By tonight, there’s a chance the Pittsburgh Steelers could come away with a receiver. If that occurs, it’ll be through a trade, not a draft pick. The PPG’s Gerry Dulac believes the team isn’t targeting a wide receiver with a first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In his final column ahead of tonight’s main event, where reiterates the belief Duke OL Graham Barton will be the Steelers’ pick, he ruled out receiver being on the table.
“But they will not draft a quarterback in the first round, despite what some people wish. And, short of Marvin Harrison Jr. somehow dropping in the draft, they will not take a wide receiver on the first round because they already have a No. 1 receiver — George Pickens. But after trading Diontae Johnson and with a deep pool of receivers available, they will likely draft one before Friday is over.”
During Monday’s pre-draft press conference, Omar Khan ruled out taking a quarterback in the first round, about the only definitive answer he gave throughout the 20 minute Q&A session. Though some believe Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. came in for a visit, that never materialized likely due to scheduling conflicts as Penix took trips to teams in the market to spend an early pick on the position. That won’t be Pittsburgh. If they draft a quarterback, it’ll come late, but an undrafted free agent to be the No. 4 arm in camp is most plausible.
Though given little overall attention locally, receiver has been floated as a potential option by the national media. Pittsburgh brought in a handful of them for pre-draft visits, Texas’ AD Mitchell top of list among potential first round candidates. Still, he and others like South Carolina’s Xavier Legette are likely to hear their name called in the final five picks of tonight’s draft if they hear it at all. LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. has been repeatedly mocked to the Steelers by Peter Schrager, who seems to be hinting at a big receiver move. But he doesn’t check the boxes that would make him the logical pick, not brought in for a pre-draft visit and didn’t have Tomlin/Khan at his Pro Day.
As Dulac notes, using a second or third round selection on a WR is more likely. Pittsburgh’s pre-draft visit list primarily comes from there including Florida’s Ricky Pearsall and Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley. Michigan’s Roman Wilson, thought not brought in for a visit, is a potential target while two Washington receivers in Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan also fit even if visible interest has been light.
In a few hours, we’ll get all our answers. Will there be a big trade? Do the Steelers want a tackle or center? Is cornerback their backup plan? Stay tuned.
