Steelers land offensive tackle in second round of latest NFL mock draft

Many positions and players have been mocked to the Steelers in the second round this year, but here’s why I have them going offensive tackle in my latest NFL mock draft.

It’s always harder to predict which direction a team will go in the draft before free agency and pre-draft visits. Because of their wide array of needs, the Steelers have been mocked tight ends, running backs, outside linebackers, defensive tackles, and wide receivers in the first round. However, I’ve decided to switch things up in my latest mock draft.

Recently, Kevin Colbert made it a point to mention the strength at outside linebacker and offensive tackle. For this reason, I have the Steelers going with TCU offensive tackle, Lucas Niang. Here’s a summary of Niang’s skillset from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

"Dancing bear with good agility and a great football IQ. He doesn’t carry his weight proportionally and looked heavier/slower in 2019, but he clearly has NFL starting talent. Niang is a scheme-diverse run blocker with athleticism for move blocks and technique/leverage to open running lanes with power. He plays with top-notch awareness and instincts in pass pro, but he’s an early opener in his pass sets and I’m not completely sold he can meet edge burners at the top of the rush on a consistent basis. The medicals need to check out on the hip, but he’s a help-now right tackle prospect who should be a long-time starter."

The Steelers miss out on the top five tackles this year in Jedrick Wills, Andrew Thomas, Mekhi Becton, Josh Jones, and Tristian Wirfs. However, Lucas Niang is no slouch. At 6’6” and 315 pounds with 34 1/4” arms, Niang possesses ideal size and length for the position.

His film is solid and he excels in pass protection. However, he doesn’t have the quickest feet and that may limit him to being a right tackle in the NFL. Still, the need is there for Pittsburgh.

There are a ton of question marks for the Steelers after the 2020 season. Alejandro Villanueva’s contract expires after this year, and Matt Feiler will be an unrestricted free agent. The Steelers drafted Chukwuma Okorafor in the 3rd round back in 2018, but he hasn’t shown the growth Pittsburgh was hoping to be, and he might just be a swing tackle for the Steelers.

Niang could serve as the primary backup to Villanueva and Feiler this season, and take over duties at right tackle in 2021. He has a similar build and play style to another former Steeler – Marcus Gilbert.

Gilbert was a second-round pick (63rd overall) back in 2011 and had an excellent eight-year career with the Steelers that consisted of 87 starts in 88 games. Unfortunately, 6 of his 8 seasons in Pittsburgh were cut short due to injury, and he had three seasons where he played 7 games or less.

Niang has some red flags with a hip injury that occurred in 2019, but if his medical checks come back good, he should be considered with this pick. In many drafts, Niang would be a first-round draft choice, but offensive tackle happens to be particularly strong this year.

The Steelers could use a lot of positions to bolster their roster heading into the 2020 season, but with an aging offensive line and expiring contracts, this is an area that will need to be addressed very soon.