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Looking at the top 50 free agents, you must have noticed the large amount of offensive tackles in that group because we have been featuring players all week. We have reached the last tackle on the list and he is listed as number 41. It is Willie Colon, who has been a part of the Pitssburgh Steelers offensive line since 2007. He missed all of 2010 due to injury.
With the offensive line troubles that the Cardinals have had, should he be a target?
Scouts, Inc. says this:
He is a versatile player who can play guard or tackle but lacks the athleticism to play on left edge. He is aggressive and likes to mix it up. He brings a bit of toughness to the offensive line and will sometimes take the play past the whistle. On the edge, speed-rushers consistently give Colon a rough time and he isn't as quick off the ball or agile enough to deal with far better athletes. He has powerful hands, but he doesn't always place them as well as he should. His strength is OK, but he doesn't unload his hips or punish defenders as much as his squattier body type would suggest.
In 2009 in pass protection he allowed six sacks, four hits and five pressures in 634 pass blocking snaps. That woudl put him among the best in pass pro ratings, as he only gave up pressure 2.4 percent of the time. He is the opposite of Levi Brown -- he is strong in pass protection overall and struggles in run blocking.
Since most of us understand that Levi Brown will be the starting left tackle in 2011 whether we like it or not, Colon could be a solid tackle on the other side. And we all know that the coaching staff loves to bring in former Steelers players.
If he is not asking for elite money, he would be worth a look, at minimum. Is he the answer? Not likely, but he could certainly boost the pass protection in a line that has been dreadful.