(Ed Note: This mock was created before the news of Russell Wilson signing with the Steelers. But his signing does not change my outlook on the draft or my current mock).
Hours before the legal tampering period begins today at noon/EST, my second Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft. Much will change from now until the next one with free agency plugging needs and a busy Pro Day circuit but here’s where I see things standing post-Combine and before the new league year begins.
My next Steelers mock draft will post in a few weeks once free agency calms down and the key Pro Days are completed. One important note. The three assumptions I’ll make for free agency are the team signing a starting-caliber inside linebacker and safety (they have plenty of options) along with a veteran punter.
Steelers Mock Draft – Version 1.0
Round One – 2oth Overall: Brian Thomas Jr./WR LSU – 6027, 209 lbs.
Analysis: Surprised? I would’ve been too had you shown me this mock three weeks ago. But a couple reasons why I’m putting receiver first. Diontae Johnson trade rumors persist and though Pittsburgh may struggle to find fair value, it’s possible he gets moved. If so, that makes receiver an immediate and obvious need.
Even if he stays, Johnson is entering the final year of his deal, and the Steelers have zero receiver depth. At the Combine, they formally interviewed at least six receivers, including Thomas, and they were almost all projected top-50 picks. All 6-1 or taller and all good athletes. Pittsburgh isn’t doing that unless it has interest and desire in addressing the position early.
Thomas is a freak at nearly 6-3, 209 pounds who ran a 4.33 40 and jumped 38.5 inches in the vertical. His RAS is a sparkling 9.97, 10th-best of any receiver the last 35 years. His game is a bit raw and needs refinement, and he struggles to separate over the middle. But he’s a big-time playmaker with six touchdowns of 40-plus yards last year and a quality athlete who can improve his route running and separation. A basketball player offered D-I scholarships but who chose football instead, he has good feet and loose hips. His hands and tracking are top-tier and will make a friendly target for quarterbacks.
It’s an outside-the-box decision but one I think will pick up steam throughout the pre-draft process.
Brian Thomas Jr. Scouting Report
Others Considered: C Jackson Powers-Johnson, OT Amarius Mims, CB Nate Wiggins
Round Two – 51st Overall: Zach Frazier/C West Virginia – 6025, 313 lbs.
Analysis: It’s going to be difficult for me to leave Frazier out of my Steelers mock drafts. They need a center, a long-term option, and they’ll love Frazier’s game. His toughness, tenacity, leverage, experience, character, and leadership. I’m probably a bit lower on his game than others but my opinion doesn’t matter here – this is based off what I think the team will do.
The question is if Frazier will be here. But it’s possible he’s the third center taken behind Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and Duke’s Graham Barton if a team wants to move him to center (where he played his freshman season). Centers tend to fall and Frazier dropping to mid-second round is plausible, especially coming off his leg injury that’s limited him throughout the pre-draft process (didn’t practice/play at Senior Bowl, didn’t test at Combine) could ding him a bit. Still, his overall recovery seems to put him on track to be ready for training camp at the latest.
Frazier has the look of a Day 1 center and someone who can hopefully anchor the middle for a long time.
Others Considered: ILB Junior Colson, CB Mike Sainristil, WR Ricky Pearsall
Round Three – 84th Overall: Max Melton/CB Rutgers – 5117, 187 lbs.
Analysis: With Patrick Peterson’s release, slot corner is as big a need as outside corner. Perhaps Chandon Sullivan is re-signed but he’s a run-down/zone-coverage corner. Melton can play inside or outside with good length for his frame. He’s physical in press and a force downhill. Melton is also an excellent special teamer with four career blocked punts at Rutgers. That’s something the Steelers value given what they’ve gotten out of Miles Killebrew. Melton’s athletic, productive, and checks a lot of boxes.
Others Considered: DL Ruke Orhorhoro, WR Roman Wilson, DL Maason Smith
Round Four – 118th Overall: Gabe Hall/DL Baylor – 6060, 291 lbs.
Analysis: A holdover from my first mock draft. Physically, Hall fits the bill of what the team wants at defensive end/tackle. Hall’s a project and must improve his pass-rush moves and his leverage, playing too tall and upright, but with good technique, he’s an impact player.
If Pittsburgh can sign a veteran in free agency, Hall can develop for a year while playing light and rotational snaps. And potentially have a larger role in 2025 assuming Larry Ogunjobi is gone while Cam Heyward’s future beyond 2024 is uncertain.
Others Considered: CB Cam Hart, CB Andru Phillips, OL Brandon Coleman
Round Four – 119th Overall: Khyree Jackson/CB Oregon – 6036, 194 lbs.
Analysis: Late on addressing cornerback here. But there’s always one position you *think* the team will draft early that it doesn’t. Pittsburgh is a good bet to sign an outside corner in free agency, though the caliber of player is debatable.
Jackson fits the profile of the cornerbacks Pittsburgh gravitates toward, tall and long with his 32 3/4-inch arms. He tested well at the Combine and showed ball skills with three picks last year. Jackson could go earlier than this, but a strong cornerback class may push him down a bit.
Others Considered: S/CB Jaylin Phillips, ILB Trevin Wallace, S Josh Proctor
Round Six – 194th Overall: Dillon Johnson/RB Washington – 5117, 217 lbs.
Analysis: The team is reportedly bringing Johnson in for a pre-draft visit, a quick connection to make for a Steelers mock draft. It’s easy to see why. Big and tall, he has the size the team almost always drafts. He’s a versatile, great pass-catching back who played in Mike Leach’s Air Raid at Mississippi State before transferring to Washington for his final season. He shows decent feet and effort, though he runs with a high pad level and lacks burst to win in open grass. In other words, the ideal Steelers back.
Dillon Johnson Scouting Report
Others Considered: NT Fabien Lovett, DL Myles Murphy, QB Michael Pratt
Round Seven – 240th Overall: Taulia Tagovailoa/QB Maryland – 5-10, 200 lbs.
Analysis: I can see the Steelers drafting a quarterback. Just not until their final two picks. To avoid the sharks in the water that are the UDFA pool, an area where Pittsburgh is non-competitive and won’t be able to sign a “name” quarterback, they use a draft pick just as they did in 2022 with Chris Oladokun. The issue is the Steelers only offer signing bonuses, never even maxing out their pool, instead of partial base salary guarantees like almost every other team. It causes them to miss out on big names and premium positions.
Tagovailoa, Tua’s younger brother, had three solid seasons for the Terps, leading the school to winning seasons all three years. A lack of height makes him an outlier but a seventh-round flier with the Steelers having just two quarterback under contract right now. With limited names on the roster, Tagovailoa shouldn’t be quite as frozen out of reps the way Oladokun was in 2022, though they’ll still be scarce.
As Omar Khan said, they’re taking four to camp. And Mike Tomlin has a good relationship with Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, which doesn’t hurt, and is the true Maryland connection of why the Steelers have drafted so many Terps over the years.
Others Considered: ILB Aaron Casey, RB George Holani, QB Jack Plummer
