Has Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva fixed his struggles in pass protection heading into 2016?

When the Pittsburgh Steelers entered 2015, they knew it would be difficult for them to keep Kelvin Beachum beyond his rookie contract. He had outperformed the 7th round salary he currently had, and the team had to spend the money in other places. Throw in the fact he was coming off an ACL tear, and the Steelers were ready to move on.

Who they move on to, well that would be up for both discussion, and competition.

Aljenadro Villanueva finished the 2015 season as the left tackle on the team's offensive line, but the Steelers signed free agent tackle Ryan Harris as competition for Villanueva in the 2016 preseason. To date, Villanueva seems to have done enough to keep his starting job, but there are still issues with his pass blocking.

Sam Gold, of FieldGulls.com (SB Nation's Seattle Seahawks website) recently broke down Villanueva's issues in 2015, and whether they have been rectified over the lengthy offseason.

You can watch the breakdown HERE on YouTube, as the NFL blocks embedding these type of videos.

Some of the issues Gold points out with Villanueva's technique are hard to fix, one of them being his massive frame at 6-feet 9-inches, but his balance and coordination in his drop step are something which have clearly been addressed, and worked on throughout the offseason.

The Steelers have a very raw talent on their hands, and a very talented position coach in Mike Munchak teaching him the tricks of the trade, but if the Steelers are confident in Villanueva in 2016 they will need to assure he continues to improve from a technical standpoint to keep Ben Roethlisberger upright and clean.

Check out the breakdown HERE, and see for yourself. Do you trust Villanueva in 2016?