tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals, he served three tours of duty in Afghanistan. After finishing his third tour of duty, he signed as a defensive end with the Philadelphia Eagles before finding his long-term home at left tackle with the Steelers.
Last year, Villanueva sat down with the Black Rifle Coffee Podcast and explained why signing with the Steelers was crucial in his ability to play in the NFL for seven seasons.
“The second [factor in my favor] is the fact that I went to the Pittsburgh Steelers,” said Villanueva. “Which is a legendary team that is known for being a family type organization with an incredible history. And I had one of the greatest coaches to ever play the game in [Mike] Munchak who did not care whether you were a first rounder, whether you were undrafted. Who maybe saw me as a canvas of somebody that he could teach how to play from scratch.
“And then I had amazing teammates. So, I walked into a team that was stacked with talent, stacked with amazing players, and so I fitted in with my own unique personality and then we were able to jell together and be productive.”
Alejandro Villanueva joined the Steelers at the perfect time. When he signed in 2014 and began transitioning to offensive tackle, Pittsburgh had just hired Hall of Fame offensive lineman Mike Munchak as their offensive line coach and had a young developing offensive line featuring Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, and David DeCastro. Though talented, the unit was still young and mostly unproven. Munchak’s coaching elevated the unit and helped develop Villanueva, who before joining the Steelers hadn’t played offensive line in over four years.
While switching positions, Villanueva credits the Steelers coaching staff for working with him and helping him develop. He believes this is a key reason why his career panned out with Pittsburgh while it failed during his other stops.
“So had I gone to a different team like I did with the Eagles, the Bears, the Bengals, it would’ve never worked out,” said Villanueva. “Because it is not a team that is prepared for someone who is coming from the military. And the Steelers I think were a little more built, they’re more football-oriented maybe than other organizations.
“Coach Tomlin believes in principles in coaching, he believes he’s a college type football coach, so he believes in improving players as opposed to just drafting another one. And that definitely came into my favor and that’s the reason it all came together.”
While Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has faced criticism in recent years for his failure to win in the playoffs, he has a great track record of player development. Tomlin knows how to motivate players and embraces teaching, helping young talent reach their potential.
Tomlin’s ability to embrace teaching and having patience to develop unproven players stems from the stability of the Steelers organization. For better or worse, Pittsburgh doesn’t fire head coaches. One benefit of that is there is rarely ever panic. Signing Alejandro Villanueva in 2014 didn’t pay dividends until the 2016 season when he turned into one of the better tackles in the NFL. However, there was no rush to develop Villanueva or concern about him taking up a roster spot in 2015 as back-up even if he was pressed into action in 2016 following Kelvin Beachum’s season-ending injury.
Other coaches working with less patient front offices weren’t willing to invest time in developing Villanueva, especially at a position he hadn’t played since college. The Steelers did and it paid off. In 2017, Villanueva earned a Pro Bowl selection. Villanueva worked his tail off to be recognized as one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL and deserved to make the Pro Bowl after his long journey.
His Pro Bowl selection is also a feather in the cap of Tomlin and Munchak for seeing a defensive lineman in a preseason game and realizing he could be a great offensive lineman and taking the time to develop him.
Villanueva retired after the 2021 season. He has one of the most unique journey’s in NFL history, is a decorated service member, and became a Pro Bowler. Despite how unique Villanueva’s career was, he knows how lucky he was to have the opportunity to the Steelers and learn under Munchak and Tomlin.
Recommended for you