Buy Or Sell: Every Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 draft pick will make the 53-man roster.
Explanation: The Steelers drafted seven players this year, including two in the sixth round and none in the fifth or seventh. Their first five picks feel like safe bets, including fourth-round OL Mason McCormick, their third OL pick. Both sixth-round picks, however, have some competition for roster spots. DE Logan Lee in particular comes into a numerically deep group. CB Ryan Watts is contending with like players for depth and special teams roles.
Buy:
Not having a seventh-round pick makes it a bit easier to draft players who all make your team. On top of that, general manager Omar Khan is one-for-one so far in retaining every player he drafts. He doesn’t make the final 53-man roster, but he seems to have a handle on who fits talent and need.
The Steelers’ draft class is top-heavy with four picks in the first two days, all no-brainer locks. Mason McCormick is the first question mark in the fourth round, but he also feels safe. Khan talked about him in relation to starting RG James Daniels hitting free agency next year, so they see a future.
As for Logan Lee, the Steelers drafted him to discard some chaff. Neither DeMarvin Leal nor Isaiahh Loudermilk are safe. And Ryan Watts’s versatility and special teams ability are feathers in his cap. They need him more for the latter than for defense, as they lost a lot of special teams snaps.
Sell:
To the best of my knowledge, the 2023 draft class is the first in Steelers history in which every draft pick survived roster cuts. Seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr. technically spent the season on IR, but he seemed likely to make the team.
Given that this only happened once before, the odds of it happening again immediately are low. Logan Lee is the most vulnerable just due to the depth. For one thing, the Steelers will struggle to roster seven defensive linemen this year. Lee could be competing with Leal and Loudermilk for only one spot, and he’s not a lock to win that.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
