The final version of mock drafts will start to fly in throughout the week as analysts try to get their final predictions in before the start of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Detroit.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid did just that on Monday morning, releasing his final seven-round mock draft for ESPN.com. In the seven-round mock draft, he had some new names for the Pittsburgh Steelers, while also seeing the Black and Gold be aggressive in the first round, moving up from No. 20 to address a key need.
In Reid’s mock draft, the Steelers traded up to No. 16 with the Seattle Seahawks, sending Seattle picks No. 20 and No. 84 overall to land Alabama right tackle JC Latham.
“Pittsburgh traded up three spots in the first round in 2023 to land offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Now I have it trading up four spots to get another one, focusing on building up that offensive line in front of the team’s two newly acquired quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields,” Reid writes regarding the selection of Latham for the Steelers.
It’s a key position of need, that being the right tackle position, which would allow the Steelers to flip Broderick Jones back to the left tackle position, which he was drafted to be. The Steelers have shown some interest in Latham throughout the pre-draft process, holding a formal meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine and attending his Pro Day.
However, the Steelers did not host a pre-draft visit with the Alabama product.
In a scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter compared Latham to Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs while praising his overall power.
“JC Latham is a rock-solid prospect who has plenty of positive traits on tape, as well as the starting experience in the SEC to make for a plug-and-play right tackle at the next level. He needs to continue to work on fine-tuning his technique regarding his hand placement and playing with proper leverage, but he’s shown to be a consistent pass protector against top-end competition while also excelling as a run blocker in Alabama’s rushing attack, excelling in a gap/power system where he should flourish at the next level.”
Adding Latham to the Steelers’ offensive line would give Pittsburgh two young, bookend tackles to build around who fit the run-heavy approach it appears to be building toward.
Ironically at No. 20 overall, Reid has the Seahawks landing Washington OL Troy Fautanu.
Following the trade up for Latham, Reid has the Steelers adding another offensive piece, landing Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson, a popular target for Steelers fans.
“George Pickens is the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver, but a lack of depth on the perimeter is evident. Wilson could quickly establish himself as the No. 2,” Reid writes. “He averaged 16 yards per catch over four college seasons, and his 12 TDs tied for ninth in the country in 2023.”
Wilson profiles as a true Steelers receiver, one who is a feisty, physical player, loves to block and is a dependable pass catcher overall. Though he’s on the smaller side, his play style matches what the Steelers want at the position.
After trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason and only signing Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins in free agency, Wilson would be a solid running mate next to Pickens for new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Without a pick at No. 84 due to the trade up for Latham in the mock (which the Seahawks used to select Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders), the Steelers had to wait until No. 98 overall to pick again. At that slot, Reid paired Pittsburgh with Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, another popular Steelers target.
“Van Pran-Granger screams Pittsburgh Steeler to me. Wide bodied and savvy, he’s a model of consistency at the center position,” Reid writes.
The Steelers have had quite a bit of success with the Georgia pipeline in recent years, so going back to it to land a center with 40-plus career games and starts and two national championships under his belt is ideal in this scenario.
It might be later than what is ideal in addressing the center position for many, but like Reid said, Van Pran-Granger is a model of consistency and could step in on Day 1 for Pittsburgh.
Twenty-one picks later at No. 119 in the fourth round, Reid has the Steelers addressing the cornerback position, landing Auburn’s D.J. James.
James measures in at 5117, 175 pounds and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash.
Here is what Steelers Depot’s Jonas Wedlich had to say about James in his scouting report:
“D.J. James is a great coverage corner, especially in Cover 3. He sticks with receivers downfield and plays on top of the route almost every time. In these situations, he is almost as good as it can get. With great speed and ball skills, he will be able to find the ball and intercept it. I am more worried about him if you ask him to do anything else than covering the island. James really needs to muscle up to stand a chance when playing in press or defending the run.”
After addressing cornerback at No. 119 overall, Reid added some new names for the Steelers with their final two picks in the draft. At No. 178 overall in the sixth round, Reid paired the Steelers with Florida State defensive tackle Fabian Lovett Sr., and then at No. 195 overall in the sixth round with Troy EDGE Javon Solomon, adding depth and talent in the trenches defensively for the Steelers.
Reid stated that Lovett at No. 178 overall was his favorite fit of the sixth round in his mock draft.
“Arguably the strongest interior defender of this class, Lovett is an NFL-ready run defender and essentially immovable at the point of attack,” Reid writes. “He has the flexibility to fit in multiple fronts because of his strength, though Lovett is likely a two-down player.”
Lovett has long arms at 35 1/2 inches and really uses his length well. He doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher, but he has some good reps against the run and really is hard to move, like Reid pointed out.
Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora compared him to NFL veteran Jonathan Hankins in his scouting report of Lovett for the site.
As for Solomon, he is a player who has had some interesting comments this pre-draft process about potentially playing for the Steelers, recalling an interaction with head coach Mike Tomlin at the Senior Bowl while also stating at the Combine that it would be a dream to play behind T.J. Watt and learn from him.
Heitritter had this to say about Solomon in his scouting report:
“Javon Solomon is a well-versed pass rusher who also has the play strength and leverage to hold his own as a run defender, having the hip strength and leverage to get underneath tackles and make plays against the run. His size will be an issue at times against longer, stronger blockers who get first contact on him and look to control him at arm’s length. But Solomon has the arm length himself to make up for a lot of disadvantages of being a tad shorter for a pass rusher while also possessing the finesse to defeat blocks before linemen have a chance to put a hand on him coming off the edge.”
Overall, the Steelers come away with this haul in Reid’s mock draft:
- No. 16 overall (trade with Seahawks) — Alabama OT JC Latham
- No. 51 overall — Michigan WR Roman Wilson
- No. 98 overall — Georgia OC Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
- No. 119 overall — Auburn CB D.J. James
- No. 178 overall — Florida State DL Fabien Lovett Sr.
- No. 195 overall — Troy EDGE Javon Solomon
Not a bad haul overall, especially with some new names in there for Reid. Pittsburgh addresses some offensive needs early and then focuses on depth late in the draft, which is sound.
