Could Kevin Colbert go after an offensive lineman with the 20th pick?

[Steeler Nation]

If the Pittsburgh Steelers 2021-22 season proved anything, it is that the offensive line is by far the weakest unit on the team. Though the Steelers managed to pull off a 9-7-1 record and edge their way into a playoff berth, the team will have a lot of work to do this off-season if they want to improve their record next season. That work needs to start upfront by upgrading the offensive line.

Steelers draft position​

While few things are certain in the NFL Draft, one thing we do know is that the Steelers currently hold the 20th overall pick in the draft. While some believe the black and gold should trade up to draft a quarterback such as Kenny Pickett or Matt Coral, others suggest taking an offensive lineman would be the smarter move.

Because this draft is light on quarterback talent in comparison to other drafts, the Steelers will likely not preoccupy themselves with forcing a rookie to step into Ben’s shoes.

If the organization does want to draft a quarterback, chances are it will come at a later time when there is more talent available. For now, the team needs to build up its weakest points through the draft, and rely on the talent already on the team such as Najee Harris and TJ Watt.

With limited offensive talent in this draft and a late 1st-round pick, the Steelers will likely select an interior defensive lineman or an offensive lineman. If Pittsburgh does have their hearts set on taking a quarterback, many mock drafts have very talented quarterbacks slipping to the second and third rounds.

Charles Cross may be the Steelers best bet​

Charles Cross, a redshirt sophomore out of Mississippi State, would be an incredibly sound pick.

The 6’5″, 310lb offensive tackle started on Mississippi State’s offensive line for the past two seasons, earning both freshman All-SEC honors in 2020, and 1st team All-SEC honors in 2021. Cross appeared at left tackle over 20 times with the Bulldogs as they leaned on him to protect their quarterback’s blindside.

Cross is quite lean for his position and uses a combination of explosiveness and athleticism to move his opponents down the field as opposed to size. Cross’s technique allows him to play with the best pass rushers in the SEC, and his quickness lets him escape down field to pick up linebackers.

These are all traits that the Steelers could use to both protect the franchises next quarterback and create holes for running back Najee Harris.

In the right scheme, Cross could be tremendously effective. There is no doubt that he will need to add some size while maintaining his athleticism and explosive first step; however, the frame and technique are all in place. If the Steelers elect to draft an offensive lineman with the 20th pick in the draft, Charles Cross is as good of a pick as any and could likely contribute right away.



Who do you think the Steelers should draft with their first round pick? Let us know in the comments below!

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[stuntmanmike]

Cross may have a good career but there is probably a shitload of Crosses in this draft, that’s why you have scouts, you find a Cross in the 5th round. if you’re having to draft lineman this high up your already fukd! it’s not hard to string together a good offensive line. The Steeler line, as a group doesn’t move their feet, they stand and reach. ya, that don’t stop pass rushers in the NFL. It these guys get to the Steelers and they stop learning anything! Guys that blocked like that NEVER would have had a roster spot on the Steelers of old. We won 4 Super Bowls with a line no one can remember their names. Webster, the only one in the hall, was only as good as the guys next to him. Coach Noll is remember as a defense genius, and should be, but he was a messenger guard for Paul Brown’s championship teams in Cleveland. One of the last “60 minute men” played both middle linebacker and guard. And Noll’s teams BLOCKED! Watching the 9ers team last night, able to run for a first down on 3 and 7 against a very tough packer defense, with the game on the line, brought back memories. That 49er offensive line looked like the Steel Curtain line of old. After the game Terry Bradshaw, no less, said never seen a team show so much heart, and he had be talking, not just about Debo, but the men blocking. Trent Williams is a HOFer but rest are no bodies. The left guard cut by the lions! the center is as old Ben, rookie right guard and the right tackle Tom Compton wouldn’t make most teams, he wouldn’t have made the Steelers! Drafting Cross will have ZERO effect on the Steelers, you better go back to the black board, and start teaching the linemen to move their fukn feet!

 

[SteelerFan448]

Cross may have a good career but there is probably a shitload of Crosses in this draft, that’s why you have scouts, you find a Cross in the 5th round. if you’re having to draft lineman this high up your already fukd! it’s not hard to string together a good offensive line. The Steeler line, as a group doesn’t move their feet, they stand and reach. ya, that don’t stop pass rushers in the NFL. It these guys get to the Steelers and they stop learning anything! G

That 49er offensive line looked like the Steel Curtain line of old. After the game Terry Bradshaw, no less, said never seen a team show so much heart, and he had be talking, not just about Debo, but the men blocking. Trent Williams is a HOFer but rest are no bodies. The left guard cut by the lions! the center is as old Ben, rookie right guard and the right tackle Tom Compton wouldn’t make most teams, he wouldn’t have made the Steelers! Drafting Cross will have ZERO effect on the Steelers, you better go back to the black board, and start teaching the linemen to move their fukn feet!

The Steelers drafted linemen in the third and fourth last year and neither were good. One was flat out bad. San Francisco had three former first rounders on their line last night. Williams is elite. Laken and Mack were the other former first rounders. The Steelers need some elite talent on the offensive line to build around. Right now they have none.

 

[stuntmanmike]

9ers look for certain type of lineman that fit their wide zone blocking scheme… they didn’t draft those guys and those guys aren’t playing for the team that drafted them. We drafted chuks in 3rd round by time he’s ready to play his contract has ran out wasted pick. but the 9ers did draft their play makers. 9ers more than any other team proves you need coaching and lots of it they won that game in all phases… we could have had 5 first rd picks in our line wouldn’t have mattered With the scheme being so out of wack with Ben’s mobility. Why was our line able to block when Ben called the play’s? Think of it this way… a coaches job is to put their players in best position to make plays… there is not an offensive libeman in the league that can’t play on a winning team IF the coaches put him in the right position with right players around him in the right scheme. you can’t waste you top 3 picks on linemen.

 

[stillwright]

Maybe the only position we won't take in the first would be a RB. So yep.....OL is a possibility.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Don’t think there’s a chance in hell
Cross is there at 20 and an even slimmer chance of us accidentally hitting on an elite tackle prospect in the 5th.

At 20 if you want OL it is more of a hope the Top C or G is still available situation. Which if that is the case I’d imagine we sprint to turn in our pick as usual. The bad news is we need C, G and T if not acquired through free agency.

I’m scared we draft a much needed CB and MT wrecks him or we draft someone like Willis.

Playmakers are always welcome too, would be nice to have more than 1-2 on each side of the ball.

 

[madinsomniac]

You need an anchor to build around… the past few good lines the Steelers had employed all pro level guards… And high end centers too… but really if you have one serious all pro and one pro bowl type the rest can be average and it will work fine…

And some guys take a couple seasons to develop… so draft a stud this year… if you get it right an olinemen will give you ten or more good seasons

i think moore and green will both be better next year. neither were ready to start this season… but that doesn’t mean they won’t be next year… ideally you bring in a vet tackle or center too, just in case…

 

[slashsteel]

I also think Moore showed potential. I think his second half of the season was better than his first. We obviously can't say that about Green who flat out blew chunks. I agree with the notion the team needs to bring in OLinemen. The RG and C need to be upgraded. And I am talking early in the process. Like in the day before free agency a C/RG/QB and CB need to be holding hands preparing to come in the door. No dilly dally. A sense of urgency. Do this and you can set yourself up for more of a BPA type draft. Witherspoon should be resigned quickly too... Possibly Edmunds... Then the needs in the draft can focus in on RT/ILber/WR and a NT.

 

[Drink IRON City]

Doesn't matter who we draft or aquire if our coaching staff can't help coach them up. OL coach has been a shame since Munch left yet we keep trotting from within out there as saviors.




Salute the nation

 

[slashsteel]

I have been going over various scenarios regarding round 1. Where players might be etc. Thing I keep seeing is Howell being there at 20. I greatly hope I am wrong here. But I could see him being the pick. As the value at T and C could be off the board. I am not sold they will do the right thing and bring a vet in. One that would road block them pulling the trigger on Howell. I might be stuck on Gilligan's island here but perhaps my greatest draft fear is they pick him thinking that is a solid value under 1 of their greatest positions of need.

 

[TDX27]

Moore is going to be our LT next year. He did pretty well for a rookie especially when you look around at most rookie OL that started this year. Not many did better than him and he was at the toughest position on the line.

I'm not writing off Green yet either. People talk about Linderbaum so much and say Green is too small. Linderbaum is an inch or two taller and 10 pounds light than Green. Green wasn't a natural center. Give him an offseason of learning better technique for a C and getting stronger in an NFL training facility. I think he will be much improved and will be even better after his 2nd year. Will it be enough to stay as our starter? It depends on how he does and who they might pick up in FA and the draft. If Green is too light for C as so many on here say then turn around and say move him to G where you need to be even bigger, that ain't going to work. So, if he can't make it at C, he will probably be a wasted pick. C's are typically smaller and many are under 300 lbs like Linderbaum, some other top C's in the draft and a C or two that played in the NFL yesterday. If Pouncey was 300 lbs, it was just barely.

Moore is definitely starting next year and Green has better than a 50/50 chance of starting. Banner will probably be cut for cap savings and lack of availability as will Tuitt on the D-line.

 

[madinsomniac]

Doesn't matter who we draft or aquire if our coaching staff can't help coach them up. OL coach has been a shame since Munch left yet we keep trotting from within out there as saviors.




Salute the nation

A long time ago i was told the oline coach is the second most important assistant position on a football team behind the DC and nothing i have ever seen disproves that…

Our best offenses were built with great oline coaches… Stephenson, Grimm, Munchak… with a young line we absolutely need a great coach right now…..

 

[wig]

Do this and you can set yourself up for more of a BPA type draft.

I swear, if they start talking about drafting the "best athlete available" I'm going to have to go to McDonalds naked and kill the poor ************ working on fries.

This team wouldn't know the best athlete available if he juked through the cones drill like quicksilver and bit them on the ***.

They need to identify the MANY weaknesses on the team, prioritize and draft studs accordingly. I still think they need to focus on OL, DL, ILB and CB. And I get that this may mean the team doesn't outwardly show tremendous progress next season, but it DOES lay a foundation for them to not be a laughing stock.

But, then again, with Tomlin running the offense, AND defense... laughing stock it is, I suppose.

 

[slashsteel]

I swear, if they start talking about drafting the "best athlete available" I'm going to have to go to McDonalds naked and kill the poor ************ working on fries.

This team wouldn't know the best athlete available if he juked through the cones drill like quicksilver and bit them on the ***.

They need to identify the MANY weaknesses on the team, prioritize and draft studs accordingly. I still think they need to focus on OL, DL, ILB and CB. And I get that this may mean the team doesn't outwardly show tremendous progress next season, but it DOES lay a foundation for them to not be a laughing stock.

But, then again, with Tomlin running the offense, AND defense... laughing stock it is, I suppose.

I think their draft picks have been a mix bag but they still are drafting talent. I really don't think it is their drafting that holds them back. For me it is everything else outside of that. Free agent decisions, in game personnel decisions, in game play calling decisions, in game schematic decisions. Pre-game player to start decisions. Hell the draft looks like 5 star restaurant in comparison.

 

[Hines57]

1.20 should be a spot to get one of the top Guards or the top Center. Yes you pull the trigger on either.

 

[wig]

I just think they tend to focus on "scheme" guys that Tomlin et. al. think will be great fits (cough cough Bush, Green) who have to play pretty much perfectly to actually be significant contributors. This is exacerbated (imo) by the fact that Tomlin and the assistants are either unwilling or unable to help players improve their skillsets so basically, what you get is what you got and there's no real hope for the player to get better, only hope that he will "play better".

 

[SteelerFan448]

1.20 should be a spot to get one of the top Guards or the top Center. Yes you pull the trigger on either.

I've been thinking a lot about this. The Steelers need premium talent at a premium position. How your interpret that is up for debate, but a few spots aren't.

1. QB
-Huge hole here without a clear answer via FA/trade/draft.

2. EDGE
-TJ Watt has this position set.

3. LT
-No investment in the position and it feels like they will settle with Dan Moore next year. Off chance Charles Cross could fall.

4. CB1
-Even if they decided to bring Haden back (they won't), he's no longer a true CB1. Free agent options include J.C. Jackson, Stephon Gilmore (but he's 32), Carlton Davis, Donte Jackson. The draft is stacked with highly-rated cornerbacks, but can the Steelers develop them? Trent McDuffie, Kaiir Elam, Andrew Booth Jr., Ahmad Gardner, Roger McCreary, Kyler Gordon.

5. WR1
-For some reason, fans seem to overrate this position group. All it took was an injury to JuJu to realize how thin it was. Johnson is a low-end No. 1 and a good No. 2. We don't have a stud at the position. Look at who played this weekend: Brown, Chase, Adams, Samuel, Evans, Kupp, Hill, Diggs. Get a true stud WR1 and things should open up for Johnson, Claypool, and Freiermuth. These guys rise and fall, but there are some good ones: Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Chris Olave, and maybe even Jameson Williams if his injury has him falling. He may have been the best WR in this draft class. Jahan Dotson is intriguing as well (any insight, Tape?)

I think those five are universally important regardless of your team. Here's where it gets interesting for the Steelers. These are maybe the next three up in terms of importance for Pittsburgh.

*Center
-Historically had a dominant center who is athletically gifted. They'll have to look to the free agent market. If not, Tyler Linderbaum is the only option who is a clear day one starter.

*Guard
-Like center, they've thrived on offense with an athletic pulling guard (Faneca and DeCastro). This is a position I think they could really upgrade the line with a mid-tier signing. However, Kenyon Green is a guy who could be there for the Steelers. Big and athletic.

*ILB
-They established the important for the position by trading up for Devin Bush. He hasn't worked out and is a huge question mark moving forward. It feels like they need a proven veteran (not even a stud, just a dependable guy) in the mix. But then you have an undersized Nakobe Dean as a first-round option and that's probably it.

 

[bermudasteel]

If Jordan Davis is there at 1.20 and we pick less than a blue chipper at OT/OG/C I'm not going to be happy.

The line can be fixed by getting a better coach. They showed that after releasing Coach Klemm.

Again - JORDAN DAVIS, NT, Georgia

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

Id leave mason and haskins to duel it out. Im taking O line in first or 2nd.. MLB in 1st or 2nd. Im taking Bailey Zappe in 3rd.. or so. Develop him.. Hire a real QB coach.

 

[SteelerFan448]

If Jordan Davis is there at 1.20 and we pick less than a blue chipper at OT/OG/C I'm not going to be happy.

The line can be fixed by getting a better coach. They showed that after releasing Coach Klemm.

Again - JORDAN DAVIS, NT, Georgia

They had one good game without Klemm. It's still a bottom 5 unit. I'm not against a guy like Davis, I just don't know if you draft a primary run stuffer in the first round.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Jordan Davis would make Heyward, Tuitt (if back), Watt, Highsmith and yes especially Bush better

An anchor to the run D, keep LBs clean more frequently and much needed youth/depth to an aging unit.

I doubt he’s there when we pick Berm, but if he is I’d pull the trigger quicker than the Steelers turn in a draft card

 

[Hines57]

If Jordan Davis is there at 1.20 and we pick less than a blue chipper at OT/OG/C I'm not going to be happy.

The line can be fixed by getting a better coach. They showed that after releasing Coach Klemm.

Again - JORDAN DAVIS, NT, Georgia

No, I disagree berm. We got pushed around all season on our OL. We don't have the players to open holes and run the ball. We lost too much from 2020 to 2021 to control the line and dominate. If the emphasis is on running the football then we need the best OL we can draft. 1.20 is a perfect landing spot for a top G or C. Pouncey and or DeCastro were right around this position. If there's a player of their caliber available you grab them and anchor your OL for the next decade.

 

[slashsteel]

They had one good game without Klemm. It's still a bottom 5 unit. I'm not against a guy like Davis, I just don't know if you draft a primary run stuffer in the first round.

I think you do based off of the type of ILBers the Steelers have. They struggle to get off blocks and need a force to help keep them clean.

 

[slashsteel]

No, I disagree berm. We got pushed around all season on our OL. We don't have the players to open holes and run the ball. We lost too much from 2020 to 2021 to control the line and dominate. If the emphasis is on running the football then we need the best OL we can draft. 1.20 is a perfect landing spot for a top G or C. Pouncey and or DeCastro were right around this position. If there's a player of their caliber available you grab them and anchor your OL for the next decade.

I think Oline is a bigger need but the value has to be there. Davis is like option number 3 for me. But still an option if a C and T are off the board...

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

I think you do based off of the type of ILBers the Steelers have. They struggle to get off blocks and need a force to help keep them clean.

you mean garbage.