Will Steelers use first-round pick on this position for first time under Mike Tomlin?

Casual fans and media alike believe that the Steelers offensive line is a weakness that needs to be strengthened. Omar Khan, who anxiously awaits his first draft as Pittsburgh's General Manager, did his best to solidify the interior of the line when he signed guards Isaac Seumalo (60 career starts for Philadelphia) and Nate Herbig (11 starts with the New York Jets last year) during the first wave of free agency.

Will Pittsburgh now draft an offensive tackle with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, number 17 overall? History says no, as the Steelers have not selected an offensive tackle in the first round of their 16 previous drafts with Mike Tomlin as head coach.

In fact, Pittsburgh hasn't used a first-round draft pick on an offensive tackle since selecting Jamain Stephens out of North Carolina A&T with pick 29, way back in 1996. Cam Heyward and Patrick Peterson are probably the only current Steelers old enough to remember that, but that's doubtful considering they were 7 and 6 years old respectively at the time!

However, the two offensive linemen the Steelers have selected in the first round since Tomlin has been coach -- Maurkice Pouncey (2010) and David DeCastro (2012) -- became future All-Pro selections and combined for 15 Pro Bowl nods. Knowing that Tomlin could very well lobby Khan to draft an offensive lineman in the first round this year in order to lock down one of the tackle spots for the next decade.

So, in this article, I'm going to present arguments both for, and against, the Steelers taking an offensive tackle with their first pick in the NFL Draft.