Ziggy Hood says he's working on technique to go with his strength

Even if you are strong enough to squat cars, if your hands and feet aren't in the right place, you'll get blocked by a guy even half your size.

Technique - something taught very well by Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell and perfected by some Steelers legends like Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith - is an issue with Ziggy Hood, writes Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly.

So Hood is focusing on that, and not the fact he does not have a contract in place for the 2014 season. He's one of the last first round picks to get a five-year contract to start his career, and in Hood's case, that's a good thing. While players like Percy Harvin may have outplayed his rookie deal, Hood may have underplayed his to this point in his career.

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He gets the 2013 season to establish the level of his next deal.

To raise his game, he'll have to be more consistent than he was in 2012, when he went the Steelers' entire Week 6 game against Tennessee without a tackle, and logged only one against the Ravens, Jets, Raiders and Browns (the Steelers only beat the Jets in those four games).

While Hood's workout video made its way around the Internet, getting fans excited about a potential breakout year for the fifth-year player, Kaboly writes Hood is spending more time on technical issues this season.

If he's able to improve his technique, his impressive level of strength and athleticism could get him out of "first round bust" range and into the kind of player he seems to be some of the time.

Just not other times.

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