The Pittsburgh Steelers, by seemingly all accounts, nailed the 2024 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t flashy by any stretch of the imagination, but the Steelers got their fill of meat and potatoes, landing offensive linemen with three of their first five picks, leaning heavily into the bully-ball identity that the Steelers want to play under head coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Though questions still abound regarding the quarterback position, there is a solid foundation in place for the Steelers thanks to the additions of Washington’s Troy Fautanu and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier in the trenches.
For ESPN’s Louis Riddick, the foundation that the Steelers have up front, along with all the offensive pieces that seemingly fit in well with Smith as offensive coordinator, have them set to “explode onto the scene” this season, thanks to a situation offensively that “is legit.”
“Look, I think Pittsburgh is one of those teams that over the past couple years we’ve been talking about them offensively as being so anemic. It’s defensive-centric in this organization, and Mike’s [Tomlin] washed up. He doesn’t know how to pick offensive coordinators. All that BS that we heard,” Riddick said during an appearance on First Take on ESPN Wednesday. “I think this year Pittsburgh explodes onto the scene. The offensive line leads the way, the youth leads the way.
“And Arthur Smith kind of reclaimed some of that shine that he had when he was at Tennessee, when [he] and Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry all of a sudden were just dropping bombs on people. And Ryan Tannehill was the highest-rated passer in the NFL, right? That’s why I think that situation is legit.”
It’s no secret that the Steelers want to “roll people” up front in the run game, as Tomlin stated shortly after the draft. The Steelers have the pieces in place now to do that with the additions of Fautanu and Frazier, a Year 2 Broderick Jones and another year in Pittsburgh for both James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo.
The offensive line, at least on paper, is rebuilt.
Elsewhere, Pittsburgh appears set, too. The tight end room is stacked with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as the 1-2 punch. They fit well together with Freiermuth as more of the passing game option and Washington the in-line blocker. Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt are the Swiss Army knife options at the position, too.
At receiver, George Pickens and Roman Wilson are a nice 1-2 punch, though more is needed there as depth options Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Calvin Austin III don’t exactly scare teams.
Then, there is the dynamic duo at running back with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Questions remain regarding the quarterback position with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and what the Steelers will get out of one — or both — of them.
Things line up perfectly for Smith ‘s first season as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, especially following the investment in the offensive line that the franchise made early in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh is going to look to roll people and really bully in the trenches. That should lead to the Steelers playing the exact style of football that Smith wants in his offense, which could lead to quite a bit of success similar to what he had in Tennessee.
