We’re back again. I know it’s taken longer than other years, but as we do every offseason, we’re thinking about what the best—and worst—scenarios could look like for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie class. From OT Troy Fautanu to DB Ryan Watts to everyone in between, this is a fun and hypothetical exercise to consider the opposite ends of each player’s career.
If you’ve read these before, you know my guardrails. While we could imagine a case where every pick becomes a Hall of Famer and every bust is so bad it’d make Jamain Stephens blush, I try to keep it a bit more realistic. It makes these scenarios more interesting and less repetitive.
With that, here are the best and worst-case scenarios of the 2024 club.
Round 1 – OT Troy Fautanu
Best Case Scenario
Position switch, smosition pitch. Just line Troy Fautanu up and watch him go. While Pittsburgh, in traditional Pittsburgh fashion, makes him earn the job, he does so with ease. The Steelers’ camp plan is an awkward one. Broderick Jones starts at right tackle one day and left tackle the next. It’s vice versa for Dan Moore Jr., taking Day One reps at left tackle before flipping to the right side.
Before the pads come on in camp, Fautanu’s athleticism is clear. The way he gets out of his stance, seals rushers up the arc, just the way he jogs down the hill looks different than the other linemen (except for Broderick Jones, an excellent athlete himself). But the test, as he tells reporters after Day 1, is when the pads come on.
Even then, Fautanu only shines brighter. He works with the 2’s that day, manhandling Nick Herbig. In the first team run session, full contact, RB Jaylen Warren follows behind Fautanu as he drives Herbig into the ground, busting off a 19-yard run to the oohs and ahhs of a Steelers’ crowd geeked by their first-round selection.
Later that day, in 1v1s, Fautanu gets to face T.J. Watt for a couple of primetime reps. It’s not perfect, but Fautanu rides Watt upfield on an attempted dip/rip on the first rep before Watt swims past the next. It’s clear Fautanu is made for moments like these.
By the second day in pads, Fautanu is working with the starters. His days are spent squaring off against T.J. Watt, iron sharpening iron, and he more than holds his own. Watt tells reporters he can see all the work Fautanu puts in, staying 45 minutes after practice refining his pass sets with Dylan Cook under the watchful eye of Assistant O-Line Coach Isaac Williams. Fautanu has the talent of a Top 10 pick and the humility of an undrafted free agent. Precisely the type of player Pittsburgh hoped they were getting.
His preseason is solid wire-to-wire, and Fautanu easily outshines Moore, who doesn’t play poorly but doesn’t have the same high-end traits. Mike Tomlin plays coy about his Week 1 starter, but heading into the Atlanta Falcons game, the depth chart confirms what everyone knew. Fautanu is the starter. With Dylan Cook impressing enough as the swing tackle, Moore is dealt to the Washington Commanders for a 2025 5th-round pick.
With Fautanu on the right side and Jones on the left, the Steelers have their most athletic tackles in team history. It fits like a glove for Arthur Smith’s zone-based running game and for the first time in years, Pittsburgh has the personnel to run a successful RB screen game. In the opener against the Falcons, fans feel its impact. Tied 3-3 mid-way through the second quarter, QB Justin Fields, used in specialty packages, boots to his left and throws back to RB Jaylen Warren on the right. With Fautanu leading the convoy, Warren rips off a 53-yard touchdown run down the right sideline. It’s the catalyst to a 30-13 Steelers win, the first time Pittsburgh’s scored 30 in an opener since 2016.
In pass protection, Fautanu impresses just as much. In Week 12’s Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns, the Browns try to exploit a matchup of Myles Garrett on Fautanu. On a crucial 3rd and 4 with 5:00 left in the fourth quarter, Garrett shifts from his usual RDE spot to Fautanu’s side. With TE Pat Freiermuth standing up in the slot, Fautanu is on an island. Garrett fires off the line with all he has. Fautanu smoothly gets out of his stance, punches, and shields Garrett wide and five yards upfield. Russell Wilson hitches into the pocket and delivers a laser down the seam to Freiermuth, splitting the Browns’ Cover 2 for a 31-yard touchdown. Pittsburgh goes on to secure a key 21-17 win, going 4-2 in their wacky AFC North schedule down the stretch.
Fautanu (and rookie center Zach Frazier) completes the Steelers’ revamped running game—the final pieces to complete the puzzle. Pittsburgh finishes the year third in the league in carries, only trailing the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers (feeling the full Jim Harbaugh experience). Najee Harris rushes for 1,193 yards, while Jaylen Warren ends with 912. Though there’s no Super Bowl run, the team gets the playoff monkey off their back, beating the Miami Dolphins 28-20. Wilson is sacked just once on the day as Harris and Warren combine for 139 yards on the ground.
Though the interior of the Steelers’ line shifts for 2025, RG James Daniels leaving for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, Jones and Fautanu are mainstays at tackle. Fully prepared for his second season, Fautanu is even better in his sophomore year. He reduces his penalties from 7 as a rookie to 3 as a sophomore and quickly ascends as one of the league’s best young tackles. In 2025, he’s named to his first Pro Bowl, an accolade he repeats in 2026.
There’s little weakness in his game. Aside from being an older prospect and age doesn’t matter once the ball is kicked off. He’s physical, a mauler who buries smaller ends but has the foot speed to match their speed rushes or get out in space. He can cut off the backside on zone blocks, lead the way frontside, and pull. It gives Pittsburgh so much more schematic flexibility than they ever imagined.
Together, Jones and Fautanu make four combined Pro Bowls over Fautanu’s rookie deal. Pittsburgh picks up his fifth-year option ahead of the 2027 season, a no-brainer decision. Before entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2028, Omar Khan and the Steelers ink Fautanu to a 4-year, $109.2 million contract. It’s a lot of dough – keep in mind the cap has risen dramatically by then, the NFL creating revenue by moving to an 18-game schedule and selling rights to a Divisional Game exclusively to Apple TV. Fautanu is well worth the money.
A quiet giant, Fautanu is durable, a leader by example, and a heck of a player. Given the lack of Steelers’ great tackles, he’s one of the best ever. Right up there alongside Jones and the debate rages over who is and was better. Fautanu doesn’t play as long, he was an older prospect coming out, but spends nine years in Pittsburgh. He makes 155 career starts, four Pro Bowls, and one second-team All-Pro selection. The only “blemish” is his career doesn’t end in Pittsburgh. He signs with his hometown Las Vegas Raiders for the final year of his career in 2033.
Worst Case Scenario
Asking a college left tackle to flip to the right side is no small feat. Pittsburgh learns they don’t all ease into the role like Broderick Jones. The issue, at least in part, is experience. In some ways, the fact Jones was a younger and more raw talent from Georgia who barely settled in at left tackle in college made playing right tackle easier. For a left tackle with 41 starts like Fautanu, it’s a lot more to unlearn. Like learning a language, the sooner you can do it, the easier you pick it up.
While Pittsburgh swiftly moved Fautanu to right tackle in OTAs, he’s not fully comfortable. Mix in Pat Meyer’s system that’s always tough for new linemen, rookies or vets, and there’s an awfully steep learning curve. Fautanu begins training camp with the backups, battling Dan Moore Jr. While Moore has always loathed even a hint of playing right tackle, he isn’t as bad as he thinks he is. It isn’t pretty and sometimes clunky, but Moore can push his weight around in the run game, and he looks better than Fautanu out of the gate.
Ultimately, the team resets and opens up Week 1 the way they ended 2023. Broderick Jones stays at right tackle, and Moore is at home on the left side. With Jones excelling and Moore passable, there’s little chance for Fautanu to see many snaps. Arthur Smith utilizes a 6th/offensive lineman for “jumbo” packages, which offers a bit of playing time. Four snaps in a Week 1 win over Atlanta, three more in a Week 2 loss to Denver.
In Week 5 versus the Dallas Cowboys, a primetime Sunday nighter, Fautanu enters as tackle-eligible on 1st and goal from the Cowboys’ 3. Off play-action, Russell Wilson tries to throw a pop pass to Fautanu in the end zone. But Micah Parsons reads it, drops out of his assigned rush, and leaps in front of Fautanu for the interception. It’s a turning point, and Dallas goes on to win 27-17. The play is hardly Fautanu’s fault, but his most notable moment of a young career goes in favor of the other team.
As has been true for the previous two years, Pittsburgh’s o-line remains remarkably healthy. Center Zach Frazier misses two games with a high ankle sprain, but the tackles are sturdy and upright. Fautanu’s most snaps come in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, playing 34 snaps, replacing Jones after he gets his leg bent under him. His run blocking is aggressive and acceptable, but crafty veteran Sam Hubbard swipes past Fautanu for a third down pressure against Russell Wilson mid-way through the fourth quarter. It doesn’t end in a sack but an incompletion, forcing a Steelers punt in a tight 14-10 loss.
Hard Knocks cameras show Bengals coaches running that play in the film room the following morning, pointing out how a veteran like Hubbard took advantage of the moment to beat a rookie like Fautanu.
Jones returns for the Steelers Week 14 game against Cleveland, and Fautanu doesn’t play another starting tackle snap for the rest of the season. His rookie year ends with 54 total snaps. Other than the two above lowlights against the Cowboys and Bengals, most of them are bland and forgettable.
Opportunity knocks for 2025. Moore leaves to sign a two-year deal with the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Fautanu opens camp and the regular season as the Steelers clear-cut starting right tackle. He is more comfortable and settled a full year in. But it’s not his natural spot, and he isn’t as malleable as Jones, who is back at home on the left side anyway. He’s the better player, the cornerstone, and what’s best for him comes first. Rightfully so.
Pittsburgh again learns the hard way about putting square pegs in round holes. Make a college left tackle and an NFL right tackle, and there’s additional projection. Fautanu is athletic but not astoundingly so in an era where every tackle runs sub-5.00 and flows like a defensive end. He’s strong and physical, but every movement just feels a little off, a little stiff, calculated, and unsure, and it saps him of his physicality and overall talent. An engine with a missing cylinder.
Fautanu gets exposed in his first ever start against the Baltimore Ravens. In a Week 4 matchup at their place, he’s called for a false start on the first drive. For the rest of the game, his hands are full with rookie EDGE rusher Abdul Carter. The Raven’s first-round pick out of Penn State, trading up from No. 27 to No. 14 to acquire him, he pressures starting QB Justin Fields three times, sacking him twice, and beating Fautanu each time. It’s a wake-up call that Fautanu might not be the man the team thought he was.
Not all moments are bad. He’s a good, Moore-like run blocker and more fleet of foot in space to pull and get out in space on screens. Message boards and social media buzz with what he could be back home at left tackle. And though there’s a case to be made for flipping Jones and Fautanu, Jones finishes 2025 making second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl berth. Pittsburgh doesn’t want to move him, and it’s hard to blame them.
Still searching for a quarterback, the Steelers make a major move that creates familiarity for Fautanu. With Kirk Cousins leading the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs in back-to-back years, showing no signs of age or slowing down, Pittsburgh sends a 2026 third-round pick to acquire Michael Penix Jr. (and a 2026 sixth-rounder) from the Falcons. A lefty quarterback that makes Fautanu responsible for his blindside. That’s felt, literally, in the ’26 season opener. Playing the New Orleans Saints to begin the year, DE Chase Young rips through Fautanu as Pittsburgh attempts to drive late in the first half. He smacks Penix from behind, spinning and knocking the ball out. It bounds away, recovered by LB Pete Werner for a 47-yard scoop-and-score touchdown. Worse, Penix suffers a torn labrum in his shoulder. Out ten weeks.
Pittsburgh’s season has a 2019 feel without the elite defense, no longer having Cam Heyward, and retooling on that side of the ball. The Steelers slide to a 5-12 finish. That outcome isn’t all Fautanu’s fault. It’d be foolish to assign blame solely to him, but the image of that is etched in the minds of fans. And coaches.
Fautanu finishes the year starting 13 games, missing a couple with a broken wrist, but the Steelers are ready to go in a different direction. They sign Austin Jackson during 2027 free agency, the first-round pick the Miami Dolphins made in the Minkah Fitzpatrick deal. With Jones still locking down the left side and inked to a new 5-year, $153.3 million deal, Fautanu is set to the bench. His fifth-year option declined, he grooves into swingman duty. There, he does fine, a nice spot-start at left tackle in Week 6 when Jones misses on a short week due to concussion protocol, but the idea of Fautanu being the next great Steelers’ tackle fades into a distant memory. He logs 103 total snaps.
It’s his final year in Pittsburgh. A free agent, he signs a 1-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. A Nevada native who played college ball in Washington, he tells radio station 93.3 KJR he’s happy to be home, admitting a twinge of home-sickness playing out east in Pittsburgh. It’s certainly not why he struggled, and there’s forever wonderment about making him a right tackle, but it’s symptomatic of a career that never lived up to its potential.
As a Steeler, he appears in 53 games, starting 35 before moving on. He spends three more years in the league, the first with Seattle and two more with the San Francisco 49ers, winning a Super Bowl as a top backup in 2028. In his post-playing days, he returns to his home state of Nevada and becomes the head men’s volleyball coach at Bishop Gorman High School, leading the school to a AAAA State Championship in 2033, the first by the men’s team in history.
Round 2- C Zach Frazier
Best Case Scenario
Country Strong. John Deere Tough. At the risk of mixing rural stereotypes and bad country lyrics, the point is that Zach Frazier is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ kind of guy. Even the veteran-first Steelers barely hide the fact that Frazier will serve as the team’s starter. Nate Herbig opens up as the Day One starter in camp, but it’s short-lived and ceremonial, and Frazier quickly assumes his way into the lineup.
Not the most athletic or powerful, he proves technique wins out. Radio analyst Craig Wolfley calls him mini-Mike Webster for his technical prowess, tenacity, and ability to get the job done. Keeanu Benton tries his patented club/over move in 1v1s, and Frazier stands tall, mirroring easily and staying square.
Frazier’s IQ creates the first “wow” moment of his career. In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, in a loud road environment, the Steelers are facing 3rd and 4 in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh trailing 16-13. Linebacker Jonas Griffith, who aimed to pick off Russell Wilson, fires into the A-gap on a blitz. The nose tackle over Frazier slides away, and despite it not being his assignment, Frazier feels Griffith’s rush into the backside gap. He pivots and shoves Griffith out of the way. Without him, it’s a free pressure on Wilson. But Frazier gives his quarterback the time and clean pocket to work from, delivering a strike for a 34-yard gain to WR Calvin Austin III. It sets up a Najee Harris touchdown, and Pittsburgh goes on to win 20-16. Frazier’s play is the talk of O-line Twitter all week, almost Quenton Nelson-like in its premonition.
Frazier does it all. Capable run blocker, capable in pass protection, and very few mistakes. It is a night-and-day upgrade over Kendrick Green’s rookie season or what Mason Cole offered a year ago. Even snapping, routine as it is, is a non-concern and never an issue. He plays with a clean sheet all season, not called for a single hold, and we charge him with only a half-sack in our 2024 breakdown. Wilson heaps praise on Frazier, playing anything like a rookie. Frazier? He’s a man of few words, still rocking a baby face and quiet voice. His play speaks volumes.
No, he’s never an all-star. He’s never elite. But he doesn’t need to be. Frazier is as rock solid as the woodworking projects he does in his spare time. Durable and tough, he breaks his hand in Week 9 of the 2025 season against the New York Jets. Despite a short week to play the Baltimore Ravens on the road on a Thursday, he puts on a cast and blocks DT Justin Madubuike with effectively one hand as RB Jaylen Warren and free-agent addition A.J. Dillon combine for 162 yards in a 24-6 win. Frazier receives a game ball after.
Those are the stories that makeup Frazier’s career. It isn’t always shown in the accolades, though he makes two Pro Bowls in his first five seasons (one as an alternate), but in the words of his teammates and coaches. Frazier enjoys a great nine-year career in Pittsburgh, earning a second contract, playing it out, and then an additional two-year deal. Loyal to the Steelers, he takes $3 million less on that final deal than one the Dallas Cowboys offered, wanting to stay close to home and with the team who drafted him.
Across 158 possible games, Frazier starts in 154 of them, and two of the four absences were due to Week 18 rest. Pittsburgh makes a Super Bowl run in 2029, hoisting the Lombard in a 27-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Frazier, the kid from Fairmont, is a world champion.
Worst Case Scenario
The next great Steelers center? Sorry, it’s not Zach Frazier. The next okay Steelers center? That’s probably a better title. To sum up Frazier in a word, it’s – he’s okay. Technically, he’s got all the moves down. He knows what you’re supposed to do. But, like me doing the Cupid Shuffle at a wedding, there’s no rhythm, no soul to make the beat go.
Cam Heyward, fresh off signing a two-year, $30 million extension three hours before the pads come on in training camp, greets Frazier in 1v1 drills. Using his patented bull rush, he walks Frazier on back-to-back reps. Frazier uses the Pat Meyer-coached “hop step” to give up ground, but he still can’t stall him out. Athletic 3-techs beat him on the edges in the preseason and create interior pressure. In the season exhibition game versus the Buffalo Bills, rookie third-round pick DeWayne Carter whips Frazier off the line through the A-gap, sacking Justin Fields on a 3rd and 7 shortly before the half. It’s a tough game until Carter exits, with Frazier holding on just for stalemates rather than winning.
His preseason isn’t terrible, and Frazier does the little things well. He works hard, improves when he makes a mistake, his snaps are fine, and he shows a good football IQ thanks to the nearly 3,000 college snaps. Still, in the aggregate, it’s a hollow-feeling start to his career. In a tough decision, and thanks to a strong camp, Nate Herbig opens the year as the Steelers’ starting center. Frazier, working a bit at left guard in the preseason finale, begins the year as the backup.
That lasts only a couple of weeks. Two bad snaps lead to a Steelers loss in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Steelers turn to Frazier in the starting lineup. Snap issues go away but his play is just average. He’s certainly better than Kendrick Green out of the gate but the high-level plays? They really aren’t there.
Week 7 against the New York Jets is a disaster. Starting with Frazier and working out from the rest of the team. Quinnen Williams is a dominant force in the middle. He ends the game sitting in the lap of the Steelers’ offense. Seven tackles (three for a loss), three hurries, 1.5 sacks, and one safety, running through Frazier to tackle RB Najee Harris in the end zone shortly after halftime.
Frazier ends the year as the starter, the team hopeful he’ll work through his issues, but it’s an uncertain future ahead. Guards James Daniels and Herbig leave in free agency, clearing something of a path for Frazier to enter 2025 as the starter, and the team is eager to see his growth. But there are changes. Arthur Smith brings over another Atlanta Falcon in Drew Dalman, as a top backup/potential starter. And there’s a change among the coaching staff. Pat Meyer is shown the door and canned, replaced by Kansas City Chiefs’ assistant Corey Matthaei. It’s a worthwhile switch, but it’s another moment of turnover for a Steelers staff that’s seen these coaches come and go, a poor sign for sustaining development.
Frazier begins the year as the starter but the Steelers’ running game, and by extension its offense, just can’t get going. Other reasons play a role, chiefly the quarterback situation that remains in flux with Fields signing a one-year deal and taking over as starter while displaying up-and-down play. Through five weeks, Pittsburgh ranks 28th in scoring offense and 24th in rushing yards. Following an ugly 30-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns that drops the team to 1-4, the Steelers are compelled to make changes—Frazier among them. Dalman replaces him as the starting center. The offense improves bit-by-bit as Frazier assumes the backup center spot. He dabbles again at guard now that Mason McCormick is a starter, playing 18 snaps in place of him in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.
With Dalman an improvement and meshing better with Arthur Smith, Frazier is frozen out. And he simply isn’t big or long enough in Pittsburgh to be given a shot to compete as a starting guard even after Isaac Seumalo leaves following the 2025 campaign. Instead, the Steelers draft Ohio State’s Luke Montgomery, a Findlay, Ohio native like Ben Roethlisberger. Frazier is a top backup, trusted enough to fill in for a pinch, but not long-term. The issue is lacking that standout physical trait to handle football’s best linemen, especially in a world where there are more dominant interior d-linemen than ever before.
And so he sits—most of the time. In 2026, Frazier starts two games to replace Montgomery when he suffers a low ankle sprain and logs 111 total offensive snaps. In 2027, the Steelers’ line stays healthy, and Frazier sees only 43 snaps and zero starts. A free agent at the end of the year, he decides a fresh start is best. The team doesn’t disagree. Frazier signs a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions, uniting with former head coach Neal Brown, just hired as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. He spends three seasons there, starting 19 total games.
Frazier’s career in Pittsburgh is a dud. He’s a bust; there’s no other way around it for a second round pick, but he also isn’t terrible. He just wasn’t the strong starter the team hoped he’d be. That’s the issue with the “low-floor” types in the draft. Take a guy with a reduced ceiling, and you reduce the margin for error, too. If he can’t hit that lowered peak, it’s hard to find success. That’s why the draft can reward the “shoot for the stars and make it to the moon” philosophy rather than shooting for Des Moines and ending up in Bismarck.
Round 3 – WR Roman Wilson
Best Case Scenario
Sure, the Steelers enter camp needing a No. 2 receiver. But they don’t need to trade for one or spend $30 million. They have their answer right in Latrobe. His name is Roman Wilson.
The first few practices without pads are promising. Wilson is explosive, fluid, and fast. But all twitched-up, 180-pound receivers look good in glorified flag football. At least, any of them worth their weight. The question is, what happens when the pads start popping? Wilson knows how to pop back.
The first sign of that doesn’t come off a reception. During the team’s first run session, Wilson digs out SS DeShon Elliott on a Najee Harris run on the left side (Harris himself netting a 3-year, $28.4 million deal two days before camp opens), springing him for a 27-yard run. WRs Coach Zach Azzanni sprints over to hug and lift Wilson into the air.
But as a receiver, his main job is impressive, too. Splitting time in the slot and on the outside, he works over Donte Jackson in practice while George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. tussle daily on the other side. Wilson’s highlight is a 53-yard catch on a post from Russell Wilson, breaking to the middle with an initial outside nod to shake Jackson and create space. He tracks the ball over his outside left shoulder for the score as the Latrobe crowd cheers.
When he’s not burning up the defense, Wilson is living in the weight room. Despite coming from a powerhouse program like Michigan, the NFL allows him to fully focus on his craft. Getting bigger and stronger, he enters camp at 190 pounds, just five heavier than his Combine weight, but his frame is filled out compared to his college days. With tough-love coaching from Azzanni, Wilson and Porter are the first two Steelers down the stairs at each camp practice, trading off on the JUGS machine. Wilson stays after practice to work his hands and feet and improve his release.
That shows in the preseason opener. Against the Houston Texans, CB C.J. Henderson attempts to jam and reroute him. Wilson swipes past and swaps hips off the line, stemming vertically and burning him with his 4.3-speed. Wilson finds him for a 65-yard touchdown down the left sideline for a first-quarter score. He ends the preseason leading the team in receptions and yards, 10 catches for 167 yards, and that one score.
Rumors swirl around the team landing Brandon Aiyuk. But the deal never happens, in part due to Wilson’s promise. A gamble to stick with the rookie but it pays off. Wilson doesn’t technically open the 2024 season as the starter. Van Jefferson takes the first rep opposite George Pickens in Week 1, but Wilson out-snaps him 47-31. It’s a quiet opener as Pittsburgh grounds and pounds their way to a 20-7 win, Wilson catching two passes for 11 yards.
Week 2? Much louder. Wilson is returning to Denver, and the Steelers want to throw. First play of the game? Play-action, Wilson hitting Wilson on a glance route over the middle. Throw hitting him in stride, Wilson out-races the Broncos’ secondary for an 84-yard score. It’s one of three touchdowns Wilson throws on the day, the others caught by TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Jaylen Warren, as Pittsburgh wins in a laugher, 30-14. Wilson ends the day with four grabs for 103 yards and his first touchdown, now resting on the mantle of his South Hills home.
Before even the halfway point, Wilson is the team’s obvious starter opposite Pickens. His biggest performance comes in primetime fashion in Week 8 against the New York Giants. Pickens exits on the first drive with a pulled hamstring, leaving Wilson to step into the No. 1 shoes. He steps up. Toasting a Giants’ secondary and former first-round pick CB Deonte Banks, Wilson has five catches for 87 yards by the half. And he ices the win with a 19-yard score on a dig route, stepping out of the safety’s tackle as he cuts upfield and over the goal line. He ends the game with nine receptions, 140 yards, and that touchdown in a 27-11 win.
With Wilson, Pittsburgh’s offense is humming. The ground game is effective, the quarterback play is better, and there are weapons to distribute the ball to. The Steelers’ unit isn’t elite but best in years, finishing eighth in scoring offense over the season and averaging 24.1 points per game on the year, six points more than last season. They battle through the tough AFC North gauntlet, going 5-1 over those six games, with Wilson making key plays along the way. He catches touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens and takes a jet sweep for 37 yards in the rematch versus Cincinnati.
The Steelers win the division with a 13-4 record, finishing second place in the AFC behind the Buffalo Bills. Heading into the Wild Card game against Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets, the Steelers hold the lead throughout. But it’s a tight game against a tough defense. Leading 23-20 with 1:47 to go and facing 3rd and 6, Wilson meets the moment. Running a dig over the middle, it’s a tight window but Wilson tries to fit it in traffic. With CB D.J. Reed draped behind him and SS Chuck Clark timing it and nailing him perfectly, Wilson hangs on for an 8-yard grab and a first down. Huge collision, huge catch, huge play. And huge win.
Pittsburgh falls in the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Roman Wilson’s season is a success. Appearing in 16 games (he misses Week 15 against the Eagles with a toe injury), Wilson catches 51 passes for 702 yards and four touchdowns. The numbers aren’t off-the-charts, how could they be given his role and this system, but it surpasses everyone’s expectations. His quarterback returns, Russell Wilson re-signing on a three-year, $101.2 million deal two days before the new league year opens up.
Contract talks stall between George Pickens and the Steelers later in the offseason. With Pickens hammering the team about it each day on social media, the Steelers make a draft-day trade, dealing him to the Las Vegas Raiders for 2025 third-round and fifth-round picks. Pittsburgh restocks the shelves by drafting another receiver, taking Ole Miss’ Antwane Wells Jr., But he’s a third-round pick, not a first-rounder, and Wilson is viewed as the team’s new top receiver.
He lives up to the hype and the hope. His sophomore season is excellent, leading the team in all major statistical categories. The run-heavy tint of the Steelers’ offense eats away at Wilson having top-tier opportunities and, by proxy, top-tier production, but his numbers are nothing to shake a stick at. He finishes with 81 receptions, 1031 yards, and six touchdowns. Continuing to hit the weight room and really connecting with Strength & Conditioning Coach Phil Matusz, Wilson gets his weight up to 194 pounds.
He’s still not the league’s biggest receiver but does everything else at an impressive level. His route-running is sublime, and he shows soft hands with YAC ability. Wilson carries himself with a chip on his shoulder but avoids a giant ego. He buys into team culture with high-effort blocking and becomes a good quote with the media, winning “The Chief” award in 2026. Here are the yearly numbers of his first three seasons.
2024: 51 receptions, 702 yards 4 TDs
2025: 81 receptions, 1,031 yards 6 TDs
2026: 87 receptions, 1,106 yards 5 TDs (Pro Bowl alternate)
Wilson signs a long-term extension entering the final year of his rookie deal, a four-year pact. His production on the other side remains Steady Eddie as the team’s most productive receiver. After a fractured tibia late in 2028, and he loses some of his speed. Similarly to JuJu Smith-Schuster, his role transitions from an outside ‘X’ into more of what he was in college, a slot type. He does more dirty work underneath but has the toughness and sure hands to move the sticks on third down.
In 2029, he ends the year with 61 receptions for 691 yards and three scores. He’s no longer the No. 1 receiver that goes to Elijah Burress, son of Plaxico and the team’s first-round pick in 2028, but Wilson’s value is as strong as ever. He plays out the full length of his extension before moving on. Drafted at nearly 23 years old, his age proves a bit problematic to stick out a decade-long career.
In seven seasons with the Steelers, Wilson catches 522 passes for 6,603 yards and 44 touchdowns. That places him within the top five in franchise history in receptions and yards and one score shy of getting there in touchdowns. He spends two more years in the league, one with the San Francisco 49ers and one reuniting with his ‘ol college coach John Harbaugh, still in Los Angeles.
Worst Case Scenario
Somewhere over the rainbow. That’s what Roman Wilson is thinking. Maybe he was talented enough to have a good career. But Pittsburgh isn’t that place. Arthur Smith is the Grim Reaper of non-No. 1 wide receivers.
But don’t go blaming just the coordinator. The front office is making Hollywood Squares-type blocks, too. After months of endless rumors, there’s finally a payoff. Contract talks between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers crater at the last second. He goes on Instagram Live, demands a trade, and is shipped to the Steelers four days before Week 1, Pittsburgh giving up a 2025 2nd-round pick to acquire him (and, oh by the way, signing Aiyuk to a four-year, $121.1 million extension). It’s a win for the Steelers. A loss for Wilson’s production.
Because it sure ain’t easy being the No. 3 in Smith’s offense. Pittsburgh succeeds under Smith but it’s through their ground game, their two stud outside receivers, and their tight ends. It leaves little for Wilson. Without special teams value and impressive camp showings by Van Jefferson and super sleeper Dez Fitzpatrick, making the team as a starting gunner, Wilson is a healthy scratch after the team gets wheels down in Atlanta. Playing time is sparse, targets even less frequent. Wilson has his own issues. A lean frame and the need to adjust to the NFL despite coming from a “pro” college program like Michigan. Camp is iffy, beat up by Cory Trice Jr. in 1v1 reps, while a smaller catch radius due to his frame makes him a less-than-friendly target, especially compared to the infinite wingspan George Pickens possesses.
Wilson’s snaps vary between a half-dozen to double that. His first catch comes in Week 3, a 4-yard screen. Pittsburgh’s offense shows marked improvement, but the bus leaves with Wilson on the bench. Figuratively and literally. Chances to get him involved fall flat, including a downfield target running a post he can’t quite haul in against the Commanders in Week 10, the ball bouncing off his fingertips.
Wilson ends his rookie year with James Washington-like production. Just 15 receptions for 172 yards and zero touchdowns. Five of his catches come in the team’s lone blowout loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, grabbing a couple of curl routes against prevent defense on the final drive.
Despite a solid season, Russell Wilson gets a more enticing offer from the New York Giants, who pursued him the year before and leaves Pittsburgh after one season. Justin Fields isn’t the answer either, shaky in the few chances he received, and the team is left back to the drawing board. Holding too high a draft pick to nab a blue-chip prospect, they’re back to targeting a veteran free agent. Dak Prescott’s $61 million average yearly value is out of Pittsburgh’s reach. Instead, they settle on signing Sam Darnold. The fanbase is collectively whelmed.
It’s hardly enough to satisfy Pickens and Aiyuk, let alone Smith. And it makes Pittsburgh want to run the ball even more, spending a second-round pick on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton in what turns out to be a loaded ’25 running back class (Najee Harris signs with the New Orleans Saints in free agency). Wilson just doesn’t get many looks with Smith still coordinating and loading the field with tight ends instead of receivers. He’s in a better place physically for his second NFL season, but the offense doesn’t do him many favors.
Curtailed by the system and scheme, Wilson ends his second year with only 31 receptions for 380 yards and one touchdown, an impressive 44-yard score against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But beyond that occasional moment, his stat sheet is usually empty. As a player, Wilson has solid hands, but the lack of strength is a problem. Defensive backs too easily bump him off his route and disrupt the ball at the catch point, and Wilson lacks the ability to run through open field tackles, limiting YAC. In Week 9, the Steelers throw two screens to him, and both times, he’s taken down by a low tackle. Pittsburgh tries to get him involved in other ways, including the return game, but he fumbles one away in a Week 11 loss to Cleveland. The Steelers lose 26-20.
In a shock move, GM Omar Khan leaves the team as general manager to become the Big Ten’s new commissioner after Tony Petitti steps down after the 2025 season. He spearheads the conference to new heights, but the Steelers need a new man to lead their team. Lions’ executive Dwayne Joseph is tabbed as Pittsburgh’s next general manager, but without the attachment to drafting Roman Wilson, he’s traded ahead of the start of the 2026 season. The team sends him to the Miami Dolphins for a sixth-round pick, quickly bringing an end to his Steelers’ career – 46 receptions, 552 yards, and one touchdown.
He spends the 2026 season in Miami, his speed and opportunity replacing Tyreek Hill, boosting his production to a 50-catch, 614-yard, three-touchdown season. After becoming a free agent in 2027, he signs with his hometown state. In its quest to expand but realizing Europe is a bridge too far, the NFL brings back a franchise to St. Louis (though they’re now in the AFC), and one to Hawaii. Wilson, a Kihei native, signs with the new Hawaii Mokes. He spends two seasons there before hanging up his cleats. It’s a middling career, though it’d be unfair to call it awful.
Round 3 – LB Payton Wilson
Best Case Scenario
He who laughs last laughs best. For a Pittsburgh Steelers organization taking full advantage of getting Payton Wilson in the third round, Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin can’t hide their smiles.
Though Pittsburgh enters 2024 with a strong inside linebacker group, Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts atop the depth chart, it’s immediately obvious Wilson needs to play. All the man does in Latrobe is fly around the football. Sideline-to-sideline, vertically, run, coverage, blitz, the talent is just immense. Wilson is a ferocious worker with an old-school mindset and new-school ability. He dominates backs on backers during the first day in pads, steamrolling the normally excellent Jaylen Warren, and lays a lick on TE Darnell Washington over the middle later in the day, dropping him like a house of cards.
The preseason is his oyster. He leads the Steelers’ defense with 131 snaps, stuffing the stat sheet with 24 tackles (three for a loss), 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass deflection, and an interception. Wilson is simply moving in another gear compared to his peers. His drive, experience (24 years old), and athletic gifts put him there. With the 2nd-string defense, he wears the green dot, plays in the Steelers’ dime defense, and is consistently praised by DC Teryl Austin.
“We think we got a good one,” Austin says with a smirk ahead of the regular season opener.
Queen and Roberts take the first snaps of the season, but Pittsburgh, as they enjoyed in 2023, utilize a three-man rotation. Cole Holcomb is inactive, and the team is slow-playing his recovery. Early in the second quarter, Wilson chases down a Kirk Cousins bootleg from the backside for a 6-yard sack. Wilson ends the day with four tackles as Pittsburgh’s defense swarms and wins the day, a convincing 23-7 win.
By Week 4, Wilson has checked every box the team could ask for. He replaces Roberts as the starter and plays two-thirds of the snaps per game. The Steelers’ defense has top talent at every level and it drives the bus. Only this year, the offense is a competent co-pilot. Wilson’s best game comes in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns. He records his first interception, running with TE David Njoku down the seam and picking off QB Deshaun Watson while sacking Watson once and recording 11 tackles. Nick Chubb’s return is met with a whimper, and the Browns record only 231 total yards of offense as the Steelers win big, 28-10. Wilson is named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Not missing a single snap, fretting over his college injuries are long forgotten. His play is what speaks loudly. Wilson ends his rookie year with 78 tackles (seven for a loss), 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He finishes second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Philadelphia Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell, who dazzles with a five-interception season.
Roberts departs in free agency, and the team cuts Holcomb with an injury designation, leaving Queen and Wilson as the team’s top two guys. Queen, with his record-setting Steelers’ contract, remains the team’s dimebacker. That slightly limits Wilson’s snaps but hardly buffers his impact. As a sophomore, he’s even more ready. In 2025, he posts his first 100-tackle season. The team blitzes him more, and he picks up a pair in an upset win over the Houston Texans.
Pittsburgh’s offense improves all the more while the defense remains strong. The Steelers finish the year top ten in scoring offense and defense, a 12-5 regular season record, and an AFC North crown. Wilson and the Steelers’ defense lead the charge in a playoff run. In the championship game, Wilson records eight tackles and a key fourth down stop on Texans RB Joe Mixon, taking a Stroud checkdown but tackled 2 yards shy of the sticks. Pittsburgh wins the rematch, 24-17, and advances to the Super Bowl.
Facing the Green Bay Packers, Wilson doesn’t make a game-defining play. But he pressures QB Jordan Love twice, flies around the field like usual, and the Steelers’ defense forces the Packers to punt on their first three drives. Pittsburgh inches out to a 13-0 lead and goes into the break leading by 10. The defense bends but doesn’t break in the second half, stalling Green Bay out and keeping them to three, not seven. Wilson ends the day with five tackles, including one run stuff, and Pittsburgh wins their seventh Lombardi.
Wilson emerges as one of the league’s top off-ball linebackers with little weakness. Like Hines Ward or Greg Lloyd, those pre-draft concerns were hogwash. Once written off as a “one-contract” player, he signs a four-year, $62.4 million deal ahead of the 2027 season. In a rare social media post, Wilson shares Ian Rapoport’s report that most of the league had written him off. He adds no caption. Everyone understands the message.
Wilson makes three Pro Bowls over his nine-year Steelers career. He finishes with 857 career tackles (28 of them for a loss) with 22.5 sacks, eight interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He never misses a game due to a knee or shoulder injury.
Worst Case Scenario
So far, so good. That’s the tagline on Wilson’s training camp. It looks impressive. He’s athletic, smart, and has fans thinking Pittsburgh got a steal. The summer isn’t a mirage for the fall. Wilson comes off the bench and, like Joey Porter Jr., is slow-rolled into the lineup. He sees seven snaps in the opener against Atlanta, followed by 12 in Week 2 against Denver. But when he’s out there, Wilson more than holds his own, even if his plays don’t come with a ton of sizzle.
Run defense is one relative weakness, not quite as good as expected. Short arms and a lack of refinement are problems, but they’re not insurmountable issues. With Cole Holcomb wiggling his way into the lineup, Pittsburgh has a four-man split at inside linebacker, and reps are hard to come by for a rookie like Wilson. But he’s strong on special teams, lighting up Chiefs’ rookie Xavier Worthy on a kick return on Christmas Day, forcing a fumble recovered by OLB Kyron Johnson.
His rookie year comes to a close, registering 136 defensive snaps, 18 tackles, one pass defense, and one forced fumble.
Wilson enters his second year hopeful. The first week goes without a hitch. But during a padded practice the second week, Wilson is working in a 7v7 drill towards the end of practice. A cloudy day with showers rolling in an hour before, the field is slick. Driving downhill to tag up RB Daijun Edwards, his right knee gives out. Wilson buckles to the ground, immediately clutching his leg. He knows what happens. Everyone knows what happens. The cart scoops him up and drives him off.
“We’ll wait further tests but it doesn’t look good,” is Mike Tomlin’s post-camp update.
Doctors confirm it’s a torn ACL for Wilson. His season is over. The road to recovery is a grueling one, even if Wilson is all too familiar with its process. Now older and his third time through a severe knee injury, his body doesn’t respond as well. He misses all of the 2025 spring work, still rehabbing back, and opens up camp on Active/PUP. He gets cleared to return ten days into camp, practicing in a non-contact fashion the first four days.
But there’s knee swelling on his third day, initially thought and hoped to be just soreness. The pain doesn’t go away. Wilson powers through the second preseason game versus the Buffalo Bills, finishing with two tackles. Knee pain persists, and Wilson undergoes a clean-up surgery later that week to remove scar tissue.
It helps, but the writing is on the wall. Aligning with the pre-draft concerns, his knees were fine when picked but weren’t going to last long-term. His timeline is even shorter than projected, unable to get through his first contract. The Steelers place Wilson on IR to open up the 2025 season. He’s designated to return in Week 7 and activated to the 53-man roster on the final day of his 21-day window. His work is mostly limited to special teams, ending the season with ten total tackles.
Wilson undergoes another cleanup surgery in the offseason and enters 2026 as a backup. Used on special teams the first two weeks, Wilson separates his shoulder tackling a punt in Week 3 versus the Tennessee Titans. Another trip to injured reserve ensues and the pattern is as clear as it is frustrating. Wilson ends the year appearing in only six total games, making 11 total tackles.
With more surgeries than starts, the Steelers waive Wilson in the 2027 offseason with an injury designation. He ends up in the Carolina Panthers’ camp, back in his hometown, but fails to make the 53-man roster. He spends the following spring in the United Football League for the new Minnesota Crush but never plays again in the NFL. His Steelers’ career is unremarkable, never officially starting a game and playing just 199 defensive snaps.
Round 4 – OG Mason McCormick
Best Case Scenario
Mason McCormick is that dude. He embodies everything the Steelers want to be. Tough, physical, and nasty in the run game. Traits that are evident the moment the pads come on. On the first padded day of practice in 2024, McCormick pancakes DeMarvin Leal during an 11-on-11 rep, veteran RB Jonathan Ward running off his hip for a 15-yard gain.
With a similar vibe to Isaac Seumalo, McCormick doesn’t say many words. He quietly goes about his work, a job he does well. Unlike many, McCormick’s elite college experience allows him to quickly adjust to the NFL’s system and Pat Meyer’s teachings. And he has the frame and enough athleticism to make it all work.
With two established guards ahead of him, McCormick receives plenty of preseason reps. In fact, the only Steelers’ lineman who sees more summer reps than him is first rounder Troy Fautanu. McCormick is the plow, moving backup defensive lineman out of the way. In pass pro, his wide base makes him hard to get around.
He easily makes the 53-man roster and serves as the team’s ninth offensive lineman. That does make him inactive to begin the season but Isaac Seumalo is concussed in Week 2’s win over the Denver Broncos. McCormick, not Nate Herbig, gets the nod. Pittsburgh rolls the Los Angeles Chargers to the tune of 171 rushing yards, beating Jim Harbaugh at his own game. McCormick starts the following week with a similar result, 151 yards on the ground to beat the Indianapolis Colts. Seumalo returns for Week 5, sending McCormick to the bench, but his play is telling as it is encouraging.
McCormick sees scant offensive snaps the rest of the regular season but he still finds ways to work his way onto the field. Now that the play functions like a run, he gains a gameday hat as a blocker on the kick return team. In Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, he throws a key block to spring Cordarrelle Patterson for a 98-yard touchdown.
His rookie year ends with McCormick logging 137 offensive snaps and another 59 on kick return. Expectedly, James Daniels leaves in free agency and though Nate Herbig re-ups, he signs just a one-year deal for $3 million. Hardly starter money. McCormick easily wins the job in camp, flipping over to right guard and becoming the Steelers’ Week 1 starter. His road-grading run blocking continues and he’s serviceable, though not exceptional, in pass protection. He’s a far less frustrating version of Chris Kemoeatu.
McCormick sails through the 2025 season as the Steelers’ starter. Pittsburgh retains Najee Harris and they finish the year ranked third in rushing averaging 142 yards per game. We charge McCormick for allowing three sacks but only four penalties over the course of the year.
His most iconic play comes in 2026. An aggressive Mike Tomlin plays for the win against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, going for it on 4th and Goal with eight seconds left in a three-point game. McCormick pulls around from right to left, crushes RDE Myles Garrett, and Jaylen Warren follows behind for the score and the win. Build the statue right now.
McCormick becomes a good guard. He’s never at the top end but for a fourth round pick, for a starting guard, it’s really solid. He signs a two-year extension with the Steelers after rookie deal expires post-2027, returning as the Steelers’ starter both seasons before the team moves on after 2029. In total, McCormick starts 84 games and is remarkably durable, starting at least 16 games in every season after his rookie year.
Worst Case Scenario
McCormick brings some talent but there’s too many factors working against him. A better athlete testing than on tape, he isn’t a strong fit in Arthur Smith’s zone-heavy scheme. He’s adjusting from the FCS level, Pat Meyer’s system is difficult to learn, and his techniques have to be totally reversed. For a man with over 70 career college games played, they’re habits that become hard to break.
In moments, McCormick flashes. He’s big and can push his weight around, securing a double-team on NT Montravius Adams during an early run session in camp that leads to a 20-yard gain by RB La’Mical Perine. The rest of his game, though, is sloppy. McCormick struggles to hit a moving target on zone runs and too often whiffs or is unable to reach his spot, letting linemen and linebackers run free and control things. In pass pro, he’s shaky on his edges and Meyer’s way of teaching pass protection, being aggressive, doesn’t suit him well. McCormick is someone more comfortable giving a little bit of ground than feeling the need to fire ahead off the ball. He gets toasted by Texans DT Tim Settle for a sack on QB Kyle Allen in the second half of the preseason opener.
With an impressive summer, Spencer Anderson pulls off the shock of camp and beats McCormick out for the ninth and final offensive line spot. It’s rare for a fourth round pick to miss the 53 but it has happened before and McCormick is its latest victim. Unclaimed through waivers, he starts the year on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. He’s elevated twice throughout the year when injuries strike but doesn’t dress. Late in the year, he’s signed to the 53 and makes his debut in Week 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs, logging three snaps as a tackle-eligible along the goal line. Najee Harris punches it in on third and goal to lead a 23-20 upset win over Patrick Mahomes. But that’s all the snaps McCormick logs as a rookie.
James Daniels leaves in free agency but Nate Herbig re-signs. McCormick is aiming to battle for a starting gig his second season but again it’s Anderson who shines brighter. More comfortable in Smith’s system, Anderson is simply the better player and takes over as the team’s starting right guard. Herbig remains the top backup and while McCormick makes the roster this time around, it’s as a deep reserve. He’s waived a quarter through the year and re-signed to the practice squad. Late in the year, the o-line needy Minnesota Vikings poach him off the Steelers’ practice squad, Pittsburgh declining the option to sign McCormick to their 53 to block. He appears in two games for Minnesota, mostly playing on the field goal unit, but logs 18 offensive snaps in the regular season finale versus the Detroit Lions.
Not signed by Minnesota in the offseason, McCormick is drafted by the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He shines there and helps lead the franchise to another spring title. It earns him a camp look with the Jacksonville Jaguars but he fails to make the 53-man roster, opting to retire than spend the fall on the tryout circuit.
Round 6 – DL Logan Lee
Best Case Scenario
Lee is an Energizer bunny and he powers the backup defense when on the field during camp. He has a motor that just doesn’t stop, tracking down WR Roman Wilson 30 yards downfield on a screen early in camp. In a tightly contested d-line battle, reps aren’t plentiful but he maximizes his chances. It helps that the light doesn’t come on for DeMarvin Leal, who continues to struggle, and Lee is the more impressive athlete than Isaiahh Loudermilk.
Lee translates his camp reps into preseason action. In the opener against the Texans, he shoots through gaps and is in Houston’s backfield all day, finishing with four tackles, two for a loss, and a half-sack. And like Brett Keisel early in his career, Lee is trotted out on the coverage units, the new kickoff rules making him a viable option. He makes one stop there in exhibition action, impressing Danny Smith.
His glowing showing compels the Steelers to keep seven defensive linemen for the second-straight season, Lee beating out Leal for the final spot. Lee still enters the year inactive but a couple eye-catching practices gives him a hat over a struggling Dean Lowry by Week 4. Lee plays just eight defensive snaps and doesn’t record a stat but it feels good to put on the uniform and check the “NFL debut” box.
Searching for pass rush help, Lee graduates to rotational action in nickel packages. In Week 7, he pressures Aaron Rodgers into throwing a pick, nabbed by Minkah Fitzpatrick, to break a back-and-forth game. Pittsburgh wins 21-14 and Tomlin shouts out Lee in the post-game presser.
Lee assumes a similar role the rest of the year, never seeing a huge number of snaps but carving out regular work. His rookie year ends with 222 defensive snaps, 15 tackles, three pressures, and one bat down at the line. Unable to ever secure another contract, Cam Heyward signs with the Atlanta Falcons in 2025, opening up a massive spot on the roster. Pittsburgh drafts Notre Dame’s Rylie Mills to help replace him but there is a rotation on the board instead of Heyward assuming 75 percent of the work.
Lee receives a mix of base and rotational work in 2025. His play is solid, offering a little bit in ever facet of the game. He picks up his first sack, taking down Lamar Jackson on a prolonged play extension in Week 9, dropping him for an 11-yard loss. Lee has a knack for collecting AFC North quarterbacks; all four of his sacks that year come against the division.
He never elevates to become a starter but Lee is a fine find in the sixth round. He plays out the entirety of his rookie contract, appearing in 59 games. He makes 78 tackles (seven for a loss) with 8.5 sacks. Lee signs with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency, spending three more seasons in the league.
Worst Case Scenario
Lee bops around and brings good energy. But at the NFL level, that’s not enough alone. Stuck at the back end of a depth chart, he’s only logging 6-8 reps in practice per day. Ahead of him, the group starts solidifying. Dean Lowry plays the run well, Isaiahh Loudermilk keeps making incremental progress, and it’s a big camp for Leal, who finally matches production to potential.
Lacking length, Lee struggles against the run and can’t shed blocks. As a pass rusher, there isn’t much there to get excited about. He’s best being able to shoot gaps and work upfield but when he has to sit and two-gap, his game is exposed.
His preseason ends with a respectable 97 defensive snaps but little production to show for it: three tackles, zero sacks. An easy cut, he’s signed to the practice squad. With good health and adequate depth, Lee doesn’t dress his rookie year.
In the offseason, Cam Heyward signs a last-second extension before hitting free agency, a two-year deal worth $27.5 million, and the team cuts a disappointing Larry Ogunjobi ahead of his roster bonus. They spend a first round pick to draft Michigan’s Mason Graham, trading up four spots to get him.
It keeps Lee in a backup role without much of a path to start. But his play never gives him a great opportunity either, lacking a standout trait and struggling more against the run than he should. He’s cut outright at 2025 cutdowns, spending two years bouncing around practice squads, appearing in only four NFL games. Retiring, he becomes a color analyst for Iowa Hawkeye games, still beloved in his college town.
Round 6 – S Ryan Watts
Best Case Scenario
A sixth rounder making a position switch like Watts is from corner to safety is dubious. But it’s the best thing for his career. While he learns the new spot, Watts immediately takes to special teams. Last year’s gunners James Pierre and Miles Boykin are gone, creating two starting opportunities that he seizes on. With Watts’ length and size and physicality, he immediately stands out.
In the preseason opener against the Texans, he downs a Cameron Johnston punt at the two, throwing it back in play to keep it from rolling into the end zone. In the fourth quarter, he rips through the vice and nails rookie receiver Jaxon Janke for a 1-yard loss.
Watts is intense, can hit, and brings a unique build. His play at safety is mixed, which is to be expected, but he steps in front of a Hendon Hooker pass in the finale against the Detroit Lions, jumping a corner route from his deep-half assignment. It’s a “we got something here” moment.
Watts makes the roster as the No. 5 safety and his starting gunner role earns him a gameday hat. He’s active for 16 regular season games, only missing Week 11 with an ankle sprain. He’s part of a historically good Pittsburgh punt unit. Johnston averages a sizzling 48.3 yards of gross average and finishes top-five in net across the league. That’s in part thanks to Watt, who leads a punt coverage team that doesn’t allow a runback longer than 13 yards all year.
Defensive snaps are few and far between, the safety group much healthier this year than last. Watts logs 37 snaps on defense, all in dime, and most coming in a Week 15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. His role expands to full-time dime/sixth defender in 2025, Damontae Kazee no longer a Steeler. He retains his role as a gunner, becoming one of the game’s best.
His season is solid throughout and Pittsburgh, under new QB Jordan Love, makes the playoffs at 11-6. In the Wild Card round, Watts picks off Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in the end zone late in the third quarter, using every bit of his long arms to high-point the ball and wrestle it away from WR Jaylen Waddle. In the Divisional Round against the Ravens, Watts is asked to cover TE Mark Andrews on third downs. He erases him as Andrews ends the day with just two catches for 9 yards. Pittsburgh wins by 14. Their Super Bowl hopes end in the championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, Watts’ playing time is capped. But his role in dime packages and as a gunner is important to Pittsburgh’s defense. Watts remains in that role throughout his rookie contract, appearing in 61 games over those four seasons. He records 111 tackles with two interceptions and one sack. Looking for a larger opportunity, he signs with the New York Jets once his rookie deal expires. Becoming their starting free safety, he plays four more seasons and even makes the Pro Bowl in in 2029, picking off four passes and forcing two fumbles during the year.
Worst Case Scenario
Watts is a fish out of water. Despite impressive size and want-to, he’s just not a fit anywhere. Cornerback isn’t his home. Pittsburgh starts him at safety but shifts him back mid-way through camp once injuries pile out. Watts struggles to carry vertically, getting burned by Calvin Austin III for a 60-yard score in camp, and he’s too tight to defend quick slants. By the second preseason game, the group is healthier, and he’s back at safety.
While Watts has a skillset to compete at gunner, he doesn’t win the job. Cory Trice Jr. shines in his first full season while WR Dez Fitzpatrick stars there and wins the other job. Not a starter on defense or special teams, the Steelers keep only four safeties, cutting Watts and sending him to the practice squad instead.
He’s elevated twice in his rookie year, logging 21 special teams snaps but zero on defense. His rookie year ends with one solo tackle and one assisted stop. With a little more seasoning, he competes for the spot his sophomore season. But Watts is never fully in-tune for the position. He’s an aggressive player who draws too many flags. In the preseason opener against Dallas, he’s flagged for pass interference and holding. In the finale against Carolina, he tries to jump a route and misses, WR Jonathan Mingo making a 53-yard house call.
Watts fails to make the roster and is released outright. He bounces around practice squads, spending time with the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Texans the rest of the season. While he looks nice moving back to corner in spring leagues, he never plays an NFL down again.
