The Pittsburgh Steelers have several needs to fill in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and they’ve done their due diligence by bringing in several different players for pre-draft visits. Three of those players are players that NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks believes could be future Pro Bowlers. In a recent article, Brooks listed Iowa CB Cooper DeJean, Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga, and N.C. State LB Payton Wilson among his ten future Pro Bowlers.
Fuaga may go too high in the draft, as there’s a decent chance he’s not around for the Steelers at No. 20 overall. If he is on the board, though, he’s a plug-and-play right tackle who could be an anchor at the position and allow Pittsburgh to move Broderick Jones back to his more natural left tackle position. Fuaga was one of ten offensive tackles that the Steelers brought in for pre-draft visits, and it’s clearly a position the team is focusing on, especially in a class that has a lot of top-end talent as this one does.
Given that he’s projected to be one of the first tackles off the board in a strong class, it’s no surprise that Brooks views him as a future Pro Bowler. In his scouting report, Tom Mead also compared him to Tristan Wirfs, who made the Pro Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season.
As for DeJean, he overcame a broken fibula in November to hold an individual Pro Day and, just a few days later, was in Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit. Like Fuaga, he’s also likely to come off the board in the first round, and for him to end up in Pittsburgh, the Steelers would need to pass on offensive tackle and center and go with a corner. DeJean is versatile and could also play safety in the NFL, and Brooks recently compared him to former Chargers and Ravens safety Eric Weddle.
With Pittsburgh lacking depth at cornerback right now, it’s a position that they’ll likely target early, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if DeJean were a target due to the fact the team held a formal meeting with him at the Combine and hosted him for a pre-draft visit.
Wilson is an interesting name, as he’s not as likely to go in the first round despite being considered one of this class’s best off-ball linebackers. He has a pretty extensive injury history, with two knee injuries and a shoulder injury dating back to high school. The Steelers hosted him for a pre-draft visit, and Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that he could wind up with Pittsburgh if he falls into the third round. Wilson probably wouldn’t slide that far on talent alone, but if teams are scared off by his medicals, it’s a real possibility.
A true three-down sideline-to-sideline linebacker, Wilson had seven interceptions, 24 sacks, and 402 total tackles during a five-year career at NC State. He would be someone who could see reps as a rookie and be a future long-term starter at the position, shoring up the inside linebacker room alongside Patrick Queen, whom the Steelers signed earlier this offseason.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Steelers address this draft and whether they do indeed go with an offensive tackle or cornerback over a potential center option in the first round. In Wilson’s case, we’ll see how much the Steelers prioritize improving their inside linebacker depth. It’s been a position that the Steelers have struggled to find talent at in recent years. With Queen now on board, it could wind up being a strength down the line. It’s going to be an interesting week to see how Pittsburgh winds up filling out their roster through the draft.
