Steelers Draft Narrative Shifting in Latest Mock Drafts
The Pittsburgh Steelers are headed in a new direction in some of the latest 2022 NFL Mock Drafts.
After months of believing the Steelers would target a quarterback in the opening round, Pittsburgh is now believed to be a landing spot for a number of top offensive linemen.
We'll start with NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, who has the Steelers selecting Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross with the 20th pick in the first round.
"Cross is a solid player on tape. He plays with balance and possesses quick feet," Jeremiah writes. "The Steelers need to continue to upgrade their offensive line, and Cross is ready to play right away."
Cross started at left tackle for the Bulldogs, which would open up questions about Dan Moore Jr. and Cross switching sides. Still, the redshirt sophomore brings more than 20 college starts into his rookie season.
Cam Mellor of Pro Football Network has the Steelers selecting NC State tackle Ikem Ekwonu in the first round.
"Pittsburgh needs help all across the line and Ekwonu has positional versatility to help across the board," Mellor writes. "He’s got great hands and terrific strength. He even proved to be more than capable of holding down the left tackle spot. This is a no-brainer for Pittsburgh, which needs a lot of help on offense."
The 6-foot-4 tackle also plays on the left side. Mellor has Pittsburgh selecting Ekwonu over quarterback Kenny Pickett, who doesn't land in the first round.
And finally, Zack Patraw of FanNation's NFL Draft Bible has the Steelers selecting Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum.
"Linderbaum aligns as the starting center along the Hawkeyes’ offensive line. For an undersized offensive lineman, his strength is absolutely phenomenal," Patraw writes.
Rookie Kendrick Greene started 15 games at center for the Steelers this season, with J.C. Hassenauer starting the final two and the playoff game.
Green played guard during his college career at Illinois, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said late in the season that Green is going to have a great career, but at guard.
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