David DeCastro
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David William DeCastro (born January 11, 1990) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
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for nine seasons with the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
of the
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(NFL). He played
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for the
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, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in the first round of the
2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
, and he was considered one of the best guard prospects available. He was a six-time
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
selection with the Steelers.


Early life

DeCastro was born in
Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in King County and the twelfth largest city in the state of Washington. ...
. Of South African descent, DeCastro grew up in
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...
and attended Bellevue High School, where he was teammates with Stephen Schilling. He grew up a
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
fan, idolizing Steve Hutchinson. Also a standout athlete, DeCastro competed for the school's
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
team as a shot putter. He got a top-throw of 17.93 meters at the 2008 Washington 3A-4A State T&F Championship, winning the event. He also competed in the discus (top-throw of 37.24 meters). Considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com he was listed as the No. 11 center in the class of 2008. He chose Stanford over offers from Washington,
Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
, and Oregon State.


College career

DeCastro attended
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in Stanford, California, where he was a member of the
Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The program was previously in the Pac-12 Conference. The team is known as ...
team from 2008 to 2011. He did not play in any games as a freshman in 2008. As a redshirt freshman in 2009 he started all 13 games at right guard. He was an honorable mention All-
Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...
selection and a first-team freshman
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by ''
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''. As a sophomore in 2010, he started all 13 games and was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection. Following his junior season in 2011, he was again a first-team Pac-12 selection, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. Under head coach David Shaw, the Cardinal finished 11–2 in DeCastro's final season. Afterward, he decided to forgo his final season of college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.


Professional career


Pre-draft

In October 2011, ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''s Tony Pauline ranked him as the No. 17 prospect on his mid-season draft board. As the season progressed, he solidified his status as a first-round draft pick. He attended the NFL Combine and was said to have "excellent movement skills" and was able to complete all the drills and positional workouts. Although he participated Stanford's pro day, he decided to only do positional drills, as he was satisfied with his combine numbers. He was ranked the best offensive guard by
Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock Sr. (born August 14, 1958) is an American former professional football executive and player in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a safety with the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a draft ...
and NFLDraftScout.com.


2012

The
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
selected DeCastro in the first round (24th overall) of the
2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. He was the first offensive guard taken in the first round by the Steelers since Kendall Simmons in
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
and was one of four Stanford players taken in the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft. On June 23, 2012, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed DeCastro to a four-year, $7.81 million rookie contract that also includes $6.35 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.12 million. He entered training camp competing for a starting guard position with veterans Willie Colon, Ramon Foster, and Trai Essex. In the Pittsburgh Steelers' third preseason game against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, DeCastro suffered an injury and was forced to leave the game. After DeCastro was carted off the field, Steelers' head coach
Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led t ...
stated that the injury was a "potentially severe" right knee injury. The injury occurred when he was engaged with Bills' defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and had his teammate, offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert, accidentally fell on his right leg. It was discovered that he had suffered a torn collateral lateral
ligament A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have liga ...
and a dislocated kneecap. On November 26, DeCastro was returned to the active roster, while Gilbert was placed on injured reserve. On December 9, 2012, he made his professional regular-season debut in a 24–34 loss at the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
. The next week, he earned his first career start during a Week 15 contest against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. He finished his rookie year starting the last three games of the
2012 NFL season The 2012 NFL season was the 93rd season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 47th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Wednesday, September 5, 2012, with the defending Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants falling to the Dallas Cowbo ...
.


2013

With the departure of Willie Colon and Trai Essex, DeCastro entered the season as the Pittsburgh Steelers' ''de facto'' starter at right guard. He earned the start for the Steelers' season-opening 16–9 loss to the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
. During the tenth play of the game, DeCastro accidentally whiffed during a cut block and fell down onto the back of Maurkice Pouncey's right knee. Pouncey tore his ACL and was placed on injured-reserve for the remainder of the season. He was replaced by Guy Whimper during the Steelers' Week 9 matchup with the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
after suffering an ankle injury. He finished the season starting 15 games and was ranked the fifth best right guard by Pro Football Focus, as the Steelers finished 8–8 for the second year in a row.


2014

DeCastro returned in 2014 to complete his first full season after starting all 16 games of the regular season as the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
finished 11–5. On January 3, 2014, he played in his first career postseason game as the Steelers lost in the AFC Wildcard to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
.


2015

On April 9, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers exercised the fifth-year option on DeCastro's rookie contract, paying him a salary of $8.07 million for 2016. He also received a $3.20 million signing bonus for 2016. In his fourth season with the Steelers in 2015, DeCastro started in all 16 regular-season games and was elected to his first
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
. '' Pro Football Focus'' gave him an overall grade of 83.4 and ranked him the 15th-best offensive guard in 2015. He was ranked the ninth best offensive guard by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' after he surrendered only 1.5 sacks in 590 pass blocking attempts and was flagged for three penalties (all
false start In sports, a false start is a disallowed start, usually due to a movement by a participant before (or in some cases after) being signaled or otherwise permitted by the rules to start. Depending on the sport and the event, a false start can resu ...
s) all season.


2016

On September 8, 2016, the Steelers signed DeCastro to an additional five-year, $50 million extension. The contract includes a signing bonus of $16 million. Together, both extensions bring his present contract to a six-year, $58.07 million deal including a total signing bonus of $16.00 million and signs him throughout 2021. He started all 16 regular season games and brought his consecutive games played streak to 56 in-a-row. The
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
finished first in the
AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the NFL realign ...
after achieving an 11–5 record in 2016. They went on to defeat the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
in the AFC Wildcard, the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
in the AFC Divisional, and lost the AFC Championship to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line was ranked the third best by Pro Football Focus, with DeCastro being ranked as the Steelers' top run blocker. He was named to his second-straight Pro Bowl for the 2016 season. He was also ranked 97th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.


2017

On December 19, 2017, DeCastro was named to his third-straight Pro Bowl along with fellow Steeler offensive linemen Alejandro Villanueva and Maurkice Pouncey. He was ranked 44th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018. DeCastro started and played in the first 15 games of the season and skipped week 17's game against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
because the Steelers' had clinched a playoff berth.


2018

In week 1 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, DeCastro fractured his right hand and was forced to miss the next two games against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. He was able to play again in week 4 against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. DeCastro started and played in 14 games during the regular season. On December 18, 2018, DeCastro was selected to play in his fourth straight Pro Bowl. He received an overall grade of 71.7 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 11th highest grade among all qualifying offensive guards.


2019

In week 11 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, Browns' defensive end Myles Garrett hit Steelers' quarterback Mason Rudolph on the head with Rudolph's helmet. Afterwards, DeCastro grabbed Garrett, pushed him onto the ground, and laid on top of him to prevent an even larger fight from escalating. After the game, Garrett himself praised DeCastro for his actions. The next day, it was announced that DeCastro would not be suspended for his actions in the brawl. DeCastro started and played in all 16 games during the regular season. On December 17, 2019, DeCastro was selected to play in his fifth straight Pro Bowl. DeCastro was released by the Steelers on June 24, 2021.


References


External links


Pittsburgh Steelers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:DeCastro, David 1990 births Living people Players of American football from Bellevue, Washington American people of South African descent All-American college football players American football offensive guards Stanford Cardinal football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players Sportspeople from Kirkland, Washington American Conference Pro Bowl players