The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 rookies were highly productive in terms of their snap counts and performances on the field, though not many of their drafted players were at positions with easily measurable metrics. That trend is set to continue in 2024 after a strong draft haul with many of the picks coming at positions of need.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus released a list projecting the most productive rookie classes and had the Steelers in his top five.
First-round pick, OT Troy Fautanu, landed with a team that views him as a tackle, and that gives him the best chance to be an early impact starter with 29 college starts at the position. Broderick Jones ended last season with 767 snaps on offense, and he entered the NFL with 10 fewer starts from his time at Georgia. Given Mike Tomlin’s caution with rookies, he may not be the Week 1 starter, but he definitely has a chance to win the job out of the gate. If he doesn’t, it shouldn’t be a seven-game wait like with Jones last season, and he could very well end with more snaps than Jones a year ago.
“There have been questions about whether Fautanu will play inside or outside in the NFL, but he may have landed at the most likely spot where he can play left tackle, his natural position,” Sikkema wrote. “Fautanu ranked 15th on PFF’s final big board and fifth among all FBS tackles this past season in PFF pass-blocking grade (88.2).”
Zach Frazier has the best shot of anyone in the 2024 draft class to be the Week 1 starter. He broke his leg at the end of last season, but that shouldn’t be a concern by the time the season starts. A year ago, CB Joey Porter Jr. ended with 807 snaps on defense. Frazier should blow past that snap total if he can stay healthy with no other great options on the team to provide meaningful competition.
“Frazier was a four-time state high school wrestling champion, and that background has led to great handwork and body control,” Sikkema wrote. “His 84.6 PFF grade since 2021 ranks third among FBS centers, and he owns just a 2.27% pressure percentage allowed over the same span.”
WR Roman Wilson should be an interesting case in terms of his rookie production and usage. The Steelers need him to become productive with a thin wide receiver room, but his experience in college was mostly in the slot, and OC Arthur Smith doesn’t deploy three-WR packages very much compared to most offensive systems.
The lack of competition on the outside could see Wilson thrown into the deep end early, but it still seems likely that the Steelers will add a veteran prior to the start of the season, whether that comes via trade or as a free agent once roster cutdowns happen. Keeanu Benton was the Steelers’ third pick last year and played 484 snaps on defense. That feels like a decent over/under for Wilson at this point. Sikkema is higher on his potential as an impact rookie than I am.
“The PFF big board pegged Wilson as an early second-rounder,” Sikkema wrote. “He is an effortless separator with great hands, as evidenced by his one drop on 67 targets and 90th-percentile separation percentage. He easily slots in as a replacement for Diontae Johnson to create explosive plays downfield.”
ILB Payton Wilson could have a wide range of results in his rookie season. He is extremely experienced coming out of college and has all the tools to be successful as a rookie, but the room is suddenly crowded with the addition of Patrick Queen in free agency. If Cole Holcomb is back and healthy, then Wilson may be buried on the depth chart for a bit. On the other hand, if he truly is a one-contract player as some have suggested, then it would be wise to maximize his usage over that span.
If he sees the field much, his high college production should translate into numbers in the NFL. He flies around and has the mentality to always pursue the ball, which gets him involved in plays more often than not.
Darnell Washington played early and often as the Steelers’ fourth pick last season, with 511 snaps on offense. Wilson probably won’t exceed that total in Year 1, but he just as easily could with the injury luck at the position in recent years.
“Wilson’s grading profile was excellent in 2023 with an 89.9 overall grade and a 90.4 in coverage,” Sikkema wrote. “If the lack of an ACL doesn’t prevent him from playing in the NFL, Wilson has everything you want in a linebacker: length, intelligence and athleticism. His health is the biggest question mark.”
The rest of the players in the Steelers’ draft class are unlikely to play much, if at all, in their first year. Though Mason McCormick could find himself with a role if one of James Daniels or Isaac Seumalo suffers an injury.
