The Pittsburgh Steelers need to address a few key positions in the upcoming NFL Draft, including offensive tackle and cornerback. Both position groups have really solid top-end talent this year, and the Steelers have been active in bringing in pre-draft visitors at both positions to get as much knowledge as possible. One player who didn’t come in for a pre-draft visit but did have dinner with the Steelers ahead of his Pro Day is Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who’s projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. However, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine named McKinstry as a prospect to avoid for the Steelers, as they should focus on their offense.
Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report agrees with the Steelers targeting offense in the first round, as his ideal fit for the team is Georgia OT Amarius Mims.
Ballentine thinks it would be “bad resource management” to take a cornerback in the first round.
“The Steelers were 10th in passer rating allowed last season with a combination of [Joey] Porter, Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace manning the cornerback spots. Meanwhile, the offense was 28th in scoring and 23rd in EPA per play, in part because their offensive line wasn’t up to snuff. The Steelers could stand to add upgrades at both left tackle and center. Given the quality of this draft class at both positions, it would be bad resource management to pass on someone like Amarius Mims or even Jackson Powers-Johnson in favor of McKinstry.”
It’s a fair argument, but the Steelers also need a long-term solution alongside Porter, and their depth behind him and Donte Jackson right now is a little bit rough, with the team currently looking at Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush, two unproven players entering their second year in the league behind them. For Trice, he’s also coming off a torn ACL that wiped out his rookie season, so he hasn’t even logged an NFL snap yet. But there’s corner talent to be found in the middle rounds as well, while the Steelers likely won’t find a starting-caliber tackle later in the draft, so building up the trenches could end up being Pittsburgh’s priority.
Fowler thinks Mims has an All-Pro ceiling, and that should make him a fit for the Steelers in the first.
“Should Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan turn in Amarius Mims’ card on draft night, it would allow former Georgia teammate Broderick Jones to slide back to his natural spot at left tackle. While the injury bug has hampered Mims from remaining available for a full season, he checks off all the boxes teams look for in a franchise cornerstone at right tackle. His availability will be a concern, but if he is able to remain off the shelf, he has an All-Pro type of ceiling at the position.”
For Mims, he’s a raw talent who has just eight starts throughout his collegiate career. He doesn’t view the lack of starting experience as a big deal, and he did play behind two NFL offensive tackles in Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon. But the lack of snaps means he’s more of a project than a ready-made plug-and-play option, and he would likely start the season on the bench.
Mims played on the right side in college, so the benefit is that the Steelers could move Jones back to his natural left tackle spot and potentially give the Steelers two bookend tackles for years to come. It just wouldn’t be a pick that makes the Steelers much better in Week One, but it would certainly improve the long-term outlook at offensive tackle, especially with Dan Moore Jr. set to be a free agent following the 2024 season. Jones and Mims are two athletic freaks who would help bolster Pittsburgh’s rushing attack, and with the team wanting to play a ground-and-pound style with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, it could very well be the direction that Pittsburgh goes.
But with holes to fill at wide receiver and center as well as offensive tackle and cornerback, there are a number of options for the Steelers when it comes to what to do with their first-round pick. I think it’ll end up being an offensive lineman with Mims a strong contender to be the selection, but we’ll find out for sure on Thursday.
