Coming out of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, things are starting to become clearer and clearer when it comes to the outlook of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Based on which players the Pittsburgh Steelers met with formally, there is very obvious interest there, especially at the positions, particularly offensive line, off-ball linebacker and cornerback, which all happen to be major areas of need for the Black and Gold entering the 2024 season.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid seemed to be paying attention to those positions of need — especially one in particular — helping fix the Steelers in his latest two-round mock draft for ESPN Tuesday morning.
In that two-round mock draft, Reid paired the Steelers with Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims at No. 20 overall and then paired the Steelers with West Virginia center Zach Frazier at No. 52 in the second round, shoring up the trenches for the foreseeable future in the Steel City.
“The Steelers got rookie-season success from Broderick Jones in 2023, and I could see them going back to the Georgia OT well again. I love Mims’ upside, and he measured 6-8 and 340 pounds at the combine,” Reid writes regarding the Steelers’ selection of Mims in his two-round mock draft. “Ability isn’t the question with Mims — it’s the durability component that might hurt his draft stock. Mims had only eight career starts and 774 snaps over three seasons.
“But with solid lower-body movement traits, Mims can match and mirror edge rushers. Drafting him would allow Pittsburgh to move Jones back to his natural spot at left tackle, and the protection for Kenny Pickett or whomever is playing QB should improve.”
Mims continues to generate quite a bit of buzz as a potential draft pick for the Steelers. He had a tremendous Combine, checking in with impressive size and putting up some jaw-dropping athletic testing numbers. The fact he plays right tackle as well is a huge plus, as the Steelers could theoretically land Mims and kick Broderick Jones back to left tackle, much like Reid suggests.
Durability is certainly a concern, but the tape is great in the limited action he has. He would be a sound pairing opposite Jones to bookend the Steelers’ offensive line.
Then, after landing Mims, the Steelers put the centerpiece to it all into place, landing Frazier at No. 51 overall.
“Mason Cole was recently released, leaving the Steelers with a gaping hole at center. Thanks to his strength, hand power, and finishing ability, Frazier would be a Day 1 starter in Pittsburgh,” Reid writes regarding Frazier’s selection for the Steelers.
Frazier has been a popular name tied to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process due to his toughness, athleticism and position, which is a glaring hole for the Steelers on the roster, currently. He’s a relatively local product, too, at West Virginia and already has a built-in fanbase with the Steelers.
Though he is still recovering from a broken leg suffered late in his final game at West Virginia, Frazier went through positional drills at the Combine in an effort to compete and really garnered quite a bit of praise for doing so.
He would bring a nastiness to the position the Steelers haven’t had in a while and could be the long-term solution at the position the Steelers so desperately need.
The haul of Mims and Frazier would be rather impressive for the Steelers, shoring up the offensive line in one fell swoop, giving Pittsburgh some serious blue-chip building blocks in back-to-back drafts under GM Omar Khan, handing offensive line coach Pat Meyer everything he could possibly need in the trenches to get the best out of the unit once again.
