Carter's Classroom: Okorafor's challenge might be to get meaner taken on the South Side (Steelers)

KARL ROSER / STEELERS

Chukwuma Okorafor at practice.

Much has been made of the Steelers' new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm adding a tougher demeanor to the group to change the tone of games in 2021.

This looks to fit the play styles of several linemen in the locker room. David DeCastro has long displayed a mean streak, Zach Banner and Kevin Dotson play closer to that style now and sound excited about the opportunity, and rookies Kendrick Green and Dan Moore Jr. displayed that style in their college tape.

The one lineman who could be a starter on the line and hasn't fit that mold is fourth-year tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. From his college days to starting all but one game in 2020, he's consistently shown a skillset that would make him a useful lineman, but he'll have to make some adjustments to his game to be the kind of tackle Klemm will want from his starters.

Okorafor has consistently been a better pass blocker than a road grader for the Steelers' run game. Even in his days at Western Michigan, his better plays have come when he's working into his pass sets with quick footwork and maximizing his 6-foot-6, 320 lbs. frame with well placed hands to keep edge rushers from compromising his position.

He even did that as a rookie in 2018 when he filled in for Marcus Gilbert and went up against eight-time pro bowler Von Miller, allowing only one sack on Ben Roethlisberger.

Watch how quick his feet got into the shuffle needed to get into position before he maintained a solid wide base and used his hands to break up Miller's attempted outside move. Even when he attempted to come back inside, Okorafor had his gap locked up so that Miller couldn't disrupt Roethlisberger's stepping up in the pocket before completing a pass:

But again, that's always been his strength.

Okorafor is in his zone when he's allowed to be reactive, working to get into position to counter what his opponent wants to try as a pass rusher. But when he's asked to be the spark plug at tackle for a run play, that's when he's more out of his element.

And that doesn't mean he can't do the job of a run blocker, as he's helped the Steelers several times on different run plays. But those often involved him not running through or pancaking a defender, but more so walling off his man to seal them away from the play.

He did that very well against Jaleel Johnson on this 12-yard touchdown run by James Conner. Watch how he jumped to establish outside leverage to keep Johnson from Conner's off-tackle run while engaging with his hands just long enough to keep Johnson out of the play:

But you can even see how quickly he let his guy go. Okorafor had no intention of driving his man anywhere, just sealing him inside.

He got the job done, but there are too many times in the NFL an offensive lineman needs to exhibit more drive off the ball to change the line of scrimmage for that to be the only way to run block. And that became Okorafor's problem in 2020 as he only had one pace without finishing too many of his blocks.

Here's an example of when it still worked out for the Steelers but you could see how it almost blew up a play. Watch how Okorafor, again, quickly got into position against Daron Payne, but hen got driven back to the middle of the play. Anthony McFarland managed to squeeze through his gap, but Payne almost blew up the play that ended up being a 6-yard run:

And eventually plays like that led to costly moments for the Steelers when they couldn't win in short distance run plays.

Watch how Okorafor's lack of aggression cost the Steelers in a clear run blocking scenario where the entire line needs to get physical and dominate their positions across the board.

Neville Gallimore torqued his body to drive Okorafor into the middle of the play again, but this time he got to Benny Snell in the hole on a 4th-and-1 to blow up the play and cause a turnover on downs:

You can see how all of Okorafor's steps were lateral in an attempt to wall off Gallimore, but by not including his own drive he got overpowered.

That's where Okorafor has to adapt his game. Too often he works to get into position and let his opponents dictate the terms of engagement by allowing them to charge into him. Even when he wins, he'll often do so only as much as he thinks he needs to do to win a given assignment.

Klemm's 'run through his face' philosophy, as Dotson described it, wants none of that. To play that style of football a lineman needs to fire off the ball each play with the intention of crushing their man, burying them into the turf regardless of whether they think they've already won the play or not.

That's what it means to be nasty as a lineman. Even if you think you've blocked a defender to be out of the play, finish the job by continuing to block through the play and work until the whistle is blown. It's not dirty or calling for cheap shots, it's just tasking the offensive line to play with more aggression.

Whether Okorafor can make this a consistent part of his game could be a big factor in his future with the Steelers. 2021 is the final year of his rookie contract and the Steelers having the second most salary cap space in 2022 with $76.8 million means they'll be looking to invest in players they want to keep around for whatever era comes as Roethlisberger finishes out his career.

If he can adopt this kind of play to his system and become a key cog in the Steelers' offense, or at least a functioning run blocker while being a proficient pass protector, he could earn that spot.

But simply getting meaner isn't enough to accomplish what Klemm wants. There's still an art to ensuring to locking onto the correct shoulder of an opponent, getting lower than him, getting your hands inside of his frame and using sheer power and leg drive to drive them off the ball and win the play.

Sometimes it's tough even to get that first part down.

Here's Okorafor failing to connect with Benardrick McKinney when there was nobody in his way, whiffing on the block and costing an opportunity for McFarland to have a one-on-one in space against a defensive back:

Getting to the second level of a defense to blow up a linebacker is just as important as sealing or driving a defensive tackle off the line. Miss your man and the entire play can get blown up just how McKinney shut down McFarland before he could even get started.

That's one thing Moore was proficient at in college that could give him a leg up on Okorafor if the veteran doesn't improve his skills in that department. Plenty of times Moore could get to linebackers in space, lock onto them and blow them out of the play.

But there's still a ways to go for most college linemen to step into the NFL and make an impact. Okorafor having the edge on Moore as a pass protector and having played in the NFL will give him plenty of a lead going into training camp. He'll be more familiar with the line calls, operating within the Steelers' system and knowing what's expected day in and day out of an NFL player.

However, that system has changed with a new offensive line coach in Klemm and a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada who will work to get the ball to the Steelers' new top back in Najee Harris. Add that to the fact that outside of DeCastro, Okorafor won't have more than a few starts with any of the other starters on the line, and chemistry might not nearly be the advantage it would've been for a returning starter in previous years for the Steelers.

Okorafor can't afford to come into training camp with any assumptions he's got the job locked down, as he'll be adjusting to a new offense, a new position coach, several new teammates, and a new play style that will call him to do what he hasn't shown to be comfortable doing in his NFL or NCAA days.

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