Entering the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have quite a few holes on the roster that need plugged. Though free agency is up first for the Steelers as a way to plug those holes on the roster, the NFL Draft is typically the best way to plug holes from the Steelers’ perspective.
Part of that process with the NFL Draft will start this week during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the Steelers and the 31 other teams in the NFL will get an up close and personal look at 321 prospects at the Combine.
With the Combine set to dominate the NFL world for the next week, the 33rd Team senior NFL writer Connor Livesay rolled out his three-round mock draft Monday afternoon. In that mock draft from the 33rd Team, the Steelers plugged a trio of holes with their first three picks.
At No. 20 overall, Livesay has the Steelers landing Georgia hulking offensive tackle Amarius Mims. Then, at No. 52 in the second round, he pairs the Steelers with Michigan inside linebacker Junior Colson before going back to the Georgia pipeline in the third round at No. 84 overall, landing center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger to plug a trio of holes on the roster in one fell swoop.
Throughout the early portion of the offseason, Mims has been one of the most popular names paired with the Steelers when it comes to mock drafts. Mims has massive size, checking in at 6-foot-7, 340 pounds and is quite an impressive athlete, one that is going to go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
At Georgia, Mims started the final two games of the 2022 season for the Bulldogs, which happened to be in the College Football Playoffs that ultimately led to another national championship for Georgia. Mims entered the 2023 season as the starter at right tackle but suffered a high ankle sprain in mid-September, undergoing tight-rope surgery before returning later in the year.
However, Mims started just eight career games for the Bulldogs, raising real concerns about his experience, which are valid.
But the ceiling is incredibly high with Mims, and he will probably blow teams away at the Combine this week.
Colson is in the discussion for the best off-ball linebacker in the class and would give the Steelers a good building block at the position. Cole Holcomb is recovering from a serious knee injury, while Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson are the only linebackers with experience that return on the roster that also happen to be healthy.
The Michigan product is a great athlete who brings serious run and hit abilities to the position, providing a physical presence to the defense. He would slot nicely as a MACK in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme and could handle a three-down role moving forward.
Here is what Steelers Depot’s Steven Pavelka had to say about Colson in his scouting report for the site:
“He’s a pretty high-floor, low-ceiling prospect that can instantly improve any defenses run defending if his tackling becomes more consistent. I think any team should feel confident spending a mid-round pick on Colson to try and develop him into the player he has the potential to be.”
Then, there’s Van Pran-Granger, a guy who has been a popular target for the Steelers all offseason with a glaring need at the center position.
Landing Van Pran-Granger at No. 84 overall would be a good haul for the Steelers, giving Pittsburgh a long-term answer at the center position that wouldn’t need to play right away, assuming Pittsburgh adds a veteran center in free agency after releasing Mason Cole last week.
During his time at Georgia, Van Pran-Granger started 44 games for the Bulldogs, holding down a key role in the trenches for Georgia as they won two straight national championships and established themselves as one of the most dominant programs in the country. Double dipping with Mims and then Van Pran-Granger would be very interesting for the Steelers as they’d pair with Broderick Jones, giving Pittsburgh three Georgia products in the trenches offensively.
Here’s what Steelers Depot’s own Jonathan Heitritter had to say about Van Pran-Granger in his scouting report for the site:
“Sedrick Van Pran is an athletic, experienced center who will excel in gap and zone-blocking schemes thanks to his mobility and aggressiveness as a run blocker. He has balance and core strength issues he needs to work on to be more sound as a pass protector, but he has shown to be capable of protecting the quarterback, as he has only one sack and one quarterback hit allowed in his college career. Despite his extensive starting experience, is still only 22 years old, suggesting that his game can take another step forward as he transitions to the league should he work on these tendencies while maximizing his strengths as a run blocker.”
If the Steelers 2024 draft came away with a haul of this trio in the first three rounds of the draft, it would provide a very solid foundation for the 2024 Draft Class as a whole, putting the Steelers in a good position entering training camp and the preseason at some serious areas of need on the roster.
