Another draft, another early-round offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the No. 21 pick in front of a home crowd Thursday night, the Steelers selected Arizona State right tackle Max Iheanachor. The pick marked the third first-round offensive tackle the team has picked in four drafts under general manager Omar Khan.
That means, of course, one of those three isn’t expected to stay at tackle for the Steelers long term.
The pick came after Steelers left tackle and former first-rounder Broderick
Jones, who is entering the last year of his contract, reportedly suffered a neck injury setback in the days leading up to the draft. Jones had an up-and-down tenure with the Steelers, to say the least, before then. The expectation has been that Pittsburgh will not pick up his fifth-year option.
“Sure, that’s a little bit of a concern, you’ve heard me talk about that,” Khan said when asked about how the pick related to Jones, adding, “We got guys on the offensive line that can play different positions. … We have options.”
If Jones isn’t healthy to start the season, it’ll be an easy path for Iheanachor to make the starting lineup despite still being considered a raw prospect. However, he was a college right tackle, while Jones plays on the left.
The wrinkle is that the Steelers’ current right tackle, another former first-rounder in Troy Fautanu, was a successful college left tackle who could move back to that side of the line to keep Iheanachor on the right.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy was asked about that possibility at the press conference. He said it was a discussion that would happen after the draft. He said his coaching staff has been looking at the position versatility of the team’s rostered offensive linemen earlier in the week.
However, McCarthy clarified that the Steelers will be starting Iheanachor out at tackle, not guard, once he arrives in Pittsburgh.
Khan was also asked if Fautanu could see a move to guard. The Steelers GM repeated that the team has options.
Entering Day 2 of the draft, the Steelers still seem to have a need at left guard on the offensive line. But with Jones, Fautanu, top backup Dylan Cook, and now Iheanachor, the team has no shortage of tackle options entering camp.
