Steelers Almost Landed Eagles Star OT

The Pittsburgh Steelers almost had one of the best left tackles in the NFL.

Noah Strackbein | Apr 5, 2024

Oct 22, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

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Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- The Philadelphia Eagles just extended offensive tackle Jordan Mailata for three years, signing a $66 million deal with their veteran star. At just 27-years-old, Mailata has emerged as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL - and looking back, it's crazy to think the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly got him.

Mailata was drafted 233rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft as the Eagles' seventh-round pick. That draft, the Steelers selected 246th, picking Josh Frazier out of Alabama. Their pick prior, No. 165 (fifth-round), was running back Jaylen Samuels.

Pittsburgh showed their interest in Mailata during the NFL Draft process, bringing him in for a top 30 visit and obviously eyeing offensive tackles in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft. Instead of waiting for the Rugby star, they selected Chuks Okorafor in the third round, who ended up starting 59 games for Pittsburgh before his release this offseason.

Here's where it gets interesting. Before he was drafted by the Eagles, Mailata was trying to get into the NFL's International Players Pathway Program, allowing teams to carry an extra player on their practice squad through the program. Pittsburgh was the team trying to add Mailata, he revealed during an episode of the New Heights Podcast.

If they got a hold of him, he would've had an opportunity to flourish, and maybe the Steelers' offensive line would look a lot different right now.

Instead, Pittsburgh is looking for another starting tackle in the NFL Draft, allowing them to move Broderick Jones back to the left side and continue building their trenches after years of turnover.

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Published Apr 5, 2024

NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.