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It's hard to imagine a Memorial Day without some humidity, a cool beverage and a bag of Doritos.
Maybe that's not true of everyone, but, as Tribune Review reporter Mark Kaboly wrote in a piece published Monday, Steelers rookie nose tackle Dan McCullers does.
The Doritos, at least.
McCullers slimmed down from 414 pounds - his weight when he entered Georgia Military College - to 360 before accepting a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. Some of that was through the simple but painful process of conditioning, and some was due to changes in his diet.
Out went the Doritos and soda, and down went the weight.
"Sometimes I miss (Doritos), but I know I don't need them," he said, quoted by Kaboly. Not that GMC didn't tap into his potential. The junior college won a national championship in 2001 and was runner-up in 2002 and 2005. It boasts 35 players who went on to NFL careers, including former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman and former Ravens tight end Daniel Wilcox.
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McCullers only has 20 percent body fat, which, considering his weight (352 pounds) really suggests he's more solid than fat. This isn't just the widest body anchoring down in the middle of the field. He's a muscular player who, if coaching can introduce him into better habits on the field, can become a difficult blocking assignment.
Therein lies the challenge; the one with nothing to do with Doritos.
McCullers is still a raw player who will have gone an extensive transformation if he is to contribute to the Steelers this season. While he's a powerful player, he often stands up too high off the snap - something he admitted he needs to work on in his interview with Kaboly.
The potential is there, though. His massive wingspan makes him a very unique candidate to play nose or even defensive end, a spot McCullers says they're going to try him at during the remainder of the offseason program and into training camp.
Technique is paramount when it comes to the 5-technique defensive end, and while he's not the most athletic player on the field, constant drilling on his hand placement can maximize the advantage of his offensive tackle build and help hold the line of scrimmage at the point of attack.
Working on staying low as a nose tackle, and working on hand placement and usage as a defensive end. If McCullers can do these things, he might become, as odd as it seems, a perfect fit for a team looking to get much more versatile among its defensive line.