{"id":170884,"date":"2026-04-20T15:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170884\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:25:11","slug":"pittsburgh-just-sounded-the-alarm-on-drafting-a-tackle-here-are-the-top-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/170884\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh Just Sounded The Alarm On Drafting A Tackle. Here Are The Top Candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 sense of urgency at offensive tackle increased significantly with late-breaking news of a setback for OT Broderick Jones<\/a>. It\u2019s not a terrible draft to need an offensive tackle in the first round, but it is a bad draft to put that need off until later in the three-day event. The fall-off from the top seven is significant, and there may not be another tackle worth drafting after that until the late third round.<\/p>\n

If the Steelers want a tackle, they better take one early, and a lot of the draft buzz from NFL insiders is now firmly pointing in that direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chances are good that the Steelers will draft a tackle in the first round. So here are the seven they could choose from.<\/p>\n

Francis Mauigoa \u2013 Miami (FL)\/6054, 329 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 11
Pro Football Focus Rank: 7
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 10
Average Rank: 9.3<\/p>\n

A right tackle at Miami, Mauigoa has excellent play strength and the nasty demeanor needed to be a plus player as both a run and pass blocker. That skill set works at right tackle, or for a move inside to guard. His length is slightly better than Spencer Fano\u2019s with a 33 1\/4-inch arm measurement at the Combine.<\/p>\n

Though he was incredibly durable at Miami, the biggest issue for Mauigoa is a back issue from last season that caused discomfort. He underwent a medical recheck for a disc issue in early April, which found no new issues<\/a>. If the Steelers are okay with his medicals, he is the cleanest projection from college to the pros that this draft has to offer.<\/p>\n

Francis Mauigoa Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Spencer Fano \u2013 Utah\/6054, 311 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 8
PFF Rank: 12
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 13
Average Rank: 11<\/p>\n

Playing tackle on both sides throughout his Utah career (most recently on the right side), Fano is viewed as having five-position potential along the offensive line. At 6054, 311 pounds, he has 4.91-second athleticism in the 40-yard dash. His rare blend of athleticism and strength is intriguing. Of the seven first-round tackle prospects, Fano is the only one who had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fano\u2019s arm length came in at 32 1\/8 inches at the Combine but looked slightly better with a 32 7\/8-inch measurement at his Pro Day. That\u2019s still on the shorter end for NFL tackles.<\/p>\n

Spencer Fano Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Monroe Freeling \u2013 Georgia\/6073, 315 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 17
PFF Rank: 13
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 20
Average Rank: 16.7<\/p>\n

A left tackle at Georgia, Freeling is your guy if you value length at the position. His 34 3\/4-inch arms paired with his 6073 height give him unique range at the position. He backs that up with plenty of agility and athletic ability. He\u2019s a classic case of a player who thrives when he lands his punches but falls apart when he doesn\u2019t. Do the Steelers think he is consistent enough at maximizing his length to sustain success at the next level? Freeling is also a one-year starter, and dealt with a variety of injuries in 2025 and had shoulder surgery in January 2025,<\/a> which limited his ramp into the season. Perhaps it\u2019s a good sign for him that he played so well despite the odds stacked against him.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that Georgia was the only Pro Day that Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy attended this year.<\/p>\n

Monroe Freeling Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Kadyn Proctor \u2013 Alabama\/6065, 352 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 19
PFF Rank: 27
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 22
Average Rank: 22.7<\/p>\n

Proctor checks the boxes if you are looking for sheer size. At 352 pounds, you would normally be worried about a player\u2019s athleticism at tackle, but Proctor has rare feet and agility at his size. Alabama even used him as an eligible receiver at times. He must manage his weight at the next level to stay at tackle, but he has the tools to be a great NFL starting tackle if it all comes together. He played on the left side in college with 33 3\/8-inch arms, which helps the projection in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Kadyn Proctor Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Blake Miller \u2013 Clemson\/6066, 317 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 29
PFF Rank: 25
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 19
Average Rank: 24.3<\/p>\n

Miller has prototypical size and length (34 1\/4-inch arms) at NFL tackle, but he plays a little upright. He also struggles to time his punches, which limits his play strength. Over 95 percent of his snaps came on the right side in college, but he\u2019s a tough competitor and was a team captain at Clemson with four years of starting experience.<\/p>\n

Blake Miller Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Caleb Lomu \u2013 Utah\/6062, 313 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 25
PFF Rank: 38
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 26
Average Rank: 29.7<\/p>\n

Lomu is part of the reason Utah moved Fano from left to right tackle. He has plenty of athleticism to keep up with NFL speed rushers and 33 3\/4-inch arm length, but his play strength needs work. He likely isn\u2019t ready to be an impact starter in Year 1. This would be an upside pick for the Steelers. Upside is important, but they may also need a Week 1 starter.<\/p>\n

Caleb Lomu Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Max Iheanachor \u2013 Arizona State\/6057, 321 pounds<\/p>\n

Dane Brugler Rank: 33
PFF Rank: 30
Daniel Jeremiah Rank: 35
Average Rank: 32.7<\/p>\n

Iheanachor is one of the more intriguing tackles with upside in the class, mostly because he is so new to football having been a soccer and basketball player for most of his life. The Nigeria native has all the tools, including 33 7\/8-inch arms and 4.91 athleticism in the 40-yard dash, but is still learning how to put it all together. He will likely need a redshirt year and is a cleaner projection at right tackle.<\/p>\n

Max Iheanachor Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

To further illustrate the point, the next-highest tackle (Caleb Tiernan) has an average rank of 64.5, and Travis Burke after him in the middle of the third round at 79. If the Steelers decide they need a starting tackle, they must get one in the first round.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 sense of urgency at offensive tackle increased significantly with late-breaking news of a setback for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170885,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31803,57843,76711,76712,66078,76713,66079,73,75,74,1833,76237],"class_list":{"0":"post-170884","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-blake-miller","10":"tag-caleb-lomu","11":"tag-francis-mauigoa","12":"tag-kadyn-proctor","13":"tag-max-iheanachor","14":"tag-monroe-freeling","15":"tag-pittsburgh","16":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","17":"tag-pittsburgh-news","18":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","19":"tag-spencer-fano"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}