4. Steelers could draft Darnell Wright to replace Okorafor
Darnell Wright has been a popular mock selection at both the 17th and 32nd overall selections. Wright is the only one of these tackles with significant starting experience at both tackle positions. But his best position in terms of his future is surely at right tackle. He started there from 2019-2020 before flipping over to the left side in 2021.
However, he moved back to the right side in 2022 and performed much better, committing nine fewer penalties and allowing half as many pressures as well as zero sacks. Wright even shut out talents like BJ Ojulari from LSU and Will Anderson from Alabama, the latter of whom will most likely be a top-five selection.
Despite this success, it seems unlikely that Wright would be able to beat out an established veteran like Chukwuma Okorafor before the season starts. He also has the shortest arms of these five offensive tackles at 33 ¾”, which is below the Steelers’ recent threshold of 34”.
Wright will most likely have quite a steep learning curve adjusting to the NFL, as he is coming from a very unorthodox, gimmicky offense at Tennessee. But he’s smart, strong, and technically sound, so he could end up being Okorafor’s long-term replacement.