The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from Thursday, April 25 through Saturday April, 27 from Hart Plaza in Detroit. An interesting team to pay attention to throughout the event are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who own the No. 20 pick in the first round.
Pittsburgh is fresh off a 10-7 season where it managed to sneak into the playoffs as the final Wild Card team in the AFC. The Steelers have not made it beyond the Wild Card round since 2017 and this has led to murmurs of longtime head coach Mike Tomlin being on the hot seat. These lack of results can partly be attributed to poor play at quarterback and the team decided address this with two big offseason moves: signing veteran Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.
2024 Mock Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers
Key Offseason Additions
QB Russell Wilson
QB Justin Fields
CB Donte Jackson
LB Patrick Queen
WR Cordarrelle Patterson
Key Offseason Losses
WR Diontae Johnson
QB Kenny Pickett
Steelers’ First Three Picks
Pittsburgh will be picking in the back half of the first three rounds as a result of its exit from the Wild Card round in the playoffs. Offensive line is considered the biggest position of need for the Steelers, especially on the interior with the team cutting center Mason Cole this offseason. You can also expect the team to add depth at both the receiver and cornerback positions early in this year’s draft.
Round 1, Pick #20 — Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
As just mentioned, offensive line will be a huge priority for the Steelers in this draft and I think the decide to bolster the interior by taking Powers-Johnson at No. 20. JPJ is considered the top center prospect in this year’s class and he proved his mantle by winning the Rimington Trophy and earning unanimous All-American status with the Ducks last fall.
Russell Wilson will need all of the protection he can get and if you’re going to throw a rookie into the fire, JPJ would be the guy to do it.
Round 2, Pick #51 — Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
This year’s wide receiver class is loaded with talent and I think the Steelers try to capitalize on it in the second round by taking Malachi Corley. The 5’11”, 210-pound wideout is flying under the radar as a prospect from WKU, but his numbers screamed production
He combined for 180 receptions, 2,277 yards, and 22 touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Hilltoppers and he could very much emerge as a second-round steal under the tutelage of a former receiver in Tomlin.
Round 3, Pick #84 — Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame
Pittsburgh will still need to address offensive tackle by this point and barring any trades, I have them addressing this by taking Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher in the third round. He’s overshadowed by fellow Fighting Irish tackle Joe Alt in this class, but he’s no slouch and could prove to be a solid starter with some seasoning and quality coaching.