A little different from a normal mock draft, Daniel Jeremiah recently appeared on Path to the Draft on NFL Network, and was asked which two players would be ideal picks for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the first two rounds. This means, of course, that he didn’t go pick by pick in a mock draft format to ensure these players would be there. But to him, a former scout for multiple organizations, these two players would be a best-case scenario for the Steelers.
Starting off, he goes with the popular pick in Georgia OT Amarius Mims, but with a twist.
“Go back to Georgia and get Amarius Mims, so now you’ve recreated the bookends here at Georgia,” Jeremiah said. “I think Amarius Mims is gonna be the left tackle. I would keep Broderick Jones on that right side, where he adjusted as the season went along and played quite well, but Amarius Mims is a mountain of a human being at almost 6-8. He’s 340 pounds and can really move.”
This is probably just a slight oversight by Jeremiah. These national media guys don’t necessarily track the inner workings of each team as closely as local media. GM Omar Khan stated at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine that Jones was drafted to play on the left side and will end up back there. His suggestion would be to play Mims out of his natural position and keep Jones in his less comfortable position as well.
Mims has enough experience issues to deal with, having just eight college starts, and probably doesn’t need a position switch added in as well. Otherwise, that is a solid pick in my book. In Alex Kozora’s “What They Look For” series, Mims checked several of the boxes but did not participate in the bench press or agility drills to have a complete picture. Otherwise, he checks several boxes and had a pre-draft visit with the team.
For his second pick, he named Florida WR Ricky Pearsall Jr.
“Let’s go with Ricky Persall from the University of Florida,” Jeremiah said. “An outstanding route runner. He can separate, he can win at the line of scrimmage.. He has the best hands…reliable hands, a dependable player.”
Pearsall checks all the boxes in Kozora’s WR study. He had a solid showing at the Senior Bowl and then backed it up with one of the best performances by any player at the combine. He measured in at 6010, 189 pounds, with 30 7/8-inch arms. He ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash and posted a ridiculous 42-inch vertical. He played mostly in the slot at Florida but has the skill set to play inside or out.
He is a very willing blocker and can provide some blocking help out wide, which can be the difference between an eight-yard gain and an explosive play. He has also come in for a pre-draft visit. If available in the second round, I don’t see how you can pass up on this type of player.
For in-depth scouting reports on both players, click the links below.
