Steelers: Possible draft focus revealed by Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin may have inadvertently revealed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 NFL Draft plans.

When it comes to what the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to do with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, head coach Mike Tomlin seems to have tipped the franchise’s hand just a bit here.

Tomlin spoke to the media during the NFL‘s owners meetings on Monday. Although the Steelers could go in a lot of different directions with the No. 17 overall pick this spring, one area of need the franchise may need to address is the offensive tackle spot. When asked about how comfortable he feels about the Steelers’ book-ends up front, Tomlin did not come across as content in his answer.

“Happy is a dangerous word. I’m comfortable.”

No doubt about it, that is an awesome quote. Tomlin sure knows how to give best soundbites.

So with that in mind, should the Steelers address either tackle spot in the upcoming NFL Draft?

Mike Tomlin may have tipped Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft plans in the first round

From the looks of it, the Steelers could go in one of two directions with the No. 17 overall pick should they stay put. They could either go with a defensive back to help round out their secondary or go with a 6-foot-7 guy to stick outside. For as much as Pittsburgh fans would love to see Penn Stater and Steelers legacy Joey Porter Jr. suit up for them, they have to keep Kenny Pickett upright.

Fortunately for them, there are a handful of book-ends who could be coming off the board around where they are picking. Those players would include Broderick Jones out of Georgia, Dawand Jones out of Ohio State, and maybe even Peter Skoronski out of Northwestern if his draft stock takes a hit. Odds are, they would have to trade up for him, as is the case with Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr.

Simply put, the Steelers should be able to satisfy a primary draft need on either side of the ball with where they are picking. While they could move up or down the draft board ever so slightly to get their guy, the best thing they can do is to give Pickett the best shot at having success possible. Getting interceptions are great, but scraping a quarterback off the turf will get very old super fast.

Look for the Steelers to keep up with the Joneses by taking one of those two Joneses at No. 17.