LATROBE, Pa. -- If Mike Munchak can turn a 26-year-old former U.S. Army Ranger who hadn't played football in five years into a standout tackle, well, the Steelers' renowned offensive line guru should have no problem working with an African native who didn't take up the game until eight years ago.
But unlike Alejandro Villanueva, who came to the Steelers as a raw 6-foot-9, 270-pound free agent defensive end, Chukwuma "Chuks" Okorafor comes with pedigree -- he was Pittsburgh's second pick in the third round (92nd overall) this spring -- and is far more refined at the same point in his fledgling career. But ...
"I still have a long way to go," Okorafor was telling DKPittsburghSports.com in his thick accent on Thursday morning.
Indeed, he does have a way to go. That much was evident later Wednesday afternoon in practice when Bud Dupree beat him two straight times during team-drills, using a swim move on the last one to get past the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Okorafor unscathed.
But after each play, the first one in his ear was Villanueva, who demonstrated proper hand placement and feet movement.
"Just pretty much every play, if I have a bad play or I had a bad technique he's going to show me how to do it, how to fix it up," Okorafor was saying afterward. "Everyone who is here has helped me out."
With Villanueva sitting out a second straight day with what Mike Tomlin is deeming a minor shoulder/bicep injury, Okorafor continued to work with the first team offense on Wednesday.
"Playing with such a group, you have to raise your game up a little bit more," Okorafor says. "I come in every day and do my best."
Now, if you don't know, the Steelers' offensive line isn't just one of the NFL's best, helping Pittsburgh to a No. 3 ranking last season (377.9 yards per game), they are also one of the most tight-knit groups you'll ever see.
The fraternity is an exclusive club that is already missing its most seasoned veteran, Ramon Foster. The starting left guard is out with a knee injury and is expected to miss a month. In his spot, third-year interior lineman B.J. Finney has filled in.
However, the Steelers are not nearly as deep at tackle, where they lost Chris Hubbard in free agency to Cleveland. Jerald Hawkins is on season-ending IR after sustaining a quadriceps injury in the spring. That's on top of free agent signing Bryce Harris, who was released following a failed run test. Matt Feiler is an option, but the coaches like him more on the right side.
That is why the Steelers are leaning heavily on Okorafor, who has played on both ends of the line. He says he has no preference about which side. Nor does he care if he's playing on the first team or the third.
"I would think everyone's goal is to come in and get a spot," he said. "If that means this year or in a couple years, my job is to just come in and play the best I can and see what happens."
The Steelers have liked what they've seen from Okorafor so far. Here's what Tomlin answered when I asked following practice:
Okorafor was an Outland Trophy semifinalist and All-American at Western Michigan but his roots are deep in Africa. He moved from his native Nigeria to South Africa when he was five, then spent the next seven years in Bostwana before emigrating to Southfield, Mich., when he was 12.
He didn't take up football until his freshman year of high school at Detroit's Mumford High School, and then only as a kicker/punter. He transferred to Southfield High the following year and that's where he started playing the O-line.
Obviously, the jump from WMU of the Mid-American Conference to the NFL is a sizable one.
"Back in college, you didn't really need as much technique," he said. "But now everyone's bigger, stronger, faster. You really need to know your technique more."
That's where Munchak, Villanueva and the rest of the close-knit linemen come in. Munchak is viewed as one of the best position coaches in the game and is largely credited with helping Villanueva make it in the NFL
"He's a coach that isn't going to yell and, like, curse you," Okorafor said. "He'll take his time with you and teach you and work with you on what you need to know."
Practicing with the first team and protecting Ben Roethlisberger's blind side, Okorafor routinely goes up against the Steelers' top pass rushers like Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt and Cam Hewyard. But he further endeared himself to his fellow linemen by getting in a tussle the other day with outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo, who who was so incensed that he chucked Chuks' helmet.
At least he can laugh about that now.
"Yeah, that's just fun and games, nothing too personal," Okorafor said. "Everything's worked out great."