Steelers NFL Draft Series: OT Trevor Penning

The answer was no.

Penning, a preseason All-American, actually exceeded expectations in 2021, if that was even possible. Through his first 13 games, he played every snap -- and only gave up 1 sack. By season's end, he was the only offensive lineman in the country to be nominated as a finalist for the Walter Payton award, the hardware handed out to the best OFFENSIVE player in the nation. Not just the best offensive lineman.

Penning is also a confirmed marvel character, as seen above. Listed at 330 lbs, he’s projected by scouts to run in the high 4.9’s or low 5.0’s in the 40 yard dash at the NFL draft combine in a week and a half. For context, the best wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice, ran a 4.71. I mean, cmon. 

Penning is a shoe-in to be a first round pick. And speaking of shoes, he wears a size 17 sneaker. And you know what they say about big feet: fluid hips. Penning can adequately adjust to various moves from a stud pass rusher or 3-tech because he’s far more than just a brick wall. The only real knock on Penning is that he played at the FCS level. We’ll get to that. 

Why he fits the Steelers: 

For the many reasons I just told you. He primarily played left tackle at Northern Iowa, but he could easily swing over to RT and start day 1. That’s important in the context of the Steelers roster, given that they were satisfied with rookie Dan Moore Jr.’s play at left tackle last season. Although he didn’t rank in the upper echelon at his position, Moore Jr. showed promise after being thrust into the starting role unexpectedly as a 4th round draft pick, and will likely be cemented on the left side for a while. 

As for the right side, well that was Chuks Okorafor’s job for most last season. Okorafor is a free agent, and yeah, that’s cool with me. There’s a chance he could return to Pittsburgh as depth on the line, but if anyone offers him above market value, Kevin Colbert will help him pack his bags. 

That means Penning would be your day one starter at right tackle, and if he is anywhere close to as dominant in the NFL as he was at Northern Iowa, he could play musical chairs with Moore Jr. for the next decade.

Why he doesn’t fit the Steelers: 

While the Steelers have had a strong history of drafting small school players such as Kevin Dotson (Louisiana Lafayette) and Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State), there's still some inherent risk with taking a guy from the FCS level instead of Division I. Especially when they'll need to protect whoever is going to be taking snaps under center right away. Much like Moore Jr. and Kendrick Green, Penning won’t have time to slowly integrate himself into an NFL offense. That could leave the front office more inclined to draft a tackle with experience playing at the highest level, provided they don't sign one. Especially when considering Kevin Colbert’s recent comments about regretting to address the offensive line last season.  Couple that with the below average play of Green -- and you may get some hesitation.

To be honest, that’s mostly nitpicking. Penning would be a tremendous pick at 20 if he lasts that long, and would arguably be the best offensive lineman on the Steelers roster immediately after the phone call from Mike Tomlin.

Last season, Northern Iowa faced off against Iowa State in early September. Penning, an Iowa Native, always dreamt of playing for the Cyclones as a child. He never got an offer. When asked ahead of the rivalry game how he felt about playing the team that glossed over him, Penning didn’t care to be politically correct:

“Iowa State didn’t recruit me. They didn’t want me out of high school. I just felt a little ignored, left behind, whatever you want to say.”

Considering this was his first rep in that game, yeah, he was pissed:

Penning went on to say regarding Iowa State: “Hopefully I am able to show them they made a mistake.”

If Penning is drafted by the Steelers, chances are he will probably show 19 other teams they made a mistake. 

Only time will tell if the size 17 shoe fits.

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