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Villanueva living, playing large for Steelers

5 min read
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LATROBE – If football doesn’t work out for Alejandro Villanueva, he can set his sights on bigger things.

“If they told me I have to be the president tomorrow, I’ll make those decisions,” said Villanueva.

Really?

“I don’t think so,” Villanueva said with a smile at the Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College Wednesday.

“Maybe. Who knows?”

Considering everything he’s accomplished, it wouldn’t be smart to bet against him.

At 6-9, he’d certainly be the biggest president in history. But Villanueva is used to being the biggest guy around, even on the football field.

How many college football players can claim they had as many starts at offensive tackle as they did at wide receiver? Villanueva played both positions at West Point as a member of the Army football team.

The weird thing is he made the position change in reverse of how it normally occurs, going from tackle to receiver.

“When I was playing tackle, I was 320 (pounds),” said Villanueva. “So when I started playing receiver, I was 300 and then I slimmed down to 270 when it was later in the season.

“It was a different type of receiver. Corners are not used to seeing receivers who are so tall and big. It was a little bit difficult for them to adjust.”

Villanueva wasn’t just a big blocker in Army’s triple-option offense. He was the Black Knights’ leading receiver in 2009, catching 34 passes for 522 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.

Then, it was time to fulfill his commitment to Uncle Sam. Villanueva served three tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, winning numerous medals and awards, including the Bronze Star for Valor. Like many veterans, Villanueva did not want to talk about his actions.

Last year, after accepting his discharge from service, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who wanted to convert Villanueva, down to 240 pounds, into a defensive end.

It didn’t work out and the Eagles released him at the end of training camp. The Steelers quickly scooped him up and put him on their practice squad, telling him they wanted him to work on becoming an offensive tackle again.

“I think the Steelers have a really good practice squad program,” said Villanueva, who gradually increased his weight to 340 pounds. “I never played pro-style tackle in my life, I played triple-option tackle, which is a little more run-game (oriented). The Steelers were very clear in their expectations of my development. I got to see a lot. I got to go against James Harrison, who is arguably one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL, every day. I got much better by going against Jarvis (Jones), Harrison, Howard Jones. I got a lot of reps. They were reps that counted.”

That’s obvious. Villanueva did a respectable job for the Steelers at left tackle in their first two preseason games, seeing plenty of playing time behind Kelvin Beachum. This week, the Steelers moved him to right tackle, perhaps a hint they are grooming Villanueva as their swing tackle on game days.

That spot was held by Mike Adams last season. But Adams had back surgery right before training camp opened and was expected to be out at least four weeks.

Adams should return soon, but Villanueva might have played well enough the Steelers will consider keeping both on the active roster or allowing the 26-year-old Villanueva to be their top backup. On Wednesday, the Steelers split him out as a receiver in a goal-line drill.

“I’m really impressed from where he came from last year,” said guard David DeCastro. “He was 240 and playing defensive line last April. Even when he got here, as an offensive tackle, he had never really played in a real pro style. He’s come a long way and it’s really impressive.”

Not that he hasn’t had rough stretches.

After playing well in the preseason opener against Minnesota, Villanueva struggled at Jacksonville last week. He’s fine with that as it’s all part of the learning process.

“To me, it was a very good game in terms of things that I saw,” Villanueva said. “Things I need to improve in terms of my footwork, my hands, my physicality, my conditioning. Just overall, I need to get better.”

If he keeps improving, perhaps football will work out and he’ll have to put his presidential plans on hold.

“My confidence is high no matter what I do,” he said. “The confidence issue isn’t something that I have. In terms of perfection in my game and being able to do the things I need to do, it’s something I have to continue to work on. I have a great support group here. I just have got to keep relying on them. This whole experience has been outstanding. Hopefully, I can come out of it with great lessons learned.”

Rookie linebacker Bud Dupree, the Steelers’ top draft pick, got into several scuffles with offensive linemen Wednesday and was eventually thrown out of a drill by head coach Mike Tomlin. … Safety Ross Ventrone, out since the first week of camp with an ankle injury, returned to practice. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt and cornerback Cortez Allen also returned after missing the past two practices. Linebackers Lawrence Timmons and Vince Williams and wide receiver David Nelson were among those who did not practice. … Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, a sixth-round draft pick who spent 2014 on injured reserve, was placed on the Waived/Injured List. The Steelers claimed linebacker L.J. Fort off waivers from New England.

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