Getting to Know the 2012 Steelers: OT Marcus Gilbert

PRO (14-13/1-1): Drafted by the Steelers in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.

2011 (14-13/1-1): 9/11 at Baltimore: Dressed but did not see any action…9/18 vs. Seattle: Started his first career game at RT…became the Steelers’ first rookie to start at tackle since RT Willie Colon in 2006…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 421 total yards and for QB Ben Roethlisberger to throw for 298 yards and one touchdown…9/25 at Indianapolis: Started at RT for the second consecutive game in his career…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 408 total yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for 364 yards and one touchdown…10/2 at Houston: Started at RT for the third consecutive game…helped block for a Steelers’ rushing attack to gain 118 yards on the ground and for Roethlisberger to throw for 206 yards…10/9 vs. Tennessee: Started at RT…helped block for Steelers’ rushers to gain 174 yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for 228 yards and five touchdowns…left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return…10/16 vs. Jacksonville: Was inactive due to a shoulder injury…10/23 at Arizona: Started at RT after missing last week’s game due to a shoulder injury…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 445 total yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for 361 yards and three touchdowns…10/30/11 vs. New England: Started at RT…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 427 total yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for a season-high 365 yards and two touchdowns…11/6/11 vs. Baltimore: Started at RT…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 392 total yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for 330 yards and one touchdown…11/13 at Cincinnati: Started at RT…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 328 total yards and for Roethlisberger to throw for 245 yards and one touchdown…11/27 at Kansas City: Started at RT…helped block for Steelers’ rushers to gain 108 yards on the ground…12/4 vs. Cincinnati: Started at RT…helped the Steelers gain 136 yards rushing on 33 attempts (4.1 avg.)…12/8 vs. Cleveland: Started at RT…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 416 total yards…12/19 at San Francisco: Started at RT…12/24 vs. St. Louis: Saw action on special teams…1/1 at Cleveland: Started at RT…helped block for the Steelers’ offense to gain 360 total yards…AFC Wild Card 1/8 at Denver: Made his first postseason start at RT.

COLLEGE: Saw action in 53 games, starting 27 of them on the offensive line…recorded 142 knockdowns and 22 touchdown-resulting blocks during that span…majored in family, youth and community science. 2010: Started all 13 games at left tackle…named a second-team All-SEC selection by The NFL Draft Report…earned third-team All-SEC honors from Phil Steele…registered a career-best 81 knockdowns with 13 touchdown-resulting blocks, as Florida averaged 350.85 yards in total offense and 166.54 rushing yards per game…was a key member of an offensive line that surrendered one sack or less in seven contests. 2009: Started all 14 games at right tackle…helped block for a unit that led the SEC and ranked sixth nationally with an average of 457/86 yards of total offense per game…helped block for Florida rushers to finish 10th nationally and second in the SEC with an average of 221.79 yards per game. 2008: Played in 13 games…contributed to Florida’s SEC and BCS National Championship Game victories at both offensive guard and tackle, in addition to playing on the field goal unit…helped block for the Gators to lead the SEC in total offense (445.07 ypg.) and rushing, as their ground game placed 10th in the nation with an average of 231.14 yards per game. 2007: Played in all 13 games as a guard, earning his first career start vs. Florida Atlantic at right guard, replacing Maurkice Pouncey…helped the team lead the SEC with an average of 457.15 yards per game in total offense. 2006: Retained his freshman eligibility after only playing in two games.

PERSONAL: Attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)…played guard and tackle on the offensive line during his prep career, as well as doubling on the defensive line…moved over to offense following his sophomore season and became one of three major recruiting prospects…received a four-star prospect rating from both Scout.com and Rivals.com…Scout also regarded him as the 42nd-best offensive lineman in the country…added Class 5A All-District XVI honors and was selected to participate in the 2006 Cali-Florida Bowl…also a member of the varsity basketball team and competed in the shot put and discus throws for the track and field squad…brother, David Walker, was a defensive lineman at Iowa who completed his eligibility following the 2005 season…son of Katrina and Jeffrey Gilbert…father recently retired from the Secret Service…when the Florida Gators visited the White House to celebrate their second national championship in four years in April of 2009, Gilbert received special recognition by President Barack Obama during the ceremony because his father, Jeff, was a Secret Service agent who helped shield the past three presidents from harm…Full name: Marcus Christopher Gilbert.

His Role with the Steelers in 2012: Right now as it stands, Gilbert is slated to be the teams starting right tackle come opening day. He showed flashes of why the Steelers took him in the 2nd round in 2011, and it looks like he will have a shot to have a major impact on the line this season. Still needs help in his run blocking skills, but overall, Gilbert has had a solid camp and he will get plenty of chances to be a starter on the line in 2012.