Steelers go with ferocious OT in latest 2022 NFL mock draft

The Steelers desperately need talent along the offensive line. Here’s why Pro Football Focus has them addressing the tackle position in their latest NFL mock draft. 

It’s so hard to tell which position the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to target with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. While quarterback has been the popular selection to mock this season, there’s no guarantee general manager Kevin Colbert goes that route.

Based on some of his comments during press conferences this season, Mike Tomlin has led many to believe that he doesn’t want to start over with a rookie quarterback at this point in time, and the Steelers could go the veteran route with a free agent or even a trade.

If this turns out to be the case, Pittsburgh could focus their attention on plenty of other positions, including cornerback, linebacker, or virtually any position along the offensive line. In the latest NFL mock draft by CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso has Pittsburgh going with a player you may not be familiar with: Northern Iowa offensive tackle, Trevor Penning.

Penning would be an interesting choice for the Steelers

If you are on Twitter a lot, you may have seen some Penning highlights come across your feed. The Northern Iowa standout has a nasty streak to him that Steelers fans would be sure to love, and highlights consist of him constantly planting smaller pass rushers into the turf.

Standing at 6’7” and 321 pounds, Penning is a massive human being with prototype traits to be a starting left tackle in the NFL. While current rookie offensive tackle Dan Moore shows a lot of promise, there’s no guarantee he will be anything more than a serviceable option at the position in the future.

Even if Moore turns out to be a very good player for Pittsburgh, the Steelers will still be in need of another offensive tackle as Chukwuma Okorafor is a free agent after this season and will earn more money than it will be worth to retain him.

Penning probably won’t be considered a top-three offensive tackle in this class, but that’s not necessarily a knock among such a quality OT group this year. Penning is athletic enough to stick at left tackle and strong enough to move to the right side if needed there. His presence could provide an immediate boost to an offensive line in desperate need of improvement.

Coming from the In the Missouri Valley Football Conference, it would be a longshot if the Steelers took Penning, as Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have historically only drafted Power 5 players in the first round. However, perhaps they would be willing to make an exception for a quality prospect like this.

Trevor Penning is a very interesting football player who could be a staple to an offensive line for a very long time. We know the Steelers need offensive line help, and I will be interested to see if he’s on Pittsburgh’s radar leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft.