Baker Steinkuhler, Senior, Defensive Tackle, Nebraska
Overview:
Heading into his redshirt freshman campaign at Nebraska, defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler was sitting behind Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick on the Cornhusker’s depth chart. He worked his way into the regular rotation and learned playing beside some of the best tackles in the business.
As a sophomore in 2010, Steinkuhler was asked to attempt to replace Suh. Still overshadowed by Crick, Steinkuhler started to make a name for himself. His numbers were nowhere near as good as Crick’s, but he did tally 46 tackles, 4.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks during his first season as a starter. He will only get better with time.
Final Projection:
Steinkuhler still has room to grow both physically and mentally. At 6-6 he is a big bodied player and has room to add some more girth to his 290 pound frame. If he can do that without losing his quickness, Steinkuhler will be a fine tackle in the NFL. One issue that he may need to address is his suspension that resulted in him pleading guilty to driving under the influence. Steinkuhler missed the Holiday Bowl following the 2010 season and some NFL teams will keep an eye on that.
1/5/12 Update:
Steinkuhler did everything right during the 2011 campaign and was asked to do a lot more than expected. With stud defensive tackle Jared Crick out for most of the year with an injury, Steinkuhler had to take over as the star of the interior of the Cornhusker line. He did a fine job stuffing the run and helping the ends get to the quarterback. The fact that he unexpectedly took over a leadership role and did well should boost his stock up to the third or maybe even the second round.
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