by Bill Hanstock • Jun 2, 2012 6:00 AM PDT
Washington Huskies defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu saw his stock drop leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft, but was selected in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with Stanford Cardinal offensive guard David DeCastro and Ohio St. Buckeyes offensive tackle Mike Adams. Now the Steelers have some formidable linemen on both sides of the ball, one of whom will actually give area fans a reason to root for the Steelers.
According to Rob Rang at CBS sports, the Steelers came away with one of the best draft classes of any team this year. Here's what he has to say about Ta'amu.
Getting a talented player to achieve up to his potential could also be the task at hand with fourth-round pick Alameda Ta'amu, as well. The 6-3, 348-pound former Washington Husky certainly has the bulk and power to take over for Casey Hampton as the Steelers' nose guard in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's beloved 3-4 defense. For the Steelers to enjoy the type of consistency on defense that they've had with Hampton in the middle, however, Ta'amu will have to ratchet up the intensity to levels that he didn't always play with in college. Ta'amu certainly played well when the lights were brightest, however, enjoying quite the breakthrough performance against Nebraska in the 2010 Holiday Bowl and dominating the line of scrimmage during practice sessions at the 2012 Senior Bowl. With the soon-to-be 35-year-old Hampton coming off a torn ACL, Ta'amu could be in line for significant playing time immediately.
Rang believes that Ta'amu could end up being a starter for the Steelers in 2012.
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