NFL Draft Guide 2024: Who Steelers might pick, position breakdowns, mock drafts
The Pittsburgh Steelers have seven overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, starting with the 20th overall in the first round. Here are the team’s picks:
• Round 1, selection 20 overall
• Round 2, selection 51
• Round 3, selection 84
• Round 3, selection 98 (from Philadelphia via Kenny Pickett trade)
• Round 4, selection 119
• Round 6, selection 178 (from Arizona through Carolina in Diontae Johnson/Donte Jackson trade)
• Round 6, selection 195
TribLive sports writers Joe Rutter, Chris Adamski and Tim Benz have dug into what the Steelers are looking for in the 2024 NFL Draft. They also looked at all the top players available at each position and put together who they think the Steelers will take. (See the stories below.)
The 2024 NFL Draft will kick off at 8 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. Follow @TribJoeRutter, @C_AdamskiTrib and @TimBenzPGH on X for live coverage of the draft.
Mock drafts
Joe Rutter’s Steelers mock draft: It’s time to fill that hole in middle of offensive line
It makes perfect sense for the Steelers to take a center early in the NFL Draft. Simply put, they do not have a viable candidate on the roster despite what general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin continue to say about their internal options.
Chris Adamski’s Steelers mock draft: Doubling up on Georgia tackles… and ex-Cornell players?
The possibilities seem endless, from trading up or down to targeting any one of 4-5 positions. But consider one man’s opinion regarding the #Steelers’ draft plans that a year after taking Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones with the first draft pick, that the Steelers will spend the No. 20 overall pick this year on…
AP mock draft: Steelers to take Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu
The NFL Draft madness begins early in the final edition of the AP’s 2024 mock draft.
News
Steelers 2024 pre-draft visit tracker: 35 players provide a peek at draft priorities
Here is a breakdown, by position, of the players the Steelers have met with as they look to create their roster for the 2024 season.
Steelers encounter NFL Draft class loaded with receivers, corners but lacking at other spots
For the first time in NFL history, quarterbacks could be drafted with the first four picks. Six could be selected in the first round.
1st-round picks likely on move in Day 1 of the NFL Draft
The No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft already has traded hands, with Carolina sending it more than a year ago to Chicago in a trade to move up to take Bryce Young first overall in 2023.
Steelers not ‘overly thirsty’ entering draft despite glaring hole at center
The work done in the offseason, via signings and trades, has saturated the Steelers’ roster and kept coach Mike Tomlin hydrated as the NFL Draft approaches.
“We’ve addressed a lot of needs, and you don’t feel overly thirsty in any particular area,” Tomlin said Monday at a pre-draft press conference. “That’s a good feel as you go into the weekend.”
‘Top 30’ visits to facility just 1 part of Tomlin’s draft evaluation process
After a fourth question about official pre-draft “top 30” visits the Steelers host, coach Mike Tomlin had heard enough.
NFL draft has been on tour for a decade and the next stop is Detroit, giving it a shot in spotlight
The NFL draft has taken the show on the road for a decade, giving cities around the country a chance to be in the spotlight. Detroit is on the clock.
No ‘magic pill’ when it comes to hitting on QB in NFL Draft
Teams are using premium draft picks on quarterbacks at an increasingly high rate. This draft is slated to be the eighth in the past nine years with at least three QBs taken in the first round, which matches the number of times that happened in the first 38 years of the common draft era.
Steelers draft preview
Quarterback
With QBs in place, Steelers can watch drama play out in 1st round
In a roundabout way, the Steelers helped shape the top spot in the NFL Draft. When they acquired Chicago quarterback Justin Fields on March 16, it solidified that the Bears were sold on selecting a passer with the No. 1 overall pick, and it essentially confirmed that they will take former USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Running backs
Running backs expected to face long wait until names get called
Running back continues to be the most devalued position in the NFL. That holds true with the franchise tag, fifth-year option and — as likely will be played out late next week — the draft.
Wide receiver
Deep wide receiver class can play to Steelers’ advantage
As the NFL Draft approaches, the Steelers’ need for a starting wide receiver is rising faster than the city’s three rivers during the recent flooding.
Tight end
With 5 tight ends on roster, Steelers can focus offensive needs elsewhere
Given their recent emphasis on the position in the NFL Draft, it’s no coincidence the Steelers didn’t conduct a top-30 visit with any tight end prospects this offseason.
Center
Steelers have 3 viable options if they elect to take center in early rounds
Perhaps the worst-kept secret in the NFL is the Steelers are targeting a center early in the draft, most likely using the No. 20 overall pick to address a position of need.
Offensive tackle
Could Steelers’ quest for right tackle lead them back to Georgia?
History might be the only reason to believe the Steelers won’t select an offensive tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Defensive tackles
High-end defensive tackles lacking in 2024 class
For a team that could use another infusion of youth on the defensive line, the Steelers elected to stockpile veteran depth in the offseason.
Linebacker
Inspired by Micah Parsons, Penn State duo trying to make mark as pass rushers
It’s fitting that Chop Robinson’s draft bio on the NFL website compares him to Dallas Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons. Although they played different positions at Penn State, they have enough similar traits that personnel execs believe Robinson can follow in Parsons’ footsteps and excel as an NFL pass rusher.
Inside linebackers
In lean year for inside linebackers, Steelers can ride with veteran starters
When the Steelers broke training camp last year, they had three veteran free agents sharing playing time at inside linebacker. All three were starters elsewhere and provided an ample level of comfort at a spot that was completely retooled that offseason.
Safety
Steelers could pass on safety class that is lacking top-tier prospects
Since taking Terrell Edmunds with the No. 28 overall pick in 2018 and trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick a year later, the Steelers haven’t needed to use an early draft pick on the safety position.
Cornerback
Deep cornerback class awaits Steelers as they reshape position
Of the five cornerbacks that dressed for the 2023 season opener, four no longer play for the Steelers.
Tim Benz draft preview
Steelers should address positional priority over bulk needs in draft
Apparently, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin feels properly hydrated heading into the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
QB class will impact Steelers even if they don’t take one
While the Steelers are unlikely to draft a quarterback of consequence in this weekend’s NFL Draft, it doesn’t mean they will be immune from the impact of the position over the first two days of this year’s selection process.
Matt Williamson on defensive backs
When it comes to evaluating this year’s NFL Draft pool and how the Steelers should attack it, our draft expert Matt Williamson sees a lot of value in the offensive line. But the Steelers definitely have needs at defensive back as well.
Front 7 fits and misses for Steelers
When the Steelers were truly elite at team-building, they could afford to spend high draft choices on front-seven defensive players who didn’t necessarily have to come in and start right away but could contribute and evolve into long-term defensive stalwarts. Particularly along the defensive line.
‘Awesome’ receiver class awaits Steelers to address significant need
So it’s my hope that at some point between now and the end of the NFL Draft this weekend, the organization addresses that need by swinging for the fences and acquiring Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, Courtland Sutton or some other starting-caliber receiver that may be on the trade block with another team.
Despite Steelers’ need at center, ‘anomaly’ of elite tackles may be too much to pass up
The Steelers have significant needs at defensive back and wide receiver. But in both cases, the truly top-notch players at those positions are likely to be gone by the time they select at No. 20. Plus, there is plenty of valuable depth in both talent pools through the second and third rounds.
Mark Madden
The draft has been generic for almost 50 years. That’s progress, I guess. The big story of this draft is quarterback fever.
Mark Madden: Getting a 1st-round WR makes sense, but the Steelers cling to outdated philosophy
Conventional wisdom says the Steelers will take an offensive lineman with their first pick of the NFL draft, 20th overall. Either a tackle or center. Whichever of those two positions isn’t addressed with that choice, they will likely select in the second round. That’s smart. If it’s the ’70s.
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