Steelers meet with polarizing, high-upside offensive tackle prospect

Pittsburgh's latest pre-draft visit is further proof they will take an OT early in the draft.

Iowa State v Oklahoma
Iowa State v Oklahoma / Brian Bahr/GettyImages
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are making their needs known to the public. After visiting Amarius Mims and JC Latham on the Pro Day scouting trail, Pittsburgh hosted Mims, Taliese Fuaga, and Troy Fautanu for Top 30 pre-draft visits. It's clear that offensive tackle is high on their radar and they are strongly considering the position in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

One player they didn't meet with along the way was Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton. That changed on April 11th.

Ray Fittipaldo of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed that Guyton was one of two players in town for a pre-draft visit on Thursday (the other was Northern Iowa DT, Khristian Boyd).

Guyton is a polarizing prospect and NFL Draft experts have a wide range of opinions regarding where he should be drafted. On one hand, you have a big OT with eye-popping movement skills and incredible power. On the other, you have a player without a ton of college experience who needs tons of refinement.

Steelers are wise to meet with Tyler Guyton

Tyler Guyton is far from a safe prospect at the offensive tackle position, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are wise to bring him in for a Top 30 pre-draft visit. If the plan is to find an imposing right tackle early in the draft that will allow Broderick Jones to kick back over to left tackle, I'm glad the Steelers are doing their homework on Guyton.

Because he needs so much refinement, Guyton could struggle early in his career. But you can teach the traits and frame that he possesses at the position.

At 6'7 3/4'' and 322 pounds with 34 1/8'' arms, the big Oklahoma OT checks all of the boxes for Omar Khan and Andy Weidl when it comes to the frame they look for at the tackle position. Guyton also tested as a 97th percentile athlete, according to RAS.football.

Guyton moves like a much smaller offensive tackle, but he packs a punch and isn't lacking in the power department. He had a solid showing during Senior Bowl practices this offseason.

Where he struggles is with technique. Guyton lunges and takes false steps far too often that get him off balance or out of position. This will need to be cleaned up at the next level, and it's possible that he's a two-year project before the team who drafts him sees the fruits of their selection.

Still, Guyton's unmatched upside makes him an intriguing option in the back half of the first round. The Steelers have now had Top 30 visits with Amarius Mims, JC Latham, Taliese Fuaga, and Tyler Guyton. It feels like they are heading toward an offensive tackle in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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