NFL teams in the draft by finding key contributors and eventual starters in the middle and later rounds. If your favorite club is looking for that kind of player at offensive tackle in the 2020 NFL draft, Texas Tech’s Terence Steele may just be their man.
Steele recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, his ability to play multiple positions, and what kind of skill set he brings to the next level.
JM: What was your overall experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
TS: It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It felt great to be out there in Indianapolis representing both Texas Tech and myself. The whole week was such a cool experience from the interviews to the medicals. It’s kind of grueling at times but it was very cool to go through. The on-field workouts were very cool as well. I loved it overall.
JM: What do you think is the overall impression you left on the 32 NFL teams out there?
TS: I think I showed them that I’m a super athletic offensive linemen and that even though I’m a lanky guy, I still have some power in my arms. I can move well for my size and I have the skill-set to play at the next level.
JM: You spent most of your time playing right tackle at Texas Tech. Is that where you think you’ll play at the next level?
TS: I played some left tackle and left guard, as well. Like you said, I spent most of my time at right tackle though. I’m pretty versatile. I feel like I can play wherever a team needs me to play.
JM: Did you have any formal or informal interviews at the combine?
TS: Most of them were informal. I spent some time talking football with different position coaches. They were just getting to know me a little bit better. I had a lot of those. I met with just about every team informally. I didn’t have many formal discussions. I spoke to a lot of teams at the Senior Bowl as well. I met with the New Orleans Saints there.
JM: Do you have any private visits or workouts coming up, or is everything being scheduled after your pro day?
TS: I have a visit with the Arizona Cardinals coming up. We’ve had some discussions with a few other teams regarding private visits and workouts but that’s the only one that we’ve officially put on the calendar as of right now. My pro day is pretty late in the process, April 8th to be exact so we figured we’d start taking some visits before that.
JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?
TS: I was waiting for one of those strange questions but it never came. Before the combine, I even went on Twitter and typed in “weird question combine.” I was so ready (laughs). I was looking up what people have been asked in the past. I didn’t get a weird question. I guess the strangest question I was asked was, somebody asked me if my house was on fire but my family and my pets were already safe on the outside, what would I run back in to save? It wasn’t that weird, but that was probably the weirdest one.
JM: What did you say?
TS: I said that I wouldn’t save anything. If my family and my pets were already safe on the outside, there’s no reason for me to go back inside the house. I don’t need any of that stuff.
JM: How do you handle speed differently from power?
TS: Playing out on the edge, you get to see a lot of both actually. You’re playing against a lot of fast and powerful guys when playing right tackle. You gotta get your hands on those powerful guys. You can’t give them a chance to build up some power and momentum. You have to stop them before they can get going basically. With the speed guys, you wanna get back to your landmark as fast as possible. You wanna make them play off of you and not the other way around.
JM: Who were some of the best pass rushers you’ve gone up against?
TS: Looking back on my entire career, L.J. Collier from TCU was a good one. His teammate Ben Banogu was another talented edge rusher. Charles Omenihu from Texas comes to mind. All three of those guys are playing in the NFL now. All three of them were very talented players.
JM: When a team decides to add Terence Steele to their organization next month, what kind of guy are they getting?
TS: They’re getting a professional first and foremost. I always conduct myself in a professional manner both on and off the field. I grew up in a military household. We were taught to conduct ourselves appropriately. You’re getting a captain both on and off the field. I care about my teammates. I’ve generally been a guy that my teammates can lean on. I’m somebody that my teammates tend to seek out for guidance. I come into work every day trying to outwork people and push them to another level. My teammates and coaching staff would say the exact same thing about me. That’s what you’re getting when you add Terence Steele to your organization.
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