Leading into the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday for rounds 2 and 3, the expectation was that at No. 51 overall in the second round the Pittsburgh Steelers would target a wide receiver such as Michigan’s Roman Wilson, were he to be on the board.
Turns out, the Steelers did target Wilson on Day Two, just at No. 84 overall in the third round thanks to his fall down the boards.
That selection by the Steelers has a number of analysts praising the team for pulling off the addition of Wilson. That includes former NFL quarterback and NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms.
Simms tweeted out Friday night that the Steelers “stole” Wilson in the middle rounds, doing what the franchise does at the receiver position once again, while drawing some comparisons to Steve Smith Sr. and Wilson in his tweet.
That is quite the high praise for Wilson from Simms, especially after Wilson went at No. 84 overall and was the 14th receiver off the board in the NFL Draft.
But it’s not hyperbole from Simms. He was incredibly high on Wilson leading up to the draft, ranking him at No. 5 as he stated in his tweet.
In Simms’ WR Rankings video from late March, he had Wilson at No. 5 behind LSU’s Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., and Washington’s Rome Odunze.
Simms spoke highly of Wilson’s route running, toughness and blocking, setting him apart from some of the other receivers in the class.
“Really good route runner. All I kept saying and what I said to you before the show, I kept watching it going, I feel like I’m watching Steve Smith from back in the day. Steve Smith. There’s a Stefon Diggs-type of vibe I get from the guy overall, right?” Simms said of Wilson back in March while breaking him down in his wide receiver rankings. “But again, another guy where he might not be as thick as Malik Nabers but has a body that I like. It’s 5-11 185 at the combine.
“…But like route running, it rivals the best in the draft in route running, okay? So he’s right there with the Rome Odunzes of the world as far as being able to stick the foot in the ground, burst into and out of cuts, right? Being really sharp and precise with stuff like that.”
That is certainly more high praise from Simms. While others weren’t as high on Wilson as he was, Simms made his case for it, and now Wilson is a Steeler.
Pittsburgh showed a ton of interest in him throughout the pre-draft process as head coach Mike Tomlin met with him at the Senior Bowl, while the Steelers also attended his Pro Day.
With the position a major need for the Steelers following the trade of Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the offseason, the Steelers did well to land Wilson, giving Pittsburgh a solid 1-2 punch with George Pickens moving forward, this time doing so with a receiver that fits what the Steelers are all about from a toughness and consistency standpoint.
