The Pittsburgh Steelers have already earned praise for their 2024 NFL Draft haul from analysts like Mel Kiper Jr. and Dane Brugler, ranking the team’s draft toward the top of the NFL. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show today, NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah talked about how much he loved the Steelers’ draft, and he had particular praise for the third-round selection of Payton Wilson.
“If you tell me this is a one-contract player, even if you told me you’re gonna get three years out of him, I’d rather have three years of him than eight years from the guys that were on the board at this point in time,” Jeremiah said about Pittsburgh’s selection of Wilson, a player he previously called a first-round talent.
Jeremiah then talked about Pittsburgh building through the trenches.
“I loved what the Steelers did. Look at the last two years, Isaac Seumalo in free agency, Broderick Jones in the first round last year. Then you come back and Fautanu, who’s super explosive, who I think is gonna be an excellent O-lineman for him. You get two more linemen, you mention [Mason] McCormick, [Zach] Frazier, who we all love as a center, he’s a total stud.”
Jeremiah concluded by saying the Steelers are going beat people up and he’s excited to see them this year. Mike Tomlin said that the Steelers want to roll people this season, and by building through the trenches, that’s exactly what they are planning on doing.
Wilson’s medicals were a concern for some teams, which is why he fell, but it’s interesting to hear just how high Jeremiah is on him. Wilson could be a legitimate three-down linebacker in the NFL, and his pairing with Patrick Queen long-term could make for a really fun and really good inside linebacker room. It’s also interesting that Jeremiah has Fautanu pegged as a left tackle, although given that’s where most of his collegiate experience was, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Steelers did decide to play him on the left side and keep Broderick Jones on the right side.
Under Arthur Smith, playing tough, physical football is going to be an emphasis for the Steelers, and they added the pieces in the draft to do so. Frazier and Fautanu could both be Day 1 starters and in particular, I think that Frazier is going to be an impact player at the center position from Day 1. He’s got a ton of experience with over 2,000 reps at center during his career at West Virginia and he can control at the point of attack and make life a lot easier for Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris.
The best Steelers teams have come on the backs of a talented defense and a strong run game, and Pittsburgh is getting back to that identity this season. It’s going to be fun to watch.
