The 2024 NFL Draft is just ten days away, which means that the mock draft madness will soon end. For now, though, it continues to roll along.
At this point in the pre-draft process, it’s quite clear who the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in from a player and position perspective.
Knowing that, it wasn’t all that surprising to see the two pieces paired with the Steelers Monday morning in the latest two-round mock draft from Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson.
In Monson’s mock draft, the Steelers landed Georgia right tackle Amarius Mims at No. 20 overall and then stuck with offense at No. 51 overall, landing Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
At No. 20 overall, Mims has been a popular target for the Steelers, based on all the pre-draft dot-connecting that is rather important when it comes to figuring out whom the Steelers like, along with the positional need.
“One of the most popular player-team connections in the pre-draft process, Pittsburgh grabs the incredible ball of clay that is Amarius Mims and now has Georgia bookend tackles with his former teammate Broderick Jones on the other side,” Monson writes regarding Mims as the Steelers’ selection.
In this scenario, Monson has the Steelers grabbing Mims over the likes of Duke’s Graham Barton, Alabama’s JC Latham, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, and even Texas’ Adonai Mitchell. If Mitchell were on the board on draft day, one would think the Steelers would think long and hard about it, even without all the pre-draft dots lining up.
But landing Mims would be great for the Steelers’ identity moving forward. Pittsburgh is leaning heavily into a run-heavy approach, and adding a 6076, 340-pound mauler with great athleticism would do wonders for the Steelers in the trenches. Though Mims might not be ready to start right away, long-term it would allow second-year tackle Broderick Jones to flip back to his more natural left side and seemingly solidify the tackle position in Pittsburgh for years to come.
After landing Mims at No. 20 overall, the Steelers then landed Pearsall at No. 51 in Monson’s mock, again pairing the Steelers with a player they’ve been heavily linked to all pre-draft.
“The owner of one of the best catches in college football history, Ricky Pearsall is also an elite athlete who fits this receiver room well,” Monson writes regarding the selection of Pearsall for the Steelers.
Pearsall is Monson’s pick, even though Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, and Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy are still on the board.
The Steelers met extensively with Pearsall at the Senior Bowl in Mobile and hosted him for an all-important pre-draft visit. After trading away Diontae Johnson this offseason, the Steelers have a massive need at receiver, and Pearsall would fit very well opposite George Pickens from a route-running, toughness, and consistency perspective.
Great athlete, too, which could be quite fun in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, especially over the middle of the field.
It would be hard to find some flaws in this two-round haul if that were to occur for the Steelers in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Steelers address some major needs while landing high-end talent at the positions.
