Alameda Ta’amu Drafted By The Pittsburgh Steelers

Alameda Ta’amu had to wait a day longer than many expected, but he found his home on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers grabbed him with the 14th pick in the fourth round at 109th overall of the NFL Draft.

He will be positioned as a nose tackle in the Steelers defense. He could come in to compete for starter minutes or find himself in the rotation there in Pittsburgh behind Casey Hampton and Steve McLendon. The thought would be that Ta’amu would fall in behind Hampton but with the potential to pass him on the depth chart.

Ta’amu is a powerful force and can really destroy offensive lineman, however, he has struggled with this consistently. He also works best in a 4-3 defense but on the Steelers he will find himself in a 3-4 defense. He has some work to do to be a consistent NT but his size in strength makes it so it will be a possible transition.

He struggled the most at UW when the Huskies couldn’t find pressure off the edge. The team would focus their attention on Ta’amu and he couldn’t get through the gaps. If Ta’amu is given the ability to play in a pure 3-4 offense like he will at Pittsburgh, he will need time to develop into this productive Nose Tackle and will need pressure off the edge.

Regardless, at this pick, with his potential, the Steelers grabbed a steal.