Brian Mihalik
| No. 69 Pittsburgh Steelers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | August 21, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth: | Avon Lake, Ohio | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||
| Weight: | 302 lb (137 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Avon Lake (OH) | ||
| College: | Boston College | ||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 7 / Pick: 237 | ||
| Career history | |||
| |||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
| |||
Brian Jeffrey Mihalik (born August 21, 1992) is an American football offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.[1]
College career
In his freshman season in 2011, Mihalik had six tackles and two pass breakups, playing the last nine games of the season. He played nine games as a sophomore in 2012, registering 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. As a junior in 2013, he recorded 22 tackles, including six for loss and two sacks. In his 2014 senior season, Mihalik tallied 27 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.[2]
Professional career
Pre-draft
Mihalik was projected to go undrafted during the 2015 NFL Draft by some analysts. Although he had amazing size and length, many were hampered by his athletic ability, strength, and awareness.[3]
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 8 7⁄8 in | 302 lb | 4.89 s | 1.70 s | 2.76 s | 4.37 s | 7.23 s | 35 1⁄2 in | 10 ft 2 in | 23 reps | |||||
| All values from Boston College's Pro Day[4] | ||||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles
Mihalik was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 237th overall pick.[1] Mihalik was signed to the practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster, but was released on September 16.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After being released, Mihalik was signed to a futures contract by the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 20, 2016. Despite spending his collegiate career as a defensive end and having no prior experience, the Steelers chose to move him to offensive tackle. He is similar to Steelers' teammate Alejandro Villanueva, who had success after moving to tackle the year prior. Both players stand at 6 feet 9 inches, played defensive end for the Eagles before being released, had no professional experience as offensive linemen before being switched to tackle by offensive line coach Mike Munchak.[5] On August 12, 2016, Mihalik injured his MCL during the Steeler's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions. He was waived two days later and reached an injury settlement with the Steelers on August 19, 2016.
Detroit Lions
On October 6, 2016, Mihalik was signed by the Detroit Lions and was released two days later and was then signed to the practice squad.[6][7][8] The Detroit Lions signed him after seeing him during their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)
October 17, 2016, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mihalik off the Lions' practice squad.[9] Although he had less than a year of experience preparing to be an offensive tackle, injuries to Ryan Harris and Marcus Gilbert moved him up to the active roster. Mihalik didn't appear in any regular season game during his rookie season.
References
- 1 2 Mosher, Geoff (May 2, 2015). "With final pick, Eagles draft 6-9 Brian Mihalik in 7th round". CSN Philly. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Brian Mihalik Bio". Boston College Eagles. Boston College. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ↑ "NFL Draft Profile: Brian Mihalik". NFL.com. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Brian Mihalik". Nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ↑ Steelersdepot.com. "Steeler's Future Report:OT Brian Mihalik". Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Lions sign free agent OL Brian Mihalik". DetroitLions.com. October 6, 2016.
- ↑ "Lions sign LB Steve Longa to active roster and activate DE Armonty Bryant". DetroitLions.com. October 8, 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Lions sign free agent RB Justin Forsett". DetroitLions.com. October 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Steelers sign Mihalik to Active Roster". steelers.com.