Farabaugh: Steelers Should Find Their Next Tackle in 2024 NFL Draft

It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for an offensive tackle. They were last year to shore up one spot with Broderick Jones. But now, after cutting Chuks Okorafor, the team still needs help.

This might be the 1983 of offensive tackle classes. The Steelers are drafting 20th, which is not usually a place where a team lands a sure-fire starting tackle. Last year, they had to trade up from No. 17 to No. 14 to land Broderick Jones.

This year, not only will there likely be one available at No. 20, they could have their pick of three or four.

Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Penn State’s Ole Fashanu, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Alabama’s JC Latham, Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Washington’s Troy Fautanu and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton are all likely first-round picks at the tackle position.

The Steelers certainly need a tackle, with Dan Moore Jr. not exactly setting the world on fire and entering the last season of his contract. They might not need a tackle more than they need, say a center, where the depth chart is essentially bare after releasing Mason Cole.

But tackle is a more premium position, and this class is so, so good. Mims and Latham, especially, would be incredible complements to Jones in the Steelers tackle group. I don’t know what Khan is going to do, but I’d have a very hard time passing on tackle in the first round.

Mims, in particular, seems to be someone rising on that board of likelihood.

As expected, Mims stated that he did meet formally with the Pittsburgh brass in Indianapolis before declaring himself 100% for the testing portion of the combine. On Sunday, he was in the process of putting up some gaudy testing numbers prior to a minor hamstring tweak, forcing him to cut his workout short without completing the agility tests. For obvious reasons, there has been a lot of discussion in Pittsburgh recently about offensive lineman having to switch sides or positions as a whole. Mims isn’t concerned about it.

For an underclassmen without much game experience, Mims is surprisingly polished as a pass protector. He showcases plenty of foot speed with the ability to reach his landmarks in pass pro with relative ease. The Georgia tackle comes equipped with an incredibly long reach, big hands with noticeable grip strength. His strong base and frame help him anchor against power moves while also having enough solid redirection ability for counters. And he might just be the Steelers solution.