Steelers land franchise left tackle in new 2023 mock draft

If the 2023 NFL draft was today, the Pittsburgh Steelers would hold the No. 12 overall pick in the first round. This puts the Steelers in something of an awkward position when it comes to filling a need with that first-round pick.

Our friends over at Touchdown Wire have put out a new one-round mock draft for 2023 and so we decided to give it a look and see how they did for the Steelers.

TD Wire has Pittsburgh drafting Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the No. 12 overall pick. Johnson is the second offensive tackle off the board after Northwestern’s Peter Skornoski went No. 8 overall to the Green Bay Packers.

In terms of Johnson as a player, he’s rock solid. Strong, smart guy who plays with a physical edge and has tons of experience. Johnson would plug in as the team’s starting left tackle in place of Dan Moore and be a great 10-year starter.

This would be a tough decision to make because drafting the second-best offensive tackle over top guys at their positions that are also positions of need would be tough. Oregon’s Noah Sewell is the best inside linebacker in the draft and an amazing athlete. Clemson linebacker Trent Simpson is a Micah Parsons-type of player. Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the best coverage player in the draft and has bloodlines with the Steelers.

Let us know what you think of this mock draft and is Johnson your pick?

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Story originally appeared on Steelers Wire