The Pittsburgh Steelers are just days away from making their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. On Thursday, April 25th, Omar Khan will make his second first-round draft pick ever. Speculation is rampant about who the Steelers will select and whether they will make a trade to move up the draft board for a player like they did in 2023 when they acquired the rights to Broderick Jones. There is also strong sentiment to trade down and accumulate draft picks, using a later first-round pick or early second-round selection to grab an elite center prospect like Jackson-Powers Johnson or Zach Frazier. There is a lot of pressure in this draft to acquire multiple starters, and after last season, Khan and Andy Weidl will have a tough act to follow to provide Mike Tomlin with what he needs to compete in 2024.
Before the 2023 NFL Draft, the final, completely at the mercy of the simulator draft, accurately predicted that Broderick Jones would be the Steelers’ first-round selection. Reminder: We are at the mercy of the PFF Simulator again and who will be available when the Steelers pick. Let the games begin.
Trade Alert!
Khan hinted that the Steelers would be more likely to be aggressive and move up to get a player they covet. The Steelers trade the 20th and 195th picks in the 2024 Draft and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft to the Seattle Seahawks for the 16th pick.
It is no secret that Pittsburgh covets a right tackle, and JC Latham is the best one in this draft class. Latham comes from a run-heavy Alabama Crimson Tide offense, where he started 27 games over the last two seasons at right tackle. He was a Second Team All-American and First Team All-SEC in 2023. Latham is a more finished prospect than Amarius Mims. He’s an accomplished run blocker, who should fit perfectly into Arthur Smith’s offense and pair nicely with Jones for the next decade.
It is no secret that the Steelers need to find a starting wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh has George Pickens as its clear number-one option heading into the 2024 season, but Khan and Weidl need to replace Diontae Johnson, whom they traded to the Carolina Panthers. This is a very deep wide receiver class, and although Xavier Legette is not at the top of it, he is an intriguing prospect. The former South Carolina Gamecocks receiver thrived in 2023 when he became Spencer Rattler’s top option in the passing game. Legette is a physical wide receiver with exceptional combat catch ability. He is not the route runner that Johnson was, but he has been compared to AJ Brown, who worked out well for Smith with the Tennessee Titans. He is a versatile weapon that could thrive in single coverage opposite Pickens.
Powers-Johnson and Frazier are fantastic prospects, but the price is too high. Khan would have to overpay or overdraft to get either, and with Sedrick Van Pran as an option in the third round, the Steelers will not have to do it. Khan still might pull off a trade to get one of the fan favorites in the draft process, but the Georgia Bulldogs’ seasoned starting center is hardly a runner-up in this class. Van Pran was in the middle of two National Championships for the Georgia Bulldogs and was First Team All-SEC and a Second Team All-American in 2023. He has 43 SEC starts under his belt and has faced the highest level of competition and performed. The Draft Network rates him as a winning starter-caliber center , and in the third round, he is high value for the Steelers.
Full disclosure: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was available at pick 84. It was very tough to pass him by, but the Steelers needed a center more than an inside linebacker. Our imaginary pick runner couldn’t reach the podium fast enough to make this selection. A highly pedigreed prospect with All-Pro DNA could turn the middle of the Pittsburgh defense into the impenetrable wall, which it is designed to be next to Patrick Queen. #Clemson ’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will be one of seven sons of NFL fathers drafted next week. https://t.co/rUlrHmgtc0
Trotter was a Butkus Award finalist in 2023 and a Second Team All-American. He is an excellent blitzer with the physical gifts to become a three-down linebacker in sub-packages. There is work to do on his game; his athleticism sometimes gets him into trouble. Trotter can be fooled by play-action and can get himself out of position by being too aggressive in the run game. Elandon Roberts ‘ presence will allow him time to develop better eye discipline and gradually work his way onto the field.
This was not supposed to be an option for the Steelers on Day 3. T’Vondre Sweat was a borderline first-round draft pick after the Senior Bowl and would have definitely been picked on Day 2, except he has turned into the 2024 version of the player who made a silly mistake leading up to the NFL Draft. Sweat was arrested for misdemeanor DWI earlier in April, casting his NFL future in doubt.
Every T’Vondre Sweat 1-on-1 from the Senior Bowl pic.twitter.com/Yr2OeZ8RNA
Someone is going to draft him, and Sweat is not the first college student to make the stupid mistake of driving after having too much to drink — and he will not be the last. Pittsburgh has needs at cornerback, but putting Sweat in the middle of an aging defensive line as a nose tackle is just too tempting to pass up.
The Steelers’ current cornerback room consists of Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Darius Rush, and Cory Trice Jr. The Steelers still need to add to the room, but it is becoming clear that Khan and Weidl have a type when evaluating cornerbacks. Jackson is the only cornerback under 6′ on the current roster, and Pittsburgh is adding tall, rangy cornerbacks. Dwight McGlothern fits the mold perfectly. He is very similar to Porter physically in height, weight, speed, and was also guilty of being too handsy in pass coverage during his time at Arkansas.
The first simulator draft scored a B-, and the second attempt earned an A-. The third and final mock draft was graded as a B+. Latham and Legette earned solid A grades, but the PFF simulator graded Van Pran and Sweat at C+. Curiously, despite picking Trotter again in the third round by taking him at 98 instead of 84, his value skyrocketed from C+ to a B. The simulator giveth, and it taketh away.
Steelers fans should prepare themselves for a wild ride later this week if Khan’s previous time as a general manager is any indication. Khan has filled many holes in two seasons and created a few in the process, but he is not standing pat and hoping things get better. What more could a fan base ask for in 2024?
This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.
