Steelers Four Downs: Chuks Okorafor’s final stand, Big Ten alums dominate roster
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1. The right right tackle?
A former third-round pick taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with designs he could be a staple of their offensive line for years to come, Chuks Okorafor is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this spring. While coach Mike Tomlin is on record that Okorafor is more of a natural left tackle, that doesn’t mean he can’t be evaluated for his play as the Steelers’ starting right tackle in 2021.
And the data suggests that could be described as mediocre, at best.
According to data collected by ESPN, Okorafor rates below average among NFL right tackles in both pass- and run-blocking as defined by their “win rate” stat. ESPN calculates its metric by counting whether a blocker can hold off a defender for 2.5 seconds or longer. If he does, it’s a “win,” and if he can’t it’s a “loss.”
Pro Football Focus grades Okorafor 49th among 59 qualifying NFL offensive tackles”: 47th in run blocking and 43rd in pass blocking. A positive, per PFF? Okorafor is tied for eighth in pass block efficiency with only one sack and eight hurries allowed all season.
One last negative, though: Only three NFL offensive linemen have been flagged for more penalties than Okorafor (eight).
In a sport so often driven by a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately approach, Chuks Okorafor should be feeling pretty content about his job as the #Steelers starting right tackle. https://t.co/Hcy90Bk5Ca
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) October 14, 2021
2. Alma maters
It’s probably no more than coincidence, but the Steelers’ roster has a Midwest feel — at least if the colleges where its players come from is any indication.
Counting injured reserve, the Steelers have 17 players from Big Ten schools, five from the Mid-American Conference and four from FCS programs in that footprint (Duquesne, Youngstown State and North Dakota State).
The 17 Steelers from the Big Ten match the total number from the SEC (12) and ACC (five) combined.
There are five Big Ten schools that produced multiple current Steelers, including four each from Michigan and Wisconsin. That ties Alabama for the most on the team.
But when it comes snaps played, league data reveals the Crimson Tide have played the most (8.7%) for the Steelers in 2021, edging out in Michigan (8.3%) and Wisconsin (8.0%) with Western Michigan (5.2%) and Texas A&M (4.0) rounding out the top five.
"In the AFC North, you've got Coach Tomlin and Coach Harbaugh." Alejandro Villanueva on what makes the rivalry special: pic.twitter.com/6ri850dcxN
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 1, 2021
3. Mike & John
Lambeau. Halas. Two of the more iconic names in NFL lore. But not since the days each roamed the sidelines seven-plus decades ago have two other coaches faced each other as often as the ones who will do so Sunday at Heinz Field.
Tomlin and the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh will meet for the 30th time (including playoffs) in a 4:25 p.m. kickoff. Only two other coaching duos matched wits (as Tomlin would say) “in the stadium” as often: George Halas and Curly Lambeau (49 meetings), and Steve Owen and Lambeau (31).
The Steelers have won 15 of the 29 prior Tomlin/Harbaugh meetings, including two of three in the playoffs.
Tomlin was hired by the Steelers in 2007, with Harbaugh joining the AFC North rival Ravens a year later.
Najee Harris on how Mike Tomlin relates to his team during periods of adversity/slump like the Steelers are in now pic.twitter.com/McbvQGmbiC
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 3, 2021
4. Not stacked
Evaluating Najee Harris’ rookie season comes with plenty of caveats, from the offensive line to his volume of touches. But one area for which the raw data worked in Harris’ favor was that opponents haven’t necessarily been stacked up in making it a priority to stop him.
According to the league’s Next Gen Stats metrics, among the 47 other qualifying running backs only six faced “eight men in the box” less often. Opposing defenses have stacked eight defenders near the line of scrimmage and the ball just 12.76% of the time when Harris is in the backfield. Only three running backs with as many as 100 rushing attempts have seen that defense more often.
For basis of comparison, the running back who faces that eight-man front more than any other rusher in the league — the Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey — gets that look 37.37% of the time, roughly three times more often than Harris.
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