Former Alabama Football offensive tackle Tyler Steen looks to hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft, which is coming up just 10 days from now. Steen was very valuable as a one-year stopgap at left tackle for the Crimson Tide, helping to shore up one of Bama’s biggest weaknesses from the previous season.
In 2021, Alabama Football had a first round pick in Evan Neal at left tackle, but it could not find an adequate blocker to play opposite Neal. Tyler Steen came to Tuscaloosa from Vanderbilt via the NCAA transfer portal after a lengthy recruitment process. His eventual arrival gave the Tide a pair of solid tackles in 2022, which saw the offensive line become far less of a sieve.
Steen is very durable and has extensive SEC experience, having started 33 consecutive games for the Commodores before coming to Alabama and starting all 13 games in his lone season. In his time with the Tide, his name was rarely called, which is often a good thing for an offensive tackle. Steen was named second team All-SEC for his efforts.
He is not a freakish athlete like Evan Neal was, and he does not project as a first round pick, but Tyler Steen has good measurables at 6’5” and 315 pounds with respectable athleticism. He has the tools of an NFL offensive tackle, and is currently mid-round NFL Draft grades. Steen has impressed scouts during the spring evaluation period, and there is a chance he could go even higher.
This isn’t a particularly elite draft class at the offensive tackle position, and yet Tyler Steen continues to fly under the radar. I would even argue that he is criminally underrated by some publications. PFF does not even consider him a top-10 offensive tackle in this year’s draft. Fox Sports also does not include him in their top 10, although Fox includes the caveat that Steen is only absent because they expect him to eventually be moved inside to offensive guard.
Wherever he lands, Tyler Steen will be providing an NFL team with a very intelligent and fundamentally sound offensive lineman. As with all Alabama Football players, he also brings the invaluable experience of playing within a winning culture, even if it was only for a year. Good luck to Tyler Steen!