Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
College position: Left tackle
Best fit: Right tackle
Secondary position: Right guard
Alex Leatherwood simply looks the part. He’s tall, long, and muscular with an incredible wingspan. In fact, everything about his physique screams ‘left tackle.’ Unfortunately, I don’t think that is his best fit if he were to be drafted by the Steelers. Though there may not be a big drop in play from Alejandro Villanueva to Leatherwood at this point, I worry about the Alabama product protecting the blindside.
Though he rarely lets edge rushers run through him, he has inconsistent feet and technique that must be cleaned up. At the Senior Bowl practices, he was routinely beat with speed around the edge. To be honest, there will be many teams that peg him as a guard in the NFL – and he could be a very good one.
I don’t think Leatherwood would be a terrible pick by the Steelers, but I worry that his best fit is inside. However, I truly believe the big offensive lineman can make a living in the NFL at right tackle. He’s not all that different from Ereck Flowers – a former first-round pick who started his career at offensive tackle but is now playing his best football at guard. Leatherwood could have a similar career path if he doesn’t play well on the outside.