The 2024 NFL Draft is shaping up to present some extremely difficult decisions when it comes to roster construction for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unless anything drastic happens between now and the draft, they have urgent needs at center, wide receiver, offensive tackle, and slot corner. There are other positions of need, but those seem to be the consensus four-biggest holes to fill. I am going to take a look at other teams’ positions of need and attempt to decipher how likely the Steelers are to have a starter fall to them.
The first two rounds are where you are going to find your instant contributors for the most part, so the focus of this exercise will be on the first 50 picks of the draft with the Steelers picking at 51. For the second installment of this series, we are going to take a look at the tackle position. Check out last week’s center post here.
The Steelers have one half of their tackle tandem figured out with 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones. The only issue is, he was drafted to be a left tackle and ended up playing on the right side for the majority of his rookie season. While head coach Mike Tomlin was less committal on moving him back to the left side, GM Omar Khan said at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine that they drafted Jones to be a left tackle and that is where he will eventually end up.
Dan Moore Jr. is still under contract for the final year of his rookie deal. He didn’t have a great showing in 2023, but it is not out of the question to have things remain the same with Jones on the right and Moore on the left depending how the draft falls.
It is a deep tackle class overall, but some of the high-end talents are projects with less college starting experience than you typically see in the first or second round. Let’s take a look at the tackle prospects that could conceivably be taken in the top 51 picks of the draft in no particular order.
– Taliese Fuaga — Oregon State
– Joe Alt — Notre Dame
– Olumuyiwa Fashanu — Penn State
– JC Latham — Alabama
– Amarius Mims — Georgia
– Tyler Guyton — Oklahoma
– Kingsley Suamataia — BYU
– Jordan Morgan — Arizona
– Troy Fautanu — Washington
There are other tackles that could certainly develop into fine starters, but these are the projected first and second rounders by most media outlets.
Over the last 10 draft classes, the most tackles to be selected in the first two rounds combined was 9 in the 2021 draft class. The fewest was three in 2017. The first round sees an average of 3.8 tackles selected and the second round an average of 2.2, so typically there are 6 tackles off the board by the end of the second round. With the talent level in this year’s draft class at the position, that number should be easily surpassed.
| Draft Year | Round 1 | Round 2 |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 6 |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2015 | 3 | 4 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 |
| Total | 38 | 22 |
I have seen as many as seven or eight tackles off the board by the end of the first round from various draftniks, so the urgency might be there for the Steelers to take one in round one, or else miss out on the cream of the crop at the position by their second-round pick at 51st overall.
Here are the Steelers’ draft picks for 2024 as it stands right now following the trades in free agency. Let’s take a look at the other teams in the draft that are projected to be looking for early help at tackle. It is nearly half the league.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Their first round pick is almost certainly going to be spent on a quarterback, but that leaves them two in the second round ahead of the Steelers at 51.
Draft Picks: 1:2, 2:36, 2:40
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
A quarterback is most likely here, so just one pick to worry about in the second round, if the Steelers go a different route in the first.
Draft Picks: 1:3, 2:34
TENNESSEE TITANS
With tackle as one of their top needs, pick 7 could see the first tackle off the board.
Draft Picks: 1:7, 2:38
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
If a quarterback they like isn’t available in the first, they could be another team to grab a tackle in the first round.
Draft Picks: 1:13, 2:44
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Ryan Ramczyk has lingering knee issues and Trevor Penning has struggled. They are in play for a first-round tackle.
Draft Picks: 1:14, 2:45
CINCINNATI BENGALS
They may be able to wait until day two for a tackle with Trent Brown being signed, but he has an injury history and they need a long-term option.
Draft Picks: 1:18, 2:49
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
They are more likely to take a tackle in the second round, but it is the pick right before the Steelers. They could play spoiler if Pittsburgh goes another direction in round one.
Draft Picks: 1:22, 2:50, 2:53
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Terron Armstead has an injury history and with how good this class is at the position, they could be after a tackle in round one.
Draft Picks: 1:21, 2:55
DALLAS COWBOYS
Just one pick before the Steelers in the top two rounds, but that could very well be a tackle with Tyron Smith now in New York.
Draft Picks: 1:24, 2:56
GREEN BAY PACKERS
David Bakhtiari was released, so tackle could be an option at either of their top two selections.
Draft Picks: 1:25, 2:41, 2:58
BALTIMORE RAVENS
The Ravens are due for a full OL rebuild with both starting guards leaving in free agency and Morgan Moses being traded away. Ronnie Stanley is in the final year of his contract and hasn’t had much injury luck.
Draft Picks: 1:30, 2:62
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
If a tackle they like is available at 31st overall, they could go that direction. Brock Purdy needs some help along the offensive line.
Draft Picks: 1:31, 2:63
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Depending on how much faith they have in 2023 third-round OT Wanya Morris, they could be looking at tackle if one of the top guys is still available at the last pick of the first round.
Draft Picks: 1:32, 2:64
There are 6 teams with tackle needs that select before the Steelers in the first round. Two of those are likely to be used on quarterbacks, so barring trades or teams going for best player available instead of needs, that should leave the Steelers with at least a couple options in the first round.
The second round gets a little more dicey. There are 22 total selections by teams with tackle needs before the Steelers’ pick at 51st overall in the second round. Similar to center, if they don’t go with one in the first round, it could be a trade-up scenario higher in the second round to secure a tackle.
Just five of those tackles I listed above have right tackle experience. It is not always as easy to just flip sides at the position if they draft a left tackle prospect like Troy Fautanu, but Jones now has experience on the right side if it comes down to it.
If they pass on tackles in the first two rounds, they could still get a solid prospect like Patrick Paul, Roger Rosengarten, or Blake Fisher, but they won’t likely be seeing the field much in year one.
