Offensive tackle contracts show why Steelers would benefit to draft one early

Offensive tackle is considered a premier position in football. Outside of quarterback, you could make the case that OT slides in alongside edge defenders, wide receivers, and cornerbacks as the most important position for their team. Obviously, this is a case-by-case basis, but recently, we are seeing even more incentive for the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft an offensive tackle early.

Remarkably, the Steelers have gone a decade without spending higher than a third-round pick on an offensive lineman of any sort. When it comes to the offensive tackle position, the figure is even more disgusting. Pittsburgh hasn't spent a first-round pick on an offensive tackle since taking Jamain Stephens all the back in 1996.

This means that Kevin Colbert went his entire tenure as director of football operations and general manager without taking an OT in round one. The game has changed a lot over the past two decades, and the sheer neglect of such an important position is no longer acceptable.

Every year in the NFL Draft, we see offensive tackles fly off the board, as other teams understand their value and know that they need to get one high. Rarely do top-flight offensive tackles hit the free-agent market. The top OT to do so this offseason was Orlando Brown Jr. (who has already been traded for a first-round pick once in his NFL career).

Brown signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals recently despite grading out as just the 19th-best offensive tackle in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus.

Recently, Lane Johnson just inked a one-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles worth a whopping $33.4 million. This includes a substantial $30 million guaranteed. Johnson turns 33 years old this offseason, and his new extension is for the 2026 season. He will be 36 years old at that point, but the Eagles know just how valuable he is to their football team.

Admittedly, Johnson is the best in the business, but we have seen how the best teams in the league like the Eagles, Chiefs, Bengals, 49ers, and Cowboys have been forking up both money and draft capital on the offensive tackle position in recent years. It's time for the Steelers to do the same.

Steelers should draft offensive tackle early

Apart from Orlando Brown Jr., how many premier left tackles hit the free agent market each year? The answer is hardly any at all. Typically, if a tackle is still playing at a high level, teams will re-sign them for whatever their market worth is. On the rare occasions where they are unable to do so, they typically find a trade partner before their contracts expire (much like the Ravens did when they received a first-round pick for Brown by sending him to the Chiefs).

If the Steelers were to take an offensive tackle in the first round, they would have the advantage of a rookie contract on their side. Though the tackle they select isn't guaranteed to be a good football player right away, it's possible that they could get excellent play at a greatly discounted price toward the end of their rookie contract.

When it does come time to sign that player, the Steelers will have the upper hand to do so before one of their most valuable assets hits the market. Most teams that hit on offensive tackles in the first round, tend to keep that player around for the majority of their NFL career.

This year, players like Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones, and Darnell Wright would prove to be significant upgrades over the former mid-round picks the Steelers to have starting at the position. Though Dan Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor have done a serviceable job with respect to where they were drafted, this isn't a position that teams should settle for.

Currently, 16 offensive tackles are making at least $17 million per year in annual earnings, according to Over the Cap, while Laremy Tunsil's new deal is paying him $25 million per season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will never be able to find these guys on the open market, and these massive OT contracts show why they need to start investing into the position in the NFL Draft