Pittsburgh has been a franchise full of tradition, having followed a general blueprint under former GM Kevin Colbert over nearly two decades. These “Blue’s Clues” led Pittsburgh to be pretty predictable when it comes to the NFL Draft and free agency, normally targeting a prospect from a Power Five school in the first round, and traditionally staying away from defensive players over the age of 30 or that have an off-the-field record on them in free agency.
However, the Steelers has shown that they are willing to buck old trends under GM Omar Khan, not having to attend their first round pick’s Pro Day as neither Khan nor HC Mike Tomlin went to Washington to see OT Troy Fautanu work out. Another trend that Pittsburgh seems to be going against with this new regime is their willingness to take on more risk with players who have an injury history or some off-the-field concerns.
Over the last two drafts, Khan has selected several players that have fallen in the draft due to injury concerns, presenting great value for the Steelers relative to where they were picked. Pittsburgh picked Georgia TE Darnell Washington 93rd overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft last year, nabbing a player that many considered a fringe Day 1/Day 2 selection if it weren’t for concerns about Washington’s knees coming out of college, causing him to fall late into Day 2 of the draft.
Pittsburgh managed to land another value pick in nearly the same spot during this year’s draft, selecting NC State LB Payton Wilson with the 98th pick in the third round. Wilson has had a extensive injury history dating back to high school, including two surgeries on his right knee as well as multiple shoulder injuries. Wilson was considered by some analysts to be the best inside linebacker prospect in the draft class if it weren’t for his injury history, making many believe that he could be a one-contract player in the league depending on his durability.
Pittsburgh has added other players over the course of the last two seasons under Khan that present injury concerns. Center Zach Frazier, who Pittsburgh picked in the second round of this year’s draft, is coming off a broken leg this past fall, but has declared himself healthy and has been practicing with the team despite not testing at the NFL Combine. First round pick Troy Fautanu has his own knee concerns that apparently caused teams to drop him down their boards, having him falling into Pittsburgh’s lap at 20th overall. It doesn’t appear that those concerns have bothered Fautanu in years, but their is speculation about his long-term outlook according to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Steelers also went against the trend this offseason and signed CB Cameron Sutton, who was recently arrested on criminal charges related to a domestic violence incident this offseason, resulting in his release from the Detroit Lions. Sutton would later turn himself in to the authorities, but had the charge deemed a misdemeanor. Pittsburgh ended up meeting with Sutton prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, doing their due diligence on him prior to the signing.
Sutton may be a familiar face that played in Pittsburgh from 2017-2022, but the team has generally stayed away from players with off-the-field issues, especially ones dealing with domestic violence. Khan and Tomlin must be comfortable with Sutton’s situation and character, even if he gets a suspension handed down by the league. His case, as well as the cases of all of the team’s draft picks with injury concerns, aren’t moves that Colbert would’ve made during his tenure as GM, showing that Khan is more willing to take on risk in efforts to acquire talent. Still, these appear to be calculated risks by Khan, swooping up great value as it presents itself both in the draft and in free agency.
