The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of good reasons to feel hopeful ahead of their 2024 campaign. Not only did they rebuild their quarterback room from the ground up, but Pittsburgh's front office has shown that they are willing to make moves when it will add to their roster. With the trio of Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, and Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are looking to the 2024 NFL Draft as another excellent opportunity to fill in some key spots. Going by Pittsburgh's top-30 visits, they seem to be pretty focused on adding to the trenches.
The Steelers showed how much they wanted to bring in a hulking offensive tackle in the 2023 NFL Draft by trading up to select Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick. With plenty of offensive linemen that they have been interested in during the prospect evaluation process, that could be in the cards again.
While the Steelers have been particularly active regarding offensive linemen in general, they have been rather focused on taking a look at offensive tackles. Of the 14 lineman prospects that the Steelers visited with, eight of those were offensive tackles. Pittsburgh currently holds the 20th overall pick, and depending on how it falls on draft day, the Steelers could end up with the next great lineman for the future.
Pittsburgh had former Georgia tackle Amarius Mims in for a prospect visit in March, and throughout the draft process Mims has been linked to the Steelers. The 6'7", 340-pound lineman would not only add another former Bulldog to Pittsburgh's offensive line but create a formidable duo with Jones. The Steelers also visited with Troy Fautanu, who played offensive tackle at Washington and is ranked third at the position by Pro Football Focus. Fautanu is less of a huge bruiser like Jones or Mims but would add an intriguing, athletic element to a line that is eager to lead the way in 2024.
Taliese Fuaga, out of Oregon State, is another offensive tackle who visited with the Steelers. Widely seen as one of the top 10 linemen in the draft, Fuaga is naturally a right tackle, but depending on how the Steelers utilize Jones in 2024, that could change if he ends up wearing black and gold. Another offensive tackle prospect, Travis Glover, who played at Georgia State, visited with the Steelers on the same day as Fuaga, and while Glover isn't considered as high a value as Fuaga, there is sleeper quality there for the Steelers if he made an impact.
One of several options outside of day one of the draft, Blake Fisher, out of Notre Dame, could fit the mold the Steelers are looking for without the high cost. If not for some questions on penalties and his technique at times, Fisher would be much higher on draft boards, but that could end up playing right into the Steelers' hands. Former Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton has played on both the left and right side, giving him a versatility that could make a difference on draft day. With a 6'8", 322-pound frame, it would be right along Khan and Weidl's desire to build up the trenches and get bigger.
Steelers' Tackle Options Are Plentiful
One prospect the Steelers visited with that has some injury concerns is Matt Goncalves who played offensive tackle at the University of Pittsburgh. Goncalves' college career was unfortunately derailed more than once by injuries, with an ACL in 2022 and turf toe in 2023, resulting in his total collegiate experience amounting to 22 games played. If the Steelers do their due diligence and determine that Goncalves is beyond those worries, he could add much-needed talent with a lower-end pick.
An outside-the-box possibility for the Steelers at offensive tackle would be Travis Clayton. The prospect is the result of the International Player Pathway (IPP) program that has the English lineman aiming for an NFL career. Clayton would be a late pick if he doesn't go undrafted, but the fact that the Steelers used one of their visits on him means they saw at least something they liked. Clayton is 6'7" and over 300 pounds, both leaning right into the bigger, bulkier line that the Steelers are trying to build.
Which offensive tackle would you want the Steelers to select in the 2024 NFL Draft?
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