This time next week, we will be discussing the actual first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. No more talk about what they should do, which player they should target, none of that.
For now though, six days remain until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, which means plenty of time for speculation and debate. That is exactly what ESPN’s Jordan Reid and Matt Miller did Friday morning for ESPN.com.
Reid and Miller went through the whole first round and debated the best pick to address need and the best pick from a value standpoint for all 32 selections. In there, Reid and Miller had differing takes on the Steelers at No. 20 overall.
For Reid, the best pick to address a need is Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, a player who has been connected to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process and is one of the favorites to be their selection.
“The Steelers found an early starter on the offensive line in Broderick Jones last year, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they dip back into the Georgia well with Mims, who arguably has the most upside of any blocker in this year’s loaded offensive tackle class. Pittsburgh has to keep building up this unit,” Reid writes regarding Mims as the best pick for need at No. 20 overall.
Mims has been one of the few players who has been consistently connected to Pittsburgh throughout the pre-draft process, from the Senior Bowl to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, to Georgia’s Pro Day and then to the Steelers’ South Side facility. All the dots connect for Mims and the Steelers, which is pretty remarkable.
Though he’s a bit raw from an experience standpoint with just eight career college starts — something he stated he doesn’t believe is a big deal — his tape is very good in the limited action he saw at Georgia. He might not start right away for the Steelers, which would leave Pittsburgh potentially opening the season with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones as the bookend tackles again but landing a talent like Mims at offensive tackle would be a massive addition to the Steelers’ rebuild in the trenches.
Miller sees it a different way though, tabbing Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell at No. 20 overall as the best value pick at that draft slot.
Mitchell, like Mims, has been heavily connected to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process from new receivers coach Zach Azzanni attending the Texas Pro Day to the Steelers hosting Michell for a pre-draft visit, and the Steelers also holding a formal meeting with him at the Combine.
“Mitchell comes in at No. 18 on the final board for me. The Steelers have to love that value, but it does fill a hole, too,” Miller writes regarding Mitchell as the best value pick. “With Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields now under center, Pittsburgh must replace Diontae Johnson at receiver.”
The Steelers traded Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, landing cornerback Donte Jackson in return along with a pick swap late in the draft. Despite plugging one hole at cornerback, the Steelers haven’t plugged the hole at receiver, even after adding depth pieces in Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins this offseason.
While the selection of Mitchell at No. 20 overall for the Steelers seems a bit rich considering holes elsewhere on the roster, it can’t be ruled out entirely. It would be one heck of a value move, getting Mitchell to pair with George Pickens to catch passes from Wilson and Fields, but that feels more like a luxury pick in the first round, especially in a deep, talented wide receiver class.
