Is Georgia T Amarius Mims the favorite for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick?
We’re still roughly a month out from the 2024 NFL Draft, but we seem to be coalescing around some favorites. More recent signs seem to indicate the Steelers are not all in on a first-round wide receiver, even after they traded away Diontae Johnson.
On the other hand, increasing evidence points to their favoring an offensive lineman. They have a glaring hole at center, but they also have a key need for an upgrade at tackle. Many Steelers fans are already hoping for Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson, but center is often a second-round position.
We just learned that the Steelers brought in Georgia T Amarius Mims for a pre-draft visit. He profiles as a likely right tackle, though not as a Day One starter. Still, the Steelers traded up for Broderick Jones last year and his Day-One lack of readiness didn’t put them off.
Mims is the most immediate name, but not the only candidate for a first-round tackle. And they’ve done their work looking at their options at the tackle position, including pre-draft visitors. The fact that Jones and Mims were college teammates is a hidden advantage, however, in getting him going quickly.
Dan Moore Jr. is regarded as among the worst starting tackles in the NFL, and the Steelers are stuck with him at left tackle until they find an alternative. They drafted Jones to be their left tackle, but he wound up at right tackle for most of his rookie year.
If the Steelers draft Mims, he likely doesn’t start right away, but if they feel there’s a reasonable timeline for him playing, they could work on alternatives. They could move Jones to left tackle full time and get Moore working on the right side early. That’s not an ideal solution, but the more time he spends working there the less bad he should be.
Of course, the Steelers could also draft a defensive lineman in the first round, or a defensive back. We can’t dismiss out of hand the possibility of them taking a wide receiver, either. And maybe they still see Jackson Powers-Johnson as their pick of destiny. I think there’s a case for Mims, however, as the favorite right now from an outside perspective.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
