The Pittsburgh Steelers are fortunate to have needs that line up with the depth of the 2024 NFL Draft class. They need offensive linemen, for example, and there is a top-heavy class there at tackle and center. They also need a wide receiver, possibly a cornerback, and, well, you get the idea.
It’s almost hard to conceive of the Steelers not getting a player they like quite a bit 20th overall. Particularly with a first round likely to include numerous quarterbacks and pass rushers, they’ll have options. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic believes so.
“I don’t think there is a worst-case scenario”, he wrote recently when asked about the Steelers’ draft. He said a tackle like JC Latham or Troy Fautanu falling constitutes their best-case scenario but struggled finding the opposite.
“There are enough tackles and centers in the first round, and that pretty much ensures they get somebody they need and want”, he continued. “Maybe if there’s a crazy run on linemen and it leaves a cornerback out there for them to draft like [Nate] Wiggins, but that wouldn’t be ideal. They would likely trade back if that happens, even if a cornerback is a big need”.
First of all, I think a lot of offensive linemen would need to fly off the board in order for this to even be a topic for conversation. Factor in at least four quarterbacks and probably four or more edge rushers. At least three wide receivers and a couple cornerbacks, maybe Brock Bowers.
There’s a good chance we only see about half a dozen or so linemen taken by the time the Steelers pick. Take away Joe Alt, Taliese Fuaga, Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Fautanu, Latham, Graham Barton, Zach Frazier, and Jackson Powers-Johnson. Assume all of those players are gone, and you still have Amarius Mims.
I don’t see double-digit offensive linemen flying off the board within the top 19 selections. The point is that this is a very deep first round for offensive linemen. But it’s also deep at quarterback and other positions, so they’re all competing for the same real estate.
If the Steelers are set on drafting an offensive lineman, then I agree that there is no worst-case scenario here. At least, there isn’t one if you define the worst case as bad. Is the worst case Mims or Powers-Johnson? I think the Steelers would be fine with that. And we’ve already posed this question before about whether there is a “bad” first-round option this year.
Kaboly’s suggestion that the Steelers trade back in the unlikely event of a run on linemen is interesting, though. I’m sure they consider trading back in that scenario, but they do have other needs. And a run on linemen means better prospects at other positions, so do you ignore that?
If you trade back, of course, you give yourself better opportunities to add elsewhere. At that point, you may be looking more at quantity and less at quality at the top level. But do you want to trade off of a top cornerback or wide receiver?
