For the first time of this 2024 NFL Draft season, my Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft. An early projection of what I think this team will do come late April. The earlier the mock draft, the harder it is to predict with the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, and Pro Days all shifting this landscape. But this is a good starting point based off team needs and what I know about this class so far.
As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. My next mock will likely drop after the Combine but before free agency starts in mid-March.
Round One – 20th Overall: Nate Wiggins/CB Clemson – 6020, 185 lbs.
Analysis: Wiggins checks all the boxes. He has the size the Steelers now look for in corner, listed at 6-foot-2 and appears to have long arms. He’s an athletic cover corner capable of rerouting in press man while blanketing vertical throws. Recruited by some schools to play receiver, he naturally tracks the football and can play the ball in the air with post-interception ability, Wiggins having two career pick-sixes.
His straight-line speed is impressive — he should run no worse than mid-4.4s — and his effort is exceptional with two fantastic chase-down forced fumbles to save touchdowns this season. Wiggins admitted he came to Clemson immature but grew up throughout his college career and doesn’t seem to have any other concerns. Pittsburgh has nothing at outside corner opposite Joey Porter Jr. James Pierre and Levi Wallace are pending free agents and shouldn’t be in that role even if they return since they can’t start. Patrick Peterson seems more likely to return than have his roster bonus declined, he can’t play on the outside any longer. Slot and safety work only.
Wiggins and Porter could make up a top AFC duo at corner for years to come. He’s likely to be in the conversation for this pick throughout the draft process.
Others Considered: C Jackson Powers-Johnson, CB Quinyon Mitchell, OT Amarius Mims
Round Two – 51st Overall: Zach Frazier/C West Virginia – 6025, 314 lbs.
Analysis: My worst-kept secret of this entire Steelers mock draft. I want to keep an open mind about them drafting any of the top centers in a solid class. But early on, Frazier feels like a Steeler. Under new OC Arthur Smith, he checks all the boxes. In fact, my NFL comp to Frazier, written before Smith was tabbed as the team’s new coordinator, was Ben Jones, whom Smith coached in Tennessee and called him the smartest and toughest player he’s been around.
Frazier’s frame isn’t going to wow – but he’s by no means small – and he’s a solid run blocker, plays with a good balance, finishes his blocks, and can move a bit, too. There’s enough snap out of his stance, even if he’s not a fantastic athlete. Experienced and a leader, a broken leg has dinged him during the pre-draft process (though if you want to understand his toughness, here’s him crawling off the field after breaking his leg because WVU was out of timeouts), but he’s recovered well and dressed for the Senior Bowl, though he was a very limited participant. The injury combined with centers having a natural tendency to drop in drafts allows him to fall to the mid-second round.
Pittsburgh’s need for a long-term center is obvious. Mason Cole is far from guaranteed to start Week One and regressed heavily in 2023 while entering 2024 on the final year of his deal. Frazier feels like their guy.
Others Considered: CB Kalen King, ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., WR Ladd McConkey
Round Three – 84th Overall: Blake Fisher/OT Notre Dame – 6060, 312 lbs.
Analysis: Next man up in this Steelers mock draft. Fisher is a guy I need to do more homework on but on paper, he’s a good fit for the Steelers. A two-year starter with 25 of them on the right side of the Irish’s offensive line, Fisher has size and experience. Ideally, 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones shifts back to left tackle, his natural position, which leaves a gaping hole on the right side. Dan Moore Jr. isn’t natural there and Chukwuma Okorafor is a no-brainer release before his roster bonus is due.
Fisher’s experience on the right side is valuable, and he won’t be someone who has to flip from college to make room for Jones’ shifting. He’s currently projected as a mid-round pick. Fisher is also a junior and the Steelers like grabbing underclassmen when they can.
Others Considered: CB Mike Sainristill, OT Matt Goncalves, S Calen Bullock
Round Four – James Williams/SS Miami (FL) – 6043, 230 lbs.
Analysis: Williams might be a hybrid type. Weighing in at 6043, 230 pounds at this past week’s Senior Bowl, he logged time at linebacker in Mobile. But he could still stay at safety in a big box role, something for which the Steelers are looking. After losing Terrell Edmunds to free agency, the Steelers tried a committee approach of Keanu Neal (base packages) and Damontae Kazee (nickel packages) that didn’t produce great results.
Pittsburgh was decimated by injuries at the position down the stretch and while Neal and Kazee are under contract, the Steelers’ safety group is old and slow. They need youth. Williams is a hitter with three career forced fumbles, and he also broke up 13 passes throughout his college career. He may get swapped for another safety in a later mock but he’s the fit for now.
Others Considered: DB Max Melton, C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, WR Luke McCaffrey
Round Four – Gabe Hall/DL Baylor – 6056, 290 lbs.
Analysis: Hall boosted his stock with a solid Senior Bowl week. With great size at 6056, 290 pounds with long, 34 3/8-inch arms, he sure looks the part in a Steelers defensive end. He’s strong and, when playing with proper pad level, can stack and shed in the running game with a bit of pass-rush juice.
Hall’s body type and scarcity at the position makes him attractive to the Steelers. Without a fifth-round pick, they grab Hall in the fourth, a similar model to going after Isaiahh Loudermilk in 2021 (without having to trade up for Hall, in this case). We’ll see how Hall tests and if it boosts his stock more. He’ll run well.
Defensive end is a serious need for the Steelers with an aging Cam Heyward who may only play one or two more seasons. There’s a strong case to be made that the team should draft a defensive end higher than this, just as they did when selecting Heyward in the first round more than a decade ago. But with other needs, it waits for the mid-rounds in my first Steelers mock draft. Look for a scouting report on him later today.
Others Considered: QB Jordan Travis, P Tory Taylor, DL Fabien Lovett
Round Six – Ryan Rehkow/P BYU – 6041, 243 lbs.
Analysis: Punter alert. It’s taken three frustrating years but hopefully the Steelers realize Pressley Harvin III isn’t the answer. They’ll try again with Rehkow. He had an excellent year in 2023, boasting a 48.4 yard average, third-best in the NCAA. His career 47.4 yard average is second in college football history, only trailing Ryan Stonehouse, who has turned into an elite leg for the Tennessee Titans. By comparison, Harvin’s career average was nearly three yards lower.
Perhaps he goes higher than this but with Iowa’s Tory Taylor in this class, Rehkow probably won’t be the first punter off the board.
Others Considered: WR Joshua Cephus, S Josh Proctor, CB M.J. Devonshire
Round Seven – Blake Watson/RB Memphis – 5093, 189 lbs.
Analysis: Ending the draft with a running back won’t make anyone feel great but there’s no No. 3 option on the depth chart. For a run-oriented team that will use a committee, the Steelers need stronger depth here than at most other positions. Watson doesn’t fit the team’s typical build at the position, just 5093, 189 pounds, but his receiving chops get attention. In two years, one at Old Dominion and 2023 at Memphis, he caught 90 passes with five touchdowns. Arthur Smith had Dion Lewis in Tennessee and Watson could be a third-down back in Pittsburgh.
Should Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren go down, that’ll open up playing time for Watson while maintaining some semblance of a rotation. He’ll do more catching than in pass protection and gained buzz with a solid showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Probably won’t see a ton of running backs in Steelers mock drafts but the end of the draft is about finding talent and depth is an issue this year.
Others Considered: RB Carson Steele, QB Taulia Tagovailoa, FB Derryk Snell
