Steelers Might Cause Top Offensive Tackle To Drop To Day 2 In 'Wild' New Draft Prediction

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to take an offensive tackle in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, perhaps even in the first round. They need a player to complement Broderick Jones, who they drafted with their first-round pick in 2023. Jones played primarily on the right side in 2023. Despite being very versatile, Jones' stronger side is on the left, and General Manager Omar Khan has shared their goal of moving him back there.  

That move seems unlikely if Jones again plays opposite Dan Moore Jr., who is less positionally flexible. One solution to the dilemma is to draft a natural right tackle. Amarius Mims from the University of Georgia is one option that has come up frequently.  

In a new mock draft, Yahoo Sports reporter Charles Robinson blows that idea up, suggesting that this group of offensive tackles may not go as projected. In his most recent mock draft, the Steelers do not choose Mims at 20, and he falls to Day 2. 

"The offensive tackle run in the first round is going to be wild. There's a chance that seven tackles go in the first 32 picks: Notre Dame's Joe Alt, Penn State's Olu Fashanu, Alabama's JC Latham, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga, Washington's Troy Fautanu, Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton and Georgia's Amarius Mims. Three interesting players from this group to keep an eye on are Fashanu, Latham and Mims. There are split opinions on all three. I wouldn't be stunned if Fashanu and Latham weren't the second and third tackles off the board behind Alt (which is the slot they're often mocked to) or if Mims potentially slips out of the first and into the top of the second round. Bottom line: Tackle order is going to be a little more chaotic than people might think," wrote Robinson.

This draft class boasts a deep and talented pool of offensive tackles. Robinson added that several new mocks have BYU's Kingsley Suamataia moving into the first round. Many tackles have shifted from their projected draft spot, with their stock dropping a bit in recent weeks. 

Out of the University of Notre Dame, Joe Alt seems an obvious choice as the first tackle to be selected. He is so talented that he might be the first non-quarterback selected. But after him, Robinson sees it getting muddier. Olu Fashanu out of Penn State, has been listed as the second tackle since shortly after last season ended. But that could change, as his stock has dropped some.