We’ve hit the dog days of the offseason (that a thing?) where a bunch of endless speculation is driving the rumor mill, the NFL Scouting Combine is right around the corner, and NFL draft prep is in full force.
In just over three weeks, too, free agency will open in the NFL, making for a very busy time. For now, though, it’s very slow.
So, I thought it would be a good time to try and keep the fun times rolling a bit, looking back on my Ranking the Steelers’ Starters series from last summer, and re-ranking the players based on performances in the 2024 season.
In case you missed it, the latest ranking can be found here, No. 21-19.
There is a lot of moving and shaking that occurred in the rankings from No. 24-1. Buckle up.
As a reminder, here’s the list from No. 24-1 ahead of training camp.
No. 24 — Braden Mann, P
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., LT
No. 22 — Levi Wallace, CB
No. 21 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
No. 20 — Elandon Roberts, LB
No. 19 — Allen Robinson II, WR
No. 18 — Damontae Kazee, S
No. 17 — Chukwuma Okorafor, RTÂ
No. 16 — Mason Cole, CÂ
No. 15 — Patrick Peterson, CB
No. 14 — Cole Holcomb, LB
No. 13 — Kenny Pickett, QB
No. 12 — Chris Boswell, K
No. 11 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 10 — George Pickens, WR
No. 9 — Najee Harris, RB
No. 8 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 7 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 6 — Diontae Johnson, WR
No. 5 — James Daniels, RG
No. 4 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
No. 3 — Cameron Heyward, DE
No. 2 — T.J. Watt, OLB
No. 1 — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
Swap out Pressley Harvin III at punter for Mann and Broderick Jones in for Chukwuma Okorafor as those were really the only changes. I’ll still include Cole Holcomb in the rankings as he was a starter for more than half of the season before getting hurt and the Steelers didn’t exactly have another linebacker who played starter-level snaps while replacing him.
So far, here is the list for the post-season rankings:
No. 24 — Pressley Harvin III, P
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., OT
No. 22 — Mason Cole, C Â
No. 21 — Levi Wallace, CB
No. 20 — Damontae Kazee, S
No. 19 — Allen Robinson II, WRÂ
Let’s jump into the next portion of the post-season rankings, focusing on No. 18-16.
No. 18 — Kenny Pickett, QB
After landing at No. 13 overall in the rankings entering Year 2, things went very poorly for Kenny Pickett in 2023. Though he had the first multi-touchdown passing game of his career in Week 3 at Las Vegas and showed signs of growth in Weeks 12 and 13 after the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, there was far too much inconsistency in Pickett’s game throughout the season.
Right away, accuracy was an issue for Pickett. He misfired quite a bit all season, faded away on some of his throws, and generally had poor pocket presence and awareness. Though he was safe with the football and didn’t make the killer mistake, that doesn’t mean he played well. The numbers show that.
It was rather telling that even when healthy late in the season Mike Tomlin stuck with Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback, even in the Wild Card Round loss the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.
Really rough second year for Pickett. Year 3 is a massive one.
No. 17 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
Surprisingly, the Steelers retained Larry Ogunjobi in free agency last offseason, signing him to a three-year deal to keep him in the Steel City. On paper, it was a great move, one that plugged a hole in the trenches defensively and kept a familiar face in the system.
On the field though, Ogunjobi was largely a disappointment in 2023. That’s an understatement.
Ogunjobi played every game and nearly 70% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps last season. However, he didn’t produce the way he was expected to. Ogunjobi had three sacks on the season but produced just three tackles for loss, a career-worst. The veteran defensive end also had just 43 tackles, which was his lowest total in a season since his rookie year in 2017.
Ogunjobi graded out at just a 59.2 overall on the season from Pro Football Focus, including a 53.2 against the run and a 59.2 rushing the passer. He had just 35 pressures, too, struggling to produce as a pass rusher in the way the Steelers envisioned.
A major bounce back is needed.
No. 16 — Patrick Peterson, CB
Landing a big name like Patrick Peterson in free agency was certainly interesting for the Steelers, especially after losing Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions on the market just hours earlier. Though Peterson brought name recognition and plenty of experience and leadership, his play on the field didn’t exactly line up with his reputation.
That should have been expected, too, considering he was 32 entering the 2023 season and in his 13th NFL season.
Peterson showed off good versatility and leadership for the Steelers though, playing outside corner, in the slot, and even seeing snaps at safety and rush linebacker at times. He wanted to show off his versatility and he got the chance in Pittsburgh. It wasn’t always great though. He looked better at safety than he did at cornerback at times, at least in my opinion. The eight-time Pro Bowler could be better served moving to safety for the 2024 season if the Steelers decide to bring him back for the second and final year of his contract.
He played 97% of the snaps this past season due in large part to the injuries that decimated the secondary. That can’t happen again in 2024. Fine piece but better off in a hybrid depth role rather than a starting role.
