Now that the Pro Day circuit ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft is in full swing, teams around the league have a lot to decide.
Key areas of need and potential players of interest are shaping things for the next month or so in the NFL landscape, especially for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After a very busy, uncharacteristic first week of the offseason from the team and GM Omar Khan, the Steelers still have quite a few needs which will likely get addressed in the 2024 NFL Draft, including receiver, center and cornerback.
Fortunately, NFL.com NFL Draft analyst Chad Reuter had some answers to those holes in his latest four-round mock draft that dropped Friday afternoon. The Steelers hold five picks in this mock draft.
In the first round of Reuter’s mock, he has the Steelers addressing the center position at No. 20 overall, landing a popular target in Duke’s Graham Barton.
“Barton reminds me of former Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro, but he’ll likely play the pivot in the NFL. He started at center during his true freshman year at Duke before excelling at left tackle over the past three seasons,” Reuter writes regarding Barton and the selection for the Steelers at No. 20 overall.
That’s quite the lofty comparison from Reuter, and it should have Steelers fans fired up. During his time in the Black and Gold, David DeCastro was one of the best guards in football. Hopefully, Barton could step in at center and be able to play at a similar level as DeCastro.
Barton has met with the Steelers multiple times, including at the Senior Bowl and in a formal meeting at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, so the interest is there. There is some debate as to whether he’s a center, guard or tackle in the NFL, but that shouldn’t scare the Steelers off. He’s a really good player overall.
Interestingly enough, Reuter had the Steelers passing on Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson to land Barton, with Powers-Johnson coming off the board at No. 26 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following the selection of Barton in the first round, Reuter has the Steelers adding some speed to the offense, landing Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin at No. 51 overall.
Franklin was a true home-run threat for the Ducks during his time in Eugene, Oregon, taking off in his final two seasons with quarterback Bo Nix throwing him passes. Last season alone, Franklin hauled in 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning First Team All-Pac 12 honors.
Franklin checked in at 6017, 176 pounds and clocked a 4.41 40-yard dash at the Combine, where he met formally with the Steelers as well.
After addressing receiver in the second round, Reuter has the Steelers landing Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster in the third round at No. 84 overall, giving the Steelers a developmental tackle to work with behind Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones.
The Steelers met informally with Foster at the Combine. Foster checked in at 6054, 309 pounds at the Combine with 35-inch arms, which is massive for offensive tackle. He was a First Team All-SEC offensive tackle in 2023 for the Tigers, played in 50 career games with 41 starts (39 at left tackle, two at right tackle) and was a Senior Bowl invite, checking a number of boxes the Steelers like.
Following the selection of Foster in the third round, Reuter has the Steelers selecting Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara at No. 98 overall with the pick acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in the Kenny Pickett trade.
Kamara is a player the Steelers have had some interest in since the pre-draft process began. Director of Pro Scouting Mark Sadowski met with Kamara at the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl, which made an impact on Kamara, who said Sadowski told him he fits the ‘Steeler Way.’
The Colorado State product checked in at 6013, 252 pounds at the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas. During his standout career at Colorado State, Kamara recorded 30.5 career sacks, including 13.5 sacks in 2023 for the Rams, earning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
He would be developmental depth behind the trio of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig at a loaded outside linebacker position.
Finally, in the fourth round at No. 119 overall, Reuter has the Steelers selecting Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil, plugging a major hole at slot cornerback for the Black and Gold.
Sainristil, who said he models his game after former Steelers’ slot cornerback Mike Hilton, has been a popular name throughout the draft process.
He met formally at the Combine with the Steelers and then had head coach Mike Tomlin, Khan, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin at the Michigan Pro Day on Friday, March 22. Sainristil checked in at 5093, 182 pounds and though he’s a bit small, he plays with a clear edge and had great production at Michigan, recording 44 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 6 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), and 6 pass deflections in 2023 for the Wolverines.
