INDIANAPOLIS — The Pittsburgh Steelers met with multiple top offensive linemen at the NFL Combine on Saturday. They met with Alabama tackle J.C. Latham, Georgia tackle Amarius Mims, Duke’s Graham Barton, Washington’s Troy Fautanu, Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher, and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran. Meanwhile, they did not meet with guys like Jackson Powers-Johnson, but they already met with players like him at the Senior Bowl.
Latham started at right guard before moving to right tackle for Alabama in 2022. A two-year starter at that position, he would likely play right tackle in the NFL and move Broderick Jones back to left tackle, where he played in college. Jones played right tackle in 2023.
Despite his size, Latham is no lumberer, and he is seen as a well-rounded player that can be elite in both run and pass blocking. In 915 pass-rush snaps as a tackle at Alabama, he gave up just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus.
Mims is a fascinating prospect, who combines an incredible athletic profile with size and strength in spades. He profiles as the kind of prospect that the Steelers could bookend with his former college teammate Broderick Jones, moving Jones back to the left size and locking down their tackle position for a decade or more.
The only problem with that idea, and the reason that Mims will likely be available when the Steelers pick at No. 20 overall in the first round, is that he only played in eight college games.
Mims is coming out after his true junior season, making him one of the youngest players in the 2024 NFL Draft class. He also played at Georgia while the Bulldogs were winning back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championships in 2021 and 2022.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Van Pran came out as a redshirt junior after starting for three seasons at Georgia and winning two national championships. This past season, he was a first-team All-America selection by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. The Steelers could be interested in him.
In the past Barton has played at left tackle and center, but he played at center in 2020. That is only one year of experience, though most teams say Barton will shift inside. The Steelers are unlikely to draft a guy who will project as a guard, so if they draft Barton, it will be because they view him as an interior offensive lineman or believe he can stick it out at tackle.
He’s a talented, smooth mover. And Barton, with all of his experience, has become one of the more polished players in this class. You can compare him closely to Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski from the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fautanu is a talented tackle but could move to guard due to a lack of arm length. A former fullback, he is a nasty mauler who moves bodies in the run game. He is a projected first round pick and if the Steelers view him as a tackle is certainly someone in play for their first round pick. His athleticism fits the scheme well.
Meanwhile, Fisher is rawer but has good natural tools. You could describe him as raw with upside, and he feels like someone who profiles as a third-round pick.