3 mistakes Steelers made regarding the offensive line in 2021

Steelers shouldn’t have passed on Quinn Meinerz

With Pouncey retired and with the Steelers desperately needing a starting center, selecting Quinn Meinerz in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft seemed like the easiest decision the team could possibly make. However, Pittsburgh managed to overthink this one.

Though his college team didn’t play in 2020 because of COVID-19, Meinerz was a physical freak who tested as an outstanding athlete and dominated at the Senior Bowl. At 6’3” and 320 pounds, Meinerz looked like a bull in one-on-ones and his tape matched the dominance we saw in Mobile.

Sadly, the Steelers elected to go with a bite-sized guard who they would attempt to transition to the center position in Kendrick Green. I knew that passing on Meinerz was a mistake at the time. He started 9 games for the Broncos last season and already looks like a very promising player.

Just imagine what the Steelers offensive line could look like right now if they hadn’t made these three mistakes. While they would still need another piece or two, they would have never hit rock bottom in 2021 and perhaps things would have gone much differently.