Considering the actions taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, they believed one of the positions that needed upgraded from the 2022 season was on the interior of the offensive line.
Although the Steelers return the same five offensive linemen that started all 17 regular-season games last season, that didn’t stop them from being active in the open market. They signed guard Nate Herbig to a two-year, $8 million contract and then topped it by giving Isaac Seumalo a three-year deal worth $24 million.
Those signings likely signal the end of Kevin Dotson’s run at left guard and provide competition for James Daniels on the right side.
Judging by the players the Steelers hosted for pre-draft visits, they might not be done beefing up the guard and center spots.
Of the 30 players the Steelers brought to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, five either played guard or center in college or are projected to find spots there in the NFL. The list included Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence, TCU’s Steve Avila, N.C. State’s Chandler Zavala — all guards in college — plus Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz and North Dakota State lineman Cody Mauch.
All five are among the best prospects in what draft analysts view as a strong interior class. All but Zavala are rated as late first-round or early second-day prospects.
One of those prospects could come into play with the No. 32 overall pick — the first of the second round — which the Steelers hold following a mid-season trade last year with the Chicago Bears. Or perhaps at No. 49, the Steelers’ regular pick of the round.
If the Steelers address offensive line in the first round with the No. 17 overall pick, it’s expected they will go after a left tackle. The best interior prospect — one who played tackle in college — probably won’t be on the board when the Steelers make their first pick, and that could be a reason why Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski didn’t get a top-30 visit.
Skoronski stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 313 pounds, but his 32 1/4 inch arms could necessitate a move to the interior.
“He’s a beast, a big man,” former Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said. “He might not have the longest arms — that’s where people are trying to beat him up — but he works with a really good base. He has a very strong upper body, and he plays very much under control when he gets in space.”
The top pure guards are Torrence and Avila. After spending three years at Louisiana, where Dotson was one of his teammates, Torrence transferred to Florida in 2022 and became a first-team All-American. He did not allow a sack his entire college career.
Avila started at center in 2021 before moving to left guard last season, anchoring the interior for a team that reached the national championship game. He didn’t allow a snap in 515 pass-blocking snaps last season.
“You’re not going to win the press conference, maybe not going to win the draft party by taking those two guys,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said about Torrence and Avila, “but I think they’re just plug-and-play, solid starters immediately.”
The Steelers signed Mason Cole in free agency a year ago and he played all but 46 snaps at center. Still, the Steelers brought in Schmitz early in the pre-draft visitation process. Schmitz spent six years at Minnesota and started 31 games over his final three seasons, capping his career with a first-team All-American selection.
“He’s strong and has that wrestling leverage to him,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Another top prospect in the pivot also played in the Big Ten — Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann, who stands 6-6 and started 25 games over the past two seasons. He also could be a second-round target for the Steelers
“He is unique in that he can move,” McShay said. “He’s only a two-year starter but he understands the game, the whole picture of it. It’s his pulling and trapping and getting to the second level. He’s uniquely mobile for his frame.”
