Steelers Finally Address O-Line in Todd McShay's First 2023 Mock Draft

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2021 season with one of the league's worst offensive lines. However, Pittsburgh didn't address that group at all during the 2022 draft, which has unsurprisingly led to more struggles this year.

In his first 2023 mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay projects the Steelers to solve some of their issues in a big way.

McShay has Pittsburgh selecting offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick. The Ohio State standout has been a lynchpin for the Buckeyes as their left tackle this season, which would potentially give the Steelers a building block on their O-line.

There's a ton to like about Johnson, who provides positional flexibility after playing at right guard and left tackle in two years at Ohio State. After a great 2021 campaign, he's been even better this season, earning an elite 83.4 overall grade from ProFootballFocus. He's allowed just one sack total over a combined 1,525 snaps played across the past two years, showcasing that he could be the franchise tackle that's essential to every offense.

Pittsburgh has struggled to keep its quarterback upright this season, tying for the 10th-most sacks allowed. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. has been a major liability at an important position, earning a poor 61.5 grade from PFF and tying for the sixth-most sacks allowed (6) this season.

Johnson could come in and immediately unseat Moore as the team's new LT, which would immediately improve this unit in 2023.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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