4 bold predictions for Steelers mandatory OTAs

Everything up to this point in the Pittsburgh Steelers offseason has been for show. Voluntary workouts are great but until players are required to be there, the football isn't quite the same. So today, the Steelers kick off their first mandatory OTAs of the year and we will get our best look at this new team and new staff.

>Here are three bold predictions for this week:

Will Howard outplays Drew Allar by a mileThe gap between second-year quarterback Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar showed itself during voluntary workouts and we predict this week, when the heat gets turned up, Howard is going to widen that gap even more.

New offensive lineman show outWe have heard almost nothing about rookies Gennings Dunker and Max Iheanachor and that changes this week. The coaching staff shuffled Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick to the left, making for an entirely new right side. This week, that new right side will include Dunker and Iheanachor and they will both impress those in attendance.

New look defense impressesThe Steelers defense has quietly flown under the radar with so much talk about new head coach Mike McCarthy and the changes on offense but defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been working hard. We expect the new-look Steelers defense to wow people thanks to the new additions and continued improvement of its young stars.

A pair of hold-insWe predict that not only will cornerback Joey Porter Jr. hold-in for a new contract, but we expect edge Nick Herbig to join him. Both guys are in line for huge raises and we predict they will do something similar to what T.J. Watt did and come out and stretch with the team and then head to the sidelines.

>This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 4 bold predictions for Steelers mandatory OTAs