The Pittsburgh Steelers need to find a tackle in the NFL draft. The Steelers solidified the guard position in free agency and have set themselves up to turn that position into strength after a spirited training camp competition. Dan Moore Jr has played outstanding against Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns but has done very little against the other NFL teams that have been on the Steelers’ schedule and after two seasons has proven that he is not ready to be the left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Steelers Dan Moore Jr
On Monday the PM Team W/Poni & Mueller welcomed Brian Baldinger from the NFL Network to the program and he was not shy about his opinions on the Pittsburgh offensive line. The offensive line improved last season compared to 2021 and rose from one of the worst units in football to a middle-of-the-pack unit. Baldinger shared his opinions with Chris Mueller about the tackles who are likely to go in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and the direction he would go.
“I like Broderick Jones better,” Baldinger said. "I’m not knocking Paris Johnson. I saw Paris play guard last year and he played tackle this year. He’s a versatile guy and he’s talented. You watch Broderick Jones at Georgia, he looks like Andrew Thomas from the New York Giants. It took him (Thomas) two years to figure it out and he’s a really good player. This guy Broderick Jones looks like that right now. He’s a young kid that is going to get stronger.”
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Steelers Right Tackle Chuks Okorafor
Andrew Thomas was the fourth pick overall in the 2020 NFL Draft for the New York Giants. The former Georgia Bulldogs tackle was named a second-team All-Pro after his third season and Baldinger thinks Jones is on his level currently. The Steelers are seeking a left tackle to pair with Chukwuma Okorafor who has played well enough at right tackle to be rewarded with a second contract with Pittsburgh.
“I don’t know how you could go wrong with Broderick Jones,” Baldinger continued. "He makes it look easy, which scares me because I don’t think anything should be easy.”
“Do you like him more than Skoronski,” Mueller interrupted.
“Yeah, I do. I like Skoronski a lot don’t get me wrong,” Baldinger replied. “I don’t think Skoronski is Rashawn Slater. If he was, I’d like Skoronski a lot more because Slater was unreal. I don’t know that Skoronski has that kind of movement. I think Skoronski can be an All-Pro guard the way that Zach Martin, Quentin Nelson, and Joel Bittonio. All those guys were tackles and became All-Pro guards.”
The Steelers free agent shopping spree means the last thing they are looking for is another guard, especially with their first-round selection in the upcoming draft. An All-Pro guard would not be a bad selection, but after spending millions the last two seasons on free agents, it would at least be a curious strategy from Omar Khan and Andy Weidl.
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Broderick Jones Shines After a Dominant Rep
“I kind of think that (guard) is what Skoronski’s best position is,” Baldinger concluded. “I’m pretty sure that Broderick Jones is a day one starter at left tackle.”
The top tackles in this year’s draft except for Jones from Georgia and Paris Johnson Jr from the Ohio State Buckeyes are right tackle prospects or players that teams will hope can convert to left tackle. Jones was falling into the late teens or early 20s before the NFL combine but now rarely escapes the top 15 picks in mock drafts.
Steelers Have Unique Opportunity With Franchise QB On Rookie Deal To Compete For Super Bowls
The high praise from Baldinger could mean that he thinks the Steelers should consider moving up to ensure they can draft the Georgia Bulldogs product. The Steelers have two second-round picks and could pair one with their first-round pick to move up and select a franchise left tackle. Khan could be aggressive with a move that could secure Kenny Pickett’s blindside for a decade. Left tackles are expensive and if he really is playing at an All-Pro level like Baldinger predicts the Steelers should not ignore the opportunity. Getting a franchise left tackle protecting a second-year franchise quarterback with both playing on rookie contracts will throw open the Super Bowl window for the Steelers over the next three seasons.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Would you consider trading up to secure a franchise left tackle? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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