There are plenty of directions the Pittsburgh Steelers can go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz that the Steelers could address the offensive line in the first round, and that’s what NFL Media draft guru Daniel Jeremiah believes the team will do. In Jeremiah’s latest mock draft, his third of the pre-draft cycle, he has the Steelers selecting Clemson OT Blake Miller at No. 21 overall.
“Broderick Jones has underwhelmed at left tackle. With Miller in the fold, Troy Fautanu could move to the blind side in Jones’ place, thus clearing a spot for the rookie at RT.”
The Steelers have some uncertainty at left tackle, as Jones’ health is a question mark after undergoing surgery for a neck injury suffered in Week 12. The Steelers also have Dylan Cook, who played fairly well in five starts, including Pittsburgh’s playoff loss. But the team may not feel comfortable turning the position over to him full-time.
While moving Fautanu to left tackle, the position he played in college, isn’t something that’s been widely discussed, it could be a possibility. In our scouting report, Ryan Paglia wrote that Miller “has the ceiling to be a long-term fixture at right tackle for a franchise over the next decade.” He hasn’t missed a game since high school, and he’s also a strong athlete with good power for the position.
The Steelers haven’t been shy about targeting the offensive line under Omar Khan and Andy Weidl. If the team does address the offensive line in the first round, it would be Khan’s third first-round selection of an offensive lineman since taking over in 2023. But the Steelers have built themselves a talented young core, and adding another piece to it could make their line one of the best in the NFL.
Miller certainly seems to fit that bill, and with the uncertainty surrounding Jones, taking a tackle would make a lot of sense. The Steelers gave themselves the flexibility to take a myriad of positions in the first round with their free agency additions, but they didn’t address the offensive line yet. While Miller projects as a Day 1 starter, the Steelers also could be patient with him and have him sit behind some combination of Jones/Fautanu or Cook/Fautanu for a year before plugging him into the lineup.
Offensive line has rocketed up the team’s list of needs, and adding Miller in the first round would make a lot of sense given how the team has built out its roster thus far.
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