Very few teams have the ammunition to move up in the draft like the Pittsburgh Steelers do, but Todd McShay’s final mock draft has them staying put and drafting a new player who hasn’t been linked to the team much throughout the pre-draft process. With the No. 21 pick, McShay has the Steelers grabbing the sixth offensive tackle off the board in Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor.
“This week’s Broderick Jones news (neck injury setback) only accelerates the Steelers’ need at OT. Iheanachor—who didn’t play high school football—offers intriguing upside and has gotten better every year in college,” McShay writes.
There were some surprising names still on the board that the Steelers passed on McShay’s mock. The one that will catch most people’s attention is USC WR Makai Lemon, but Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq was also available. McShay has Lemon going No. 24 and Sadiq No. 23, saying he thinks all WRs not named Jordyn Tyson will slide due to the run on tackles. Carnell Tate didn’t come off the board until No. 16.
McShay was banging the drum for the Steelers taking an offensive tackle before the Broderick Jones news, so the latest development crystallized his thinking. Even if Omar Khan downplayed the idea of a setback injury, the reporting is much less optimistic than it was a couple weeks ago.
Iheanachor has plenty of upside, but he’s a right tackle prospect who is brand new to football. Could he turn into the best tackle in this class? Sure, but he’s also one of the biggest risks.
His soccer and basketball background clearly show up in his athleticism and footwork, but he has many of the same issues that Broderick Jones did coming out of college. His punch is underdeveloped, and he wins more with finesse than power. If the right staff can develop his upper half to match the raw athleticism in his lower half, Iheanachor can be a real problem.
The question is, should the Steelers sign up for another version of Broderick Jones at No. 21 when, in this scenario, they have access to Lemon, Sadiq, and even Tate with a reasonable move up the board?
Of the seven tackles projected to go in the first round, Iheanachor has the lowest consensus ranking at 32.7. Most years, with a deeper pool of talent at the top, he would be a second-round pick. I’m not sure Pittsburgh can afford to reach, even with the increased urgency at tackle.
In McShay’s scenario, I would either select Lemon or trade up for Monroe Freeling or Spencer Fano.