One week after releasing his annual draft guide, perfectly labeled “The Beast”, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler followed up Wednesday morning by putting a bow on the 2024 NFL Draft season with his seven-round mock draft. All 257 draft picks.
In his seven-round mock draft, he has the Steelers addressing a number of key needs, especially early, rounding out a solid draft haul with some newer names on Day 2 and Day 3 in the process.
Back in March, Brugler had the Steelers trading up to No. 16 to land Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims. In his final seven-round mock, Brugler has the Steelers sitting tight in the first round and selecting Duke center Graham Barton, giving them an answer at the pivot while landing one of the more athletic players in the draft class along the offensive line.
“The Steelers have multiple needs on the offensive line, and Barton offers the five-position versatility that would allow Pittsburgh to get its best five on the field. In the long term, he’ll lock down the center position for the Steelers’ offense,” Brugler writes regarding the selection of Barton at No. 20 overall.Â
Though he played just 430 career snaps at center, which came in a pinch his freshman season at Duke, Barton is expected to make the transition to center full time in the NFL. He tested as an elite athlete as a center, and projects as a great fit in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme in Pittsburgh.
While head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan were not in attendance for his Pro Day at Duke, Smith was there. Barton also recently met with the Steelers as their South Side facility as a pre-draft visitor, checking an important box.
Barton checked in at 6053, 313 pounds with 32 7/8-inch arms. He’ll turn just 22 years old in June, so he’s a young player in the class overall, but the in-game experience at center is a slight concern. Still, he is expected to make the transition to the center position and do so well.
In Barton’s scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jim Hester had this to say about the Duke lineman:
“I came away highly impressed with Barton’s dedication to his craft, his passion for football, the effort he plays with, and the desire to continually improve. His consistency is what sets him apart from his peers, and he shows exceptional athleticism and physicality that will translate to the pro game. Barton can be overwhelming for opponents more often than not. He is a positionally versatile player who has significant experience playing as a left tackle, but his lack of length will most likely kick him inside to guard or center at the NFL level.”
After going through the likes of Kendrick Green and Mason Cole the last three seasons at center, the Steelers might find a long-term answer in Barton in the first round.
Following the selection of Barton, Brugler has the Steelers addressing the wide receiver position at No. 51 overall in the second round, landing Michigan’s Roman Wilson, before then addressing the offensive line at No. 84 in the third round again, landing Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher.
Wilson has been a popular connection to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process. Tomlin showed quite a bit of interest in Wilson at the Senior Bowl. Then, the Steelers were at the Michigan Pro Day in full force and met extensively with him at the Pro Day in Ann Arbor. Though the Steelers haven’t hosted Wilson as a pre-draft visitor yet, they have shown plenty of interest in the receiver.
Wilson broke out in a major way in 2023 for the Wolverines, elevating his draft stock. He hauled in 48 passes for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns, putting up numbers he didn’t have in his first three seasons combined. In his career at Michigan, Wilson finished with 107 receptions for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns.
He checked in at 5106, 185 pounds, but had a 6.76 3-cone drill and clocked a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Fisher is a player the Steelers have shown interest in throughout the last few months as well. They held a formal meeting with him at the Combine and later hosted him as a pre-draft visitor to the South Side, checking some key boxes for Pittsburgh.
Fisher checks in at 6056, 310 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms and started 27 career games for Notre Dame during his career. He just turned 21 years old in March.
In his scouting report for Steelers Depot, Alex Kozora compared Fisher to current Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr.
“Fisher can run block and has a well-rounded game but there are technical issues in his game he has to clean up. He doesn’t have the top-end physical or athletic traits of other linemen in this class, which will limit his ceiling. A solid player but not someone who jumped off the tape. He’ll do best in a man/power blocking scheme where he can down block and seal and hide some of his athletic limitations.”
In Kozora’s study for Steelers Depot of what the Steelers look for in offensive tackles, it’s worth noting that Fisher checked every single box.
After addressing offense with the first three picks, Brugler has the Steelers going to the defensive side of the football and adding a pass rusher in Washington EDGE Bralen Trice at No. 98 overall, the pick acquired in the Kenny Pickett trade to Philadelphia.
That’s the first pick that’s a bit off the board as the Steelers haven’t exactly shown interest in Trice with no meetings or pre-draft visit, though the Steelers did have some representatives at the Washington Pro Day.
With T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig already locked in at outside linebacker, the Steelers don’t exactly have a need at the position, but if a talent like Trice were to fall, it would be a Steelers-like move to grab a talented pass rusher.
Trice had 18 career sacks at Washington, was a two-time first-team All-Pac 12 player and earned the Defensive MVP in the 2024 Sugar Bowl against Texas. He measured in at 6034, 245 pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms while recording a 4.72 40-yard dash.
Steelers Depot’s Ryan Roberts had this to say about Trice in his scouting report for the site:Â
“Trice brings a really nice profile to the table, possessing the nuance, motor and physicality to become an asset in the run game and make his impact felt against the pass. There is some hip tightness, which could limit his overall upside as a sack artist, but he still possesses enough athleticism to be a consistent producer in that department. That power profile and intangibles project him as a quality starter early on in his career, with some alignment versatility in obvious passing situations.”
In Round 4 at No. 119 overall, Brugler has the Steelers finally addressing cornerback, landing Louisville’s Jarvis Brownlee Jr., a player who has generated quite a bit of buzz over the last month or so.
Brownlee measured in at 5103, 194 pounds coming out of Louisville with 31 1/4-inch arms. He clocked a 4.51 40-yard dash and recorded a 31.5-inch vertical jump and a 9’10” broad jump at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He also participated in the Senior Bowl.
Prior to his time at Louisville, he spent three seasons at Florida State. In 2023 with the Cardinals, Brownlee registered one interception and earned All-ACC honorable mention accolades. Steelers Depot’s Tom Mead compared him to Buffalo Bills’ cornerback Taron Johnson for his toughness in coverage and coming downhill against the run.
In the sixth round to close out the draft for the Steelers, Brugler has Pittsburgh addressing safety depth by selecting Oregon State’s Kitan Oladapo at No. 178 overall before then snagging Texas A&M defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson to address depth in the trenches.
Oladapo measures 6020, 206 pounds coming out of Oregon State. He recorded a 4.58 40-yard dash and a 36-inch vertical. During his time in Corvallis, he started 40 games and played more than 2,600 snaps. He was a first-team All-Pac 12 defender in 2022 and earned second team honors last season.
Steelers Depot’s Jim Hester had this to say about Oladapo in his scouting report:Â
“This is a big, physical safety with strong run defense and tackling skills, but also adequate coverage skills against slot receivers and tight ends. He can contribute immediately as a strong safety who can cover the underneath areas in zone coverage but also play that box safety role in a big nickel role. He has experience as a slot cornerback, but that should not be his full-time role with his lack of lateral movement and twitch to deal with shifty guys.”
Even after signing DeShon Elliott in free agency, the Steelers could use another physical safety behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elliott, Damontae Kazee and Miles Killebrew. Oladapo certainly fits that mold.
Jackson is a player who would add young, solid depth to the defensive line, which is getting rather old in Pittsburgh. Cameron Heyward turns 35 years old in early May and Larry Ogunjobi is 30. Both are showings signs of slowing down, and depth is a concern behind them outside of Keeanu Benton and Montravius Adams.
Jackson measures in at 6015, 331 pounds with 33 7/8-inch arms. He was a team captain for Texas A&M in 2022 and 2023, and recorded 27 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for the Aggies last season.
Steelers Depot’s Jonathan Heitritter says in his scouting report that Jackson has great strength and is twitched up for the position, making up for his lack of height.
