All that build-up, suspense, and speculation regarding the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone in the blink of an eye. All 257 picks are complete, closing out another important chapter of the NFL offseason.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the seven players selected as part of their 2024 NFL Draft class haul are receiving quite a bit of praise. National analysts and pundits are heaping praise on Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl for the work the Steelers did in the draft, addressing a number of holes and continuing to build up the roster the way they envision.
That starts in the trenches as the Steelers selected three offensive linemen in the first five picks, doing something for the first time since 1976. Washington’s Troy Fautanu and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier both project as long-term starters, while South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick projects as a future starter for the Steelers.
Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson, North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson, Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee and Texas defensive back Ryan Watts round out a very strong class overall. Here’s how it looks in order:
Though the draft is now complete, there is still plenty of time to speculate, debate and generally discuss the draft class. That’s exactly what we’re going to do here today at Steelers Depot. Call it the Depot Draft Roundtable, featuring Alex Kozora, Dave Bryan, Ross McCorkle, Joe Clark, Tom Mead, Jonathan Heitritter, and myself.
We’ll discuss our individual draft grades for the overall class, the best and worst picks among the seven players selected, who we believe will be the most impactful rookie in the draft class in 2024, and the best trait added in the class.
Come pull up a seat to the roundtable!
Steelers’ Draft Class Overall Grade
Josh Carney — A
Hard to settle on anything other than an “A” grade for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft class this year. In his second draft in charge of the Steelers, GM Omar Khan did a masterful job once again. Coming into the draft, the Steelers needed to address offensive tackle and center — and early. Khan did just that with Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier, two guys who should start right away and give the Steelers a real snarl up front.
Landing Roman Wilson and Payton Wilson in the third round following slides down the draft board was quite the haul for Khan and the Steelers, too. Payton Wilson, if healthy, can be the best linebacker in the class, while Roman Wilson has quite a bit of Hines Ward to his game. Landing my personal “draft guy” in Texas DB Ryan Watts was the cherry on top. Heck of a haul.
Alex Kozora — A-
Another year, another strong draft class from Omar Khan. It’s hard to fuss at Troy Fautanu the man and talent, someone they held in high regard and has the potential to become an excellent NFL tackle. There are some concerns over where he’ll play and the impact it has on Broderick Jones. Part of the point of them getting a tackle was to allow Jones to move back to the left side, his natural spot. With a left tackle in Fautanu, that future is unclear. But to the player, good pick. Zach Frazier in the second is huge. Roman Wilson doesn’t solve the outside receiver problems as well as you’d like and the team’s plan to replace Diontae Johnson is murky. But the value is strong and Wilson is a find wide receiver. Even though three linemen might feel like overkill, the team’s clear identity is appreciated and the upside of the class is strong. The final two picks weren’t spectacular but were fine selections.
Importantly, the Steelers got value without having to trade up. Khan had nerves of steel this draft, understanding giving up any draft picks they had would make it even harder to fill their needs. Kudos to him.
Dave Bryan — A-
While the Steelers’ 2024 draft was a bit predictable overall when it came to positional needs, there were a few surprises, pleasant ones at that, along the way. Not many people would have believed that OT Troy Fautanu would fall to the Steelers at 20th overall prior to the draft, even if other teams viewed him maybe more as a guard. That was a gift for the Steelers, who didn’t seem like they would be able to address the tackle position until Day 2 at the earliest. Not having to trade up to get West Virginia C Zach Frazier was also another gift for the Steelers.
WR Roman Wilson was an easy dot connection. At the very least, the Steelers should have solved their slot wide receiver position for the next several years by picking him. As for ILB Payton Wilson, he would have been the top off-ball linebacker in this year’s class if not for medical concerns, which really have not been evident on tape the last two seasons. He can fly and hit and has a chance at being a stud if he can remain healthy. While G Mason McCormick was a bit of a surprising selection after two offensive linemen had already been taken, I understand the best-player-available nature of this pick. I get Richie Incognito vibes from him when watching his tape.
The two sixth-rounders, DL Logan Lee and DB Ryan Watts, are at least quality dart throws at positions that could use some depth. Watts has amazing length and checked all the boxes when it comes to what the Steelers look for in cornerbacks. Watts also has position flexibility and if he can make the 53-man roster, he should be a special teams asset at a minimum.
Ross McCorkle — A-
To me, the first five picks were all excellent and value met with needs on multiple occasions. That lands them in the “A” range, but I knock them a little for not getting a cornerback option. The draft board didn’t break in a way that was conducive to landing one. I wouldn’t want to change the first four picks, and Mason McCormick was great value that deep in the draft at No. 119. I would have considered Notre Dame CB Cam Hart in the fourth, even though I do like the McCormick pick. At least CB was the easiest to figure out a contingency plan for. Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, or both could be circling back to the roster before too long.
Joe Clark —A
Omar Khan stayed patient and was able to nab a ton of talent in this draft class. Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick can bring some nastiness back to the Steelers’ offensive line, and being able to get a starting-caliber center and tackle in this draft class is pretty awesome. Roman Wilson should add a dynamic element to the Pittsburgh receiver room as well.
For the second year in a row, I’m feeling good about the Steelers and their crop of rookies exiting the draft, and the team really did a great job addressing its needs in key positions. Not taking a cornerback until the sixth round is probably the only knock I could have on this class, but an athletic 6-2 corner in Watts is an intriguing add, and the Steelers can still attack free agency to further address the position.
Tom Mead — A
Each of the players they drafted were generally ranked higher than where they were selected. They drafted all positions of need, save for one, cornerback. The identity of this team, after not having one for two years, is being cemented.
Jonathan Heitritter — A-
All things considered, this was a great draft class for the Steelers as they hit numerous positions of need with quality players. Landing presumably their seventh-ranked player in Washington OT Troy Fautanu at 20th overall is a home run in itself. Managing to nab their likely starting center in West Virginia’s Zach Frazier in the second round makes their first pick landing a premier tackle taste that much sweeter.
I loved the value of the players they got in the third round, having Michigan WR Roman Wilson and NC State LB Payton Wilson fall into their laps at spots where both should’ve been off the board by that time. They landed a solid guard in South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick and got two players they were well-connected with in the pre-draft process in Iowa DL Logan Lee and Texas DB Ryan Watts.
Personally, I wish that they would’ve drafted a more impactful player in Round 4. McCormick won’t see the field this year with James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, and Nate Herbig ahead of him on the depth chart, though he’s a great depth piece for the future. The Steelers still have a big need at cornerback and names like Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa, Notre Dame’s Cam Hart, and even Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine were there for the taking. I also wish that Pittsburgh had gone with a little more upside in its final two selections. Guys like Baylor DL Gabe Hall with his unique measurables went undrafted and the Steelers also bypassed the chance to draft other players who could contribute like Virginia’s Malik Washington, USC’s Brenden Rice, and Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire.
Best Steelers Draft Pick
Josh — NC State LB Payton Wilson
When it comes to simply looking at the tape, I’m not sure there is a better player in the Steelers’ draft class than Payton Wilson. Without the medical concerns, the NC State standout might have been a first-round pick, which is unusual for an off-ball linebacker. He is a tackling machine who racked up 138 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and three interceptions, winning the Butkus and Bednarik awards in college football.
If he is healthy, he should be a legitimate starting linebacker next to Patrick Queen for the Steelers. Entering the offseason, I was pounding the table for the Steelers to seriously address the inside linebacker position, even after adding Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb last year. They did just that with Queen and now Wilson.
Alex — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Pittsburgh had to come away with one of the top three centers. They had to. Going offensive tackle in the first round made that mission dicey but they still landed Frazier at No. 51. I don’t think he’s going to be a star, not the next Maurkice Pouncey, but he will contribute immediately and give solid snaps for the next seven years. I would’ve hated to see the Steelers’ center plan had they missed out on Frazier.
Dave — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
The Steelers sorely needed a center this offseason and in Frazier they got them one. Not only that, Frazier is the most experienced center in this year’s draft class and the team surely knew quite a lot about him ahead of the draft with him being at nearby West Virginia. With so much experience at the center position in college, there’s not too much projection needed for a player such as Frazier.
Frazier’s character and humility will also be a breath of fresh air when it comes to the new players in the locker room. He’s a gritty, hard-working player and should fit in well. He should easily be the Steelers’ Week 1 starter at center, and hopefully he fills the position for several years to come. There really isn’t much not to like about him. I was hoping he would be the Steelers’ center selection this year even though most had him ranked third overall at the position behind Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Ross — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
There are multiple players you could put in this slot that I wouldn’t argue with, but Zach Frazier fills the biggest immediate need, and the Steelers were able to stay put at No. 51 to draft him. There was a ton of chatter about needing to trade up to land any of the big three centers, but Khan stayed put.
You could argue Frazier is the No. 1 center of the entire draft. Jackson Powers-Johnson was drafted to play guard, and Graham Barton is a conversion project. If you take Barton and Powers-Johnson’s college center snaps, combine them, and multiply them by two, you still don’t surpass Frazier’s 2,606 center snaps. Filling your top need with the top prospect in the second round is a home run.
Joe —NC State LB Payton Wilson
I love the Zach Frazier selection in the second round and almost went with him, but I really love that the Steelers have made a legitimate commitment to the inside linebacker room under Omar Khan. If the medicals hold up with Wilson, he legitimately has Pro Bowl-level talent, and that’s not an easy thing to find in the third round. He’s athletic enough and good enough in coverage to be a three-down linebacker and pairing with Wilson with Patrick Queen long-term is an intriguing possibility.
Tom — NC State LB Payton Wilson
A revolving door of veterans came through the linebacker group trying to plug holes. For years, I have been hoping the Steelers would draft a tall, athletic linebacker who could play on all three downs. Drew Sanders, Quay Walker, and Jamin Davis just to name a few in the past few years. Pairing Wilson with Patrick Queen adds physical play and impressive athleticism. They could make a huge difference on all downs.
Jonathan — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
I heavily considered putting LB Payton Wilson in this spot, but seeing how Pittsburgh bypassed center in the first round and still managed to land the last of the top three centers available makes Frazier my pick here. HC Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan must have had nerves of steel sitting in that draft room, watching the one guy they wanted slowly fall down to them after selecting Fautanu, who should start for this team at some point in his rookie season. The odds were in their favor as they landed Frazier, who has a massive amount of playing experience in college and should be this team’s Day 1 starting center. There is no projection to his game, like former Steelers C Kendrick Green, as Frazier is as battle-tested as they come. Seeing as this pick may have completed the overhaul of the offensive line in Pittsburgh, this selection wins best pick in my book.
Worst Steelers Draft Pick
Josh — South Dakota State iOL Mason McCormick
Reading this, you probably are pretty upset and somewhat confused. Stick with me here. My selection of McCormick as the “worst” pick of the Steelers’ draft has nothing to do with his talent. He profiles as a guy who could be a solid starter for a long time in the NFL. But in regard to his fit for the Steelers right now — and based on names that were on the board at a position of need for the Steelers like cornerback and wide receiver at No. 119 overall — it felt more like a luxury pick for the future than addressing needs now.
Personally, I am a big fan of McCormick. He plays with real snarl and just looks like a true butt-kicker in the trenches. But he might be the backup to swing interior offensive lineman in Nate Herbig in 2024, whereas a receiver or corner at that spot could have impacted Pittsburgh a bit more this season.
Hard to come up with a “worst pick” though in a terrific class overall.
Alex — Iowa DL Logan Lee
I’m not surprised by the Lee selection, it was the one thing I got right in my mock draft, but it doesn’t mean it’s my favorite. Find something you love as much as the Steelers love drafting late-round defensive linemen. Hopefully Lee works out better than Isaiah Buggs, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Carlos Davis, you get the idea.
Lee’s lack of length is concerning. There just haven’t been many of those guys in Pittsburgh who’ve succeeded. It’s like small guards. The Steelers just aren’t successful with them. Lee feels like a bit of an awkward fit with a low ceiling and will obviously bring limited special teams value, unlike a cornerback or linebacker. Lee will play with effort and be around the ball a lot but won’t make many impact plays.
Dave — Iowa DL Logan Lee
Lee is my easy choice here. While you can certainly understand why he was the Steelers’ defensive lineman choice late in this year’s draft, you have to wonder how much more he can develop. I would like to see him add a little more sand in his pants as soon as possible. On the surface, his selection feels like the one the Steelers made a few years ago with Isaiahh Loudermilk. At least the Steelers did not trade up for Lee.
If the Steelers can get Lee to become a rotational and dependable backup on the defensive line by his second season, the selection will be looked back on as just fine. Look, he’s a sixth-round selection so it’s hard to be too critical overall. Personally, I would have preferred the Steelers using this selection on another wide receiver with comparable upside to that of Lee’s. While Lee’s an awesome kid, I just wonder if he has much of a chance at sticking.
Ross — Michigan WR Roman Wilson
As I stated in one of the blurbs above, I am very happy with all of the first five picks, and really the whole draft class. But somebody has to hold down the “worst pick” spot, and I didn’t want to go with the low hanging fruit of the sixth-round picks. I think Wilson is a fine player, but there are legitimate questions about his ability to play on the outside. Arthur Smith’s offense typically doesn’t get much use out of slot receivers, so I would have liked to see a better outside prospect, though the options were starting to run thin at No. 84.
Joe — Iowa DL Logan Lee
This is not a slight against Logan Lee at all, and it’s tough to come up with the worst pick for the Steelers. But Lee is a little bit of a projection in Pittsburgh due to the fact that he’s a little light and doesn’t have a ton of length. From watching him at the East-West Shrine Bowl, I’m not concerned about his work ethic, and I think he’ll find a way to make an impact, but somebody has to be the worst pick, and in this case, Lee’s lack of size makes him the biggest question mark.
Tom — Iowa DL Logan Lee
The Steelers’ defensive linemen blueprint has become hard to fill in recent years. They’ve tried to shoehorn some smaller players into the rotation with varying success. I can’t blame Lee for their lack of success, but he too doesn’t fit what they traditionally look for in their linemen. Will he break the trend or become another footnote?
Jonathan — South Dakota State iOL Mason McCormick
This pick isn’t meant as any slight to McCormick as a player. He is a quality guard who should become a good depth piece and hopefully develop into a starting-caliber player by as early as next season. However, when you weigh the cost associated with selecting McCormick over some other names that were available, I do wish that they would’ve gone another route to select a player who had a better chance to contribute this year. As I mentioned above, Pittsburgh had the opportunity to select multiple corners who could have played either inside or outside and have a legit shot to see the field this season in T.J. Tampa, Cam Hart, Kris Abrams-Draine, and even M.J. Devonshire to name a few.
Another thought I had was the idea of doubling down at center with Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer available with Limmer having extensive experience at guard as well as starting at center last season. With the position pretty dry outside of Frazier, perhaps drafting another center to give Pittsburgh two quality options to compete with each other would have been a better use of a pick than McCormick, who will be behind Seumalo, Daniels, and Herbig for at least the 2024 season.
Best Trait Added Via Draft
Josh — Versatility
In today’s NFL, teams are moving more and more toward the position-less style of football, adding guys to the roster who can wear a number of hats, play in different schemes and styles and handle a number of roles. The Steelers valued that versatility in the draft this year without a doubt.
Troy Fautanu can play all five positions on the offensive line if needed. Roman Wilson can play on the boundary or in the slot at receiver and can stay on the field in 12 and 13 personnel thanks to his abilities as a blocker. Mason McCormick can play all three interior offensive line positions, while Payton Wilson can play off-ball or on the edge due to his abilities as a blitzer and can handle coverage duties.
Defensive lineman Logan Lee can play anywhere from the 5-tech all the way inside to the 0- and 1-tech, and defensive back Ryan Watts is corner and safety capable, whether that’s on the boundary, in the slot, as the deep safety or as a box safety. It’s cliché to say the Steelers added a bunch of chess pieces in the draft, but it certainly looks quite true as things currently stand.
Alex — Identity
It’s an off-field trait, not an on-field one. But it’s as critical as any. Pittsburgh has evolved from being a team, specifically an offense, that had no identity and vision in 2022. They’ve been working toward the idea and aspiration but since 2023, they’ve built the personnel around them. Work inside out, focus on the trenches, and be a team that wins up front along the offensive line. That’s good for the run game, good for the quarterbacks and by extension, the passing game. The Steelers went all in on o-line, and they know exactly who they want to be. And they have the people to be that.
Dave — Experience
There are four or five traits one could list here but overall, this is quite an experienced draft class that the Steelers assembled. Fautanu enters the NFL with just over 2,000 college snaps and Frazier played just over 2,600 snaps in college. McCormick, the other offensive lineman drafted, logged just over 3,400 college snaps. Are you kidding me? The two Wilsons, Roman and Payton, also played a lot of college football as did the two sixth-rounders, Lee and Watts. Sure, most NFL teams will be able to say the same thing this year with their draft classes due to the COVID years, but the Steelers really need several of these new players to fill instant holes as opposed to being brought along slowly. Fautanu, Frazier and Roman Wilson should all be Week 1 starters and thus play a ton of snaps during their rookie seasons. Their extensive college experience will hopefully mitigate the jump-to-the-NFL curve.
Ross — Physicality
Pretty much the entire draft class brings a competitive edge with them that will be well-suited to the Steelers’ identity as a physical football team. Troy Fautanu is always looking for extra work on the field, and he is not satisfied until he plants someone on their rear end. Payton Wilson said he wants to make 75 tackles if there are 75 defensive snaps in the game. Roman Wilson said “no block, no rock” when it comes to his mindset doing the less flashy functions at the wide receiver position.
Joe —Nastiness
The Steelers just brought in a bunch of players who want to knock you over and then run you over and do it all over again. Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier are maulers, Roman Wilson loves to block, and Payton Wilson loves to hit and lay dudes out. Even in the later rounds, Mason McCormick will lay a dude out in space and he’s someone who always finishes his blocks and Logan Lee isn’t afraid to get physical, either. The draft class brings an identity and attitude that this team sorely needs, and the grittiness and nastiness it brings to the table should translate to the field.
Tom — Attitude
The two major factors this team has lacked in the past couple of years are speed and physicality. Watch the new offensive linemen block. Watch Roman and Payton Wilson. Every player drafted plays a physical brand of football. They play to the whistle and finish the play. And they’re bringing it back to Pittsburgh.
Jonathan — Toughness
When I look at the names and positions Pittsburgh added in the draft, the word toughness sticks out like a sore thumb. OT Troy Fautanu is one mean S.O.B. as a blocker while we have seen C Zach Frazier’s toughness on display, literally bear crawling off the field to save his team time after breaking his leg in a game last season. WR Roman Wilson is one of the best blocking receivers in this class, living by the “No Block, No Rock” mantra. LB Payton Wilson has overcome numerous injuries and has managed to become a beast on the field, staying healthy the last two years as a do-it-all linebacker. G Mason McCormick played in over 60 games in college and spearheaded a run-heavy Jackrabbits offensive attack. DL Logan Lee comes from a program in Iowa where toughness is embraced as its identity. DB Ryan Watts is a tall, long, physical defender who enjoys mixing it up in the run game as a physical tackler while also having the size to contest receivers on jump balls. From top to bottom, this is a tough draft class.
Most Impactful Steelers’ Rookie In 2024
Josh — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Going with the guy who will likely be a Day 1 starter, that being Zach Frazier. The center position was arguably the biggest hole on the roster entering the draft and the Steelers plugged it in the second round with arguably the best center in the class, depending on where you rank the top three of Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Frazier.
Frazier will slide into the starting lineup right away and will help uphold the identity the Steelers have been trying to establish offensively in recent years, that being a physical, bully-ball offense that pounds the rock and buries opponents in the dirt. Frazier projects as a massive upgrade over Mason Cole and Kendrick Green in recent seasons. Finally, the Steelers seem to have found an answer at center post-Maurkice Pouncey.
Alex — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
An obvious choice. Frazier is a plug ‘n play center with a wealth of experience. Pittsburgh needs someone who can man the middle and Frazier can. He’s healthy and assuming he stays that way, he’s likely ticketed to play the most snaps of any rookie. Perhaps Fautanu will be in a similar boat but his odds of starting Week 1 are slightly less than Frazier’s, though still high. The difference is Pittsburgh could’ve survived with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones. Without Frazier at center, this team would’ve been in trouble.
Dave — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Frazier is an easy pick for me. He should be the starting center right out of the chute and an instant upgrade over Mason Cole. The team has sorely needed its next great center for some time now and I think Frazier has a solid chance be just that.
Ross — Washington OT Troy Fautanu
Broderick Jones may have needed some extra time to get into the starting lineup, but Fautanu is coming out of college with 29 starts at left tackle and should be ready to win the camp competition to become a Week 1 starter. Good use of hands and good footwork translate to any level of play, and I think Fautanu will help take this offense to the next level opposite Jones. Unsure of what side that will be on yet, but he should be fine in either spot.
Joe — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Zach Frazier is going to man the middle for the Steelers in Week 1. With a ton of collegiate experience, it’s not hard to project him being a good center in the NFL, and for a Steelers team that wants to win on the ground, Frazier is going to make an impact and be a people mover at the pivot. Troy Fautanu could be a Week 1 starter, but with the Steelers being cautious while developing Broderick Jones last season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were careful with Fautanu. That makes it easy to see Frazier playing the most snaps and doing so at a high-level as a rookie.
Tom — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Frazier is going to touch the ball on every play. He will be the linchpin of that line and will fill the biggest need the Steelers had this offseason. If the line gels quickly and he can be merely solid as a starter in his rookie year, the running game should take a huge leap.
Jonathan — West Virginia C Zach Frazier
The clear answer here has got to be C Zach Frazier, the clear favorite to Pittsburgh’s first starting rookie in this class and right out of the chute. Sure, OT Troy Fantanu could overtake Dan Moore Jr. during training camp and WR Roman Wilson could quickly work his way into the starting lineup as well, but there has been a massive hole at the center position for months, making it ripe for the taking. Frazier fills that need, and his play as a rookie compared to what Mason Cole and Kendrick Green have provided Pittsburgh the last three seasons will be key for the state of this team’s running game — it figures to be the offense’s identity in 2024 — as well as the protection of their new quarterbacks as the man in the middle.
Leave your thoughts and answers to the questions above regarding the 2024 NFL Draft class haul for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the comments below!
