This is the 10th in a series on the upcoming NFL Draft, which will take place April 28 through 30. Today: Offensive Tackle
The Steelers went into the 2021 season with a plan at offensive tackle. Chuks Okorafor was supposed to line up at left tackle, with Zach Banner on the right side.
Veteran Joe Haeg was signed to a two-year deal to be the swing tackle, while Dan Moore, a fourth-round draft pick, was expected to get a redshirt season, making the 53-man roster but only playing in an emergency.
The emergency struck in training camp.
Banner never recovered from a torn ACL suffered early in the 2020 season and though he tried to get back onto the field, it just never happened. He was released last month.
The Steelers wound up speeding up the process with Moore, who started 16 games at left tackle, with Okorafor shifting over to the right side where he had started in place of Banner in 2020 after his ACL injury.
The Steelers re-signed Okorafor as a free agent, giving him a three-year, $29.25-million contract. But his cap hit is just $4.3 million this season before jumping to $13 million in 2023, so the Steelers will have a decision on their hands with him again next season.
Is he worth that kind of salary bump, or will they want to move forward with someone else?
To make that a possibility, the team might want to add another offensive tackle in this year's draft.
They won't have a shot at the top three offensive tackles in this draft -- Alabama's Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State and Charles Cross of Mississippi State -- but if Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning would happen to fall to them in the first round, they would be tempted to use the 20th pick on the massive, nasty run blocker.
Penning (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) stood out at the Senior Bowl, where he tossed defensive linemen around like he was clearing a bar after a fight, then displayed outstanding athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.89-second 40-yard dash with an excellent 7.25-second three cone drill. He's big, strong and changes directions well.
Oh, and we should mention once again that he plays with an edge few possess.
"Really just out of passion," Penning said when asked where that comes from. "My O-line coach in college almost wanted us to do that. He wanted us to have a dog mentality, really, and really punish the defense. We really prided ourself on that. That's really where it comes from, just passion for the game and what the coach wanted us to do."
Penning started at left tackle the last three seasons for Northern Iowa despite the presence of 2020 third-round draft pick Spencer Brown, who wound up starting at right tackle for the Bills last season.
So, he's talented and nasty. He does need some work on his pass blocking at the NFL level, but he should be an immediate starter at right tackle.
"One of my favorite nuggets on him was the guy literally watches horror movies the night before the game to get into character," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah of Penning.
Two other offensive tackles who could sneak into the late first round would be Central Michigan's Bernhard Raimann and Tyler Smith of Tulsa.
Both figure to be long gone by the time the Steelers make their pick in the second round at No. 52 overall.
Washington State's Abraham Lucas, a true left tackle who needs to work on his run blocking, Nicholas Petit-Frere of Ohio State, Rasheed Walker of Penn State and Daniel Faalele of Minnesota also are expected to be selected during the second day of the draft.
Faalele, at 6-foot-8, 390 pounds, is one of the more polarizing players in this draft. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Faalele is a natural right tackle. But his weight and change of direction are an issue.
While Penning ran a 4.89-second 40 and posted a 7.25-second three-cone drill, Faalele ran a 5.60-second 40 and was timed at 8.47 seconds in the three-cone drill.
Faalele is not going to be for everyone, but it wouldn't surprise if a team fell in love with his size.
In the middle rounds, Braxton Jones of Southern Utah, Spencer Burford of UTSA, Dare Rosenthal of Kentucky and Max Mitchell of Louisiana could be interesting developmental prospects.
The same could be said of Matt Waletzko of North Dakota and Ryan Van Denmark of Connecticut in the later rounds.
Lolley's Top 10 Offensive Tackles
1. Evan Neal, Alabama (6-7, 337)
2. Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State (6-4, 310)
3. Charles Cross, Mississippi State (6-5, 307)
4. Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa (6-7, 325)
5. Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan (6-6, 303)
6. Tyler Smith, Tulsa (6-5, 324)
7. Abraham Lucas, Kansas State (6-6, 315)
8. Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State (6-5, 316)
9. Rasheed Walker, Penn State (6-6, 313)
10. Braxton Jones, Southern Utah (6-5, 310)
Also See
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Cornerback
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Safety
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Wide Receiver
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Line
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Tight Ends
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Running Backs
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Edge Rushers
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Interior Offensive Line
Steelers NFL Draft Preview: Inside Linebackers
