A scouting report on Pittsburgh Steelers undrafted free agent signing, Michigan center Greg Crippen, signed by the team out of rookie minicamp.<\/p>\n
N0. 51 Greg Crippen\/C Michigan \u2013 6034, 301 pounds (Graduate Student)
\nMEASUREMENTS<\/p>\n
Player
\nHt\/Wt
\nHand Size
\nArm Length
\nWingspan<\/p>\n
Greg Crippen
\n6034\/301
\n9 1\/2
\n31 3\/8
\n77<\/p>\n
40-Yard Dash
\n10-Yard Dash
\nShort Shuttle
\n3-Cone<\/p>\n
5.44
\n1.75
\n4.72
\n7.90<\/p>\n
Broad Jump
\nVertical
\nBench Press<\/p>\n
8\u20198\u2033
\n28
\n24<\/p>\n
All Results From Pro Day<\/p>\n
THE GOOD<\/p>\n
\u2013 Filled out frame with good bulk
\u2013 Sets hips well and takes good angles in run game
\u2013 Lacks elite pop out of stance but is still able to reach and cut off, best working down the track on zone schemes
\u2013 Smart pivot who made line calls
\u2013 Able to stick when he gets hands on with grip strength, can clear way at second level when he gets into the defender
\u2013 Wide base in pass protection
\u2013 Improved throughout his career and regarded as having plus work ethic<\/p>\n
The Bad<\/p>\n
\u2013 Poor arm length
\u2013 On the ground too often overall, lacks coordination and balance
\u2013 Defenders too often make first contact and get into his chest, uprighting him
\u2013 Plays too tall and high as a run blocker and doesn\u2019t create movement on drive blocks
\u2013 Prone to getting beaten on his edges
\u2013 Average to below-average foot speed
\u2013 Struggles to block looper on stunts
\u2013 Uses hop step to slow down bull rushes, but is too often knocked back and run over by bigger defenders who play with power
\u2013 Can be late coming off first level to make second level block
\u2013 Only saw time at one position and doesn\u2019t have versatility<\/p>\n
Stats<\/p>\n
\u2013 Career: 1,505 offensive snaps across 40 games (21 starts)
\u2013 All career snaps at center
\u2013 765 offensive snaps in 2025
\u2013 Allowed four career sacks, per PFF (two in 2025)
\u2013 Seven career penalties (six in 2025)
\u2013 PFF\u2019s No. 84 center in 2025 among 127 qualifiers (No. 62 pass blocker, No. 94 run blocker)
\u2013 Dane Brugler\u2019s No. 33 ranked center for 2026 draft<\/p>\n
Injury History<\/p>\n
\u2013 2024: ankle\/foot injury at end of fall camp
\u2013 2025: didn\u2019t finish Texas game due to undisclosed injury<\/p>\n
Bio<\/p>\n
\u2013 Turned 24 in February, 2026 Tape Breakdown<\/p>\n Greg Crippen had a rough road at Michigan, failing to secure the starting job in 2024 and needing an injury to crack the lineup. But he didn\u2019t waver or transfer and became the full-time starter in 2025.<\/p>\n Crippen is better known for his pass protection than run blocking. On the latter, he\u2019s better on zone schemes. He sets his hips well and is able to reach block and block defenders down the track. Examples. He\u2019s No. 51, the center, in all the following clips.<\/p>\n In pass protection, he flashed plus reps. When he\u2019s able to stick and get into the defender\u2019s pads, he can control the block.<\/p>\n Still, a lack of length hurts his ability to make first contact. Too often, defenders are into his chest and control him. As a run blocker, Crippen plays upright and tall, failing to create much movement on his drive blocks. He\u2019s also on the ground too often.<\/p>\n In pass protection, bull rushes give him trouble. He\u2019s not much better at protecting his edges. He needs to win early to win the rep.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n Overall, Greg Crippen did something to impress the team out of rookie minicamp. His football IQ probably helped him stand out. But there are physical and athletic limitations in his game that will make sticking a tough climb. He\u2019ll need to keep ascending the way he did late in his college career in order to make the practice squad.<\/p>\n My NFL comp is Jimmy Morrissey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A scouting report on Pittsburgh Steelers undrafted free agent signing, Michigan center Greg Crippen, signed by the team…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31803,86511,86512,3745,73,75,74],"class_list":["post-194461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-2206-nfl-draft-profiles","tag-greg-crippen","tag-michigan","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2013 Three-star recruit from Northborough, Massachusetts
\u2013 Chose Michigan over Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, and other big programs
\u2013 Initially committed to Notre Dame before changing his mind
\u2013 Committed to Michigan in part because he liked the cold (\u201cthat was important to me\u201d<\/a>), along with feeling more \u201ccomfortable\u201d there, and crediting DC Don Brown for helping recruit him
\u2013 Attended IMG Academy in Florida for final three years of HS, was teammates with J.J. McCarthy, Daylen Everette, and others; played left guard first season before moving to center his final two
\u2013 Initially lost 2024 job to replace Drake Nugent but gained it midway through season after starter got hurt
\u2013 Coaches had \u201cblunt\u201d conversations<\/a> about the need for him to improve run blocking throughout career, credits former NFL coach Juan Castillo for improving his game and technique
\u2013 Played QB and WR in grade school, moving to offensive line as HS freshman
\u2013 High school coach praised his work ethic and weight room ability<\/a>
\u2013 Father, Tom, is a lieutenant with the Hudson Police Department; mother, Sue, became first female lieutenant for Framingham Fire Department<\/p>\n