NFL Draft primer: Analyst lobbies for Steelers to address tackle with No. 17 overall pick
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It’s a foregone conclusion that the Pittsburgh Steelers will take an offensive tackle sometime during the first two days of the NFL Draft.
It’s a matter of when.
Could be in the first round with the No. 17 overall pick. Could be at No. 32, the opening pick of the second round. Or the Steelers could wait until the No. 49 pick or, at the latest, No. 80, which is their third-round selection.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t see the need for the Steelers to wait beyond the first round. Not with their needs elsewhere at cornerback and perhaps edge rusher.
“If you’re looking at those three, it makes more sense for them to go offensive tackle first,” Jeremiah said Thursday in a conference call. “There is a bigger drop-off at that position if you don’t get one with your first chance. At (No.) 32, you have a chance to address other needs.
“If one of the top tackles is there, take him at 17.”
That, however, is a big if.
The premier players at tackle could be gone by the time the Steelers make their first-round pick. Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, who could move inside to guard in the NFL, arguably is the best lineman in the draft. He will be gone.
Of the next three tackle prospects — Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia’s Broderick Jones and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright — at least two could be taken before No. 17.
In his final prospect rankings, Jeremiah ranked Wright, Johnson and Jones as his Nos. 15-17 overall prospects, respectively. The next — and only other tackle prospect — in his top 50 is North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch at No. 38. Other analysts have Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison as a top-50 prospect.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. also thinks the Steelers can’t go wrong if Johnson, Jones or Wright is on the board at No. 17.
“All of those tackles are pretty close,” he said. “Wright has played left tackle, right tackle, guard. Johnson was a left tackle this year who played guard. Jones played left tackle but some right tackle. It depends on which one you feel is the best. All are versatile in their own way.”
The Steelers have three-year starter Chuks Okorafor on the right side and two-year starter Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. But they were mid-round draft picks, and the Steelers are expected to draft a tackle with a high pick for the first time in at least a decade.
The Steelers conducted top-30 visits with Jones, Wright and Harrison. Although Johnson didn’t make the cut, the Steelers got an extended look at him at Ohio State’s pro day. Coach Mike Tomlin and offensive line coach Pat Meyer were among the Steelers’ contingent on hand for Johnson’s workout.
“What stands out to me is he’s an athlete,” said Sirius/XM NFL analyst Mark Dominik, the former Tampa Bay GM. “You can flip him over to the right side if you need to, but I certainly feel he can be out there at left tackle. To me, he has to develop more strength. I think Paris has to work on his strength and see what he can do in that capacity.
“I think he can handle the anchor, but can he handle the heavier rushers in the NFL versus the speed guys? He has the footwork to handle the speed guys, but can he handle the Cam Jordans of the world?”
Jeremiah, though, believes Johnson has the size to overcome any perceived strength deficiency.
“It’s insane how ridiculously long he is,” Jeremiah said of Johnson, who is 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds with 36-inch arms. “That’s where you start — with the size and the frame. He’s an avalanche in the run game when you can block down. You get in his way, you’re going to get collapsed. You’re not going to be able to stop that. He’s too massive, too strong.”
Jones is 6-5, 311 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.97 seconds while receiving the third-best athleticism score at the NFL Combine. He had only a year and a half of starting experience, though, for the two-time national champions.
“He’s not a late bloomer, but he’s a little late to the game with the tape he has put out there,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “He has quick feet, he’s an easy mover, he mirrors and slides in pass protection well. He has biggest upside with the physical tools of any tackle in this draft.”
On the final day of top-30 visits this week, the Steelers took another look at Wright, who measures 6-5, 333 and had the second-highest athleticism score among tackles at the combine. He brings more experience, though, at right tackle.
“His tape is really good,” Jeremiah said. “It’s hard to find guys 330 pounds that move like him and are as strong as him at right tackle.”
Then, surveying the Steelers’ tackle prospects, Jeremiah added, “There’s no wrong answer here.”