Steelers Draft: Which offensive tackles are the best fit in Pittsburgh?

Which offensive tackle would be best for the Steelers?

It would be nice if there was one clear and obvious choice at pick 24 for the Steelers, but that won’t be the case unless Christian Darrisaw somehow falls this far. This makes for a very interesting predicament. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert could go with a battle-tested player like Alex Leatherwood who has faced very good SEC competition or a raw player with tools like Samuel Cosmi. I’m also a very big fan of Jalen Mayfield, but I’m afraid that his best fit in the NFL is on the inside.

Personally, I think Liam Eichenberg might be Pittsburgh’s best bet at pick 24 if they are to take an offensive tackle. Though he doesn’t seem to be drawing a lot of the first-round buzz at this point, he’s one of the few players that will be available that I believe has a chance to be a left tackle in the NFL, but also has a very high floor as a right tackle. Eichenberg already has loads of experience against Big 10 pass rushers and his grade improved substantially each season.

The Steelers could choose a player with position flexibility, but Kevin Dotson is going to be manning the left guard position, while David DeCastro may still have several years left in the tank. Pittsburgh needs a true tackle prospect that has enough tools to play on the left side if Alejandro Villanueva does not return, and Eichenberg has one of the highest floors of this group.

Obviously, the Steelers may not be targeting a tackle at all early in the daft, and they could choose to go an entirely different route. However, in a deep offensive tackle class, it’s important to have a good understanding of their different skill sets as every one of these players could potentially be on their radar early in the 2021 NFL Draft.