If you’re like most Pittsburgh Steelers fans, you’re surely super-excited about what quarterback Mason Rudolph, their third-round pick out of Oklahoma State, will look like all throughout training camp and during the preseason action that kicks off next Thursday evening in Philadelphia against the Super Bowl champion Eagles.
But while Mason Rudolph might be the most watched Steelers third string quarterback in history (can Mason Rudolph be a true heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger?), it’s that the Steelers other third round pick–offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor out of Western Michigan–who people should probably be paying attention to this summer, as his early development could save the Steelers bacon in 2018.
After the departure of super-swing tackle Chris Hubbard, who left as a free agent after saving the Steelers bacon the previous two seasons while filling in for the injured/suspended Marcus Gilbert, Pittsburgh’s tackle depth seemed especially thin behind Gilbert at right tackle and Alejandro Villanueva over on the left side.
And when 2016 fourth-round pick Jerald Hawkins suffered a season-threatening torn quadriceps during offseason OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and was placed on Injured Reserve, the uncertainty was palpable.
- After all, injuries happen in the NFL, and the offensive line is certainly not immune to it.
That’s why it’s encouraging to see Chukwuma Okorafor getting so many first-team reps in-place of an injured Villanueva early on at training camp, and when you get first-team reps on a line as accomplished as Pittsburgh’s, rookie or not, you better make the most of it.
“When you are playing with such a good unit, raise your game up a little bit more,” Okorafor revealed to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski.
One of the questions some scouts reportedly had about Chukwuma Okorafor coming out of college was that he lacked a mean-streak. And this is why it was so impressive to hear about the scuffle he had with reserve outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo on the first day in shoulders pads last weekend.
- If it’s toughness people are questioning, maybe they shouldn’t question it anymore?
But mean and tough or nice, but can Chukwuma Okorafor take his raw potential that includes a 6’6″ and 320 pound frame and hone it into a good to great NFL offensive lineman?
“He’ll be fun to watch,” said Mike Munchak, the legendary Houston Oilers offensive lineman who may actually have an even greater reputation as an offensive line coach. “He can improve in so many areas because he hasn’t been exposed to a lot of things we do. So far, so good. He’s got the demeanor, the size, long arms.”
- And in Mike Munchak, Chukwuma Okorafor will have the very best in the business teaching him the finer points of offensive tackle play at the professional level.
With Mike Munchak as his teacher and a decorated group of offensive lineman also showing him the way, Okorafor could be the Steelers 2018 draft pick that has the biggest impact on their success.
