In anticipation of the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason finale, I wanted to look at a few things before I can dive into information after the game. In the preseason, we get an opportunity to see more action from younger players generally, so I wanted to put a table together of how the 2024 draft played out for Pittsburgh and the Detroit Lions heading into the game:
Other than getting a reminder of how the draft went for both teams, I also saw some fun takeaways. Each squad made seven selections, with neither having fifth or seventh round picks. The Lions also lacked a third rounder, doubling up in the fourth and sixth rounds.
Detroit went cornerback with their first two picks in rounds one and two. That is notable in Steelers lenses, after they moved on from CB Cam Sutton, who reunited with Pittsburgh. Then, they shifted primarily to offense on day three, while Pittsburgh’s focuses were opposite in terms of side of the ball.
Let’s examine the Lions draft further. A few spots after Pittsburgh’s first selection, Detroit made Alabama CB Terrion Arnold a Lion at 24th overall. Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was their consecutive pick at the position, #64 in the second round.
Both played in the preseason opener, with Rakestraw seemingly having the stronger performance, having the third-best defensive grade for the Lions this preseason per PFF (80.3). Neither played last week, dealing with injuries that seem minor, and will be intriguing to see if they play against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
After waiting until the fourth round, the Lions added Giovanni Manu at pick 126. Out of British Columbia, he has played strictly at left tackle on offense this preseason. Pass blocking has seemed to go better for him thus far, allowing one pressure on 75 snaps, but does have a penalty to his name and has graded poorly as a run blocker (45.2).
Utah’s Sione Vaki is an interesting case. He played both sides of the ball in college, mostly at safety, and as a running back on offense. The latter is how the Lions are deploying him primarily, along with utilizing his defensive chops on special teams. He’s rushed for 51 yards on ten attempts, for a healthy 5.1 YPA in his first two outings this preseason, along with four catches for 60 yards all coming in Week Two.
Following no fifth round pick, LSU DL Mekhi Wingo headed to Detroit at 189th overall. He appearingly had a rough debut, trending upward in his second game. On 60 preseason snaps, just two pressures and no sacks to date, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against Pittsburgh’s o-line if he plays.
The Lions final selection was Boston College IOL Christian Mahogany at #210 in the sixth round. He missed a substantial amount of the offseason with an unspecified illness, and has yet to play this preseason. Reports indicate he is back with the team, who is easing him along, so monitoring his status and potential debut in the finale will be on my radar.
Of course, I’m even more excited to see the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie class. Here is a breakdown of their performances via PFF snap counts, grades, stats, and takeaways:
Washington’s OT Troy Fautanu – 25 snaps, 63.7 offense, 53.9 pass block, 66.3 run block, two pressures, one sack allowed, nine zone run block snaps, three gap run block snaps. These opportunities were all in the opener, suffering an injury in game. Fautanu plans to play in the regular season opener, so thankfully it’s a minor injury, but still taking valuable preseason experience from the potential starter.
West Virginia C Zach Frazier – 83 snaps, 63.5 offense, 80.7 pass block, 58.4 run block, zero pressures or sacks, 24 zone run block snaps, 14 gap run block snaps. Encouraging start overall, especially with the issues and season-ending injury for Nate Herbig. Frazier was already pushing to be the starter, and will hopefully have a strong preseason finale in prep for an important and all but guaranteed immediate role right away.
Michigan WR Roman Wilson – DNP (ankle). He is inching closer to return from injury, but confirmed he’ll miss Saturday’s preseason finale. Can’t wait to see him make his NFL debut.
NC State LB Payton Wilson – 70 snaps, 46.0 defense, 50.4 run defense, 32.7 tackle, 49.7 coverage, six solo tackles, three assists, two missed tackles. He unfortunately regressed after a nice debut, and also was forced to exit Week Two’s contest.
Thankfully, Wilson has been cleared from concussion protocol, so really hoping his finale gets back on a positive trend. Instilling confidence that his intriguing skills can be relied on come the regular season could be huge for Pittsburgh’s defense.
South Dakota State OL Mason McCormick – 62 snaps, 51.0 offense, 52.9 pass block, 71.2 run block, two pressures, one sack allowed, 19 zone run block snaps, ten gap run block snaps. I called for a hopeful positive trend after his preseason opener, and he largely answered that bell.
Encouraging stuff in Week Two in both the run and pass game, with a notable uptick in PBLK grade (opener – 58.2, Game 2 – 83.2), that included no pressures or sacks. He’s also seeing more center reps following Herbig’s injury. So, his preseason finale and performance along the IOL is huge on the radar, and potentially moving up the depth chart as a backup center.
Iowa DL Logan Lee – 40 snaps, 53.0 defense, 53.7 run defense, 28.4 tackle, 54.2 pass rush, no pressures/sacks, two assisted tackles. He aligned primarily at nose tackle once again, and while Lee is able to play up and down the line, that’s not his best fit and has struggled in the process. Hopefully he aligns more at 3-4 defensive end, his more natural spot, and fares better.
Texas DB Ryan Watts – 55 snaps, 60.2 defense, 58.2 run defense, 68.0 tackle, 61.4 coverage, ten solo tackles, two assisted tackles, one catch allowed (nine yards) on two targets. After a nice debut, he continued to provide some nice things, particularly as a tackler.
He led the team in that regard last game, but only two tackles went for stops (successful defensive play), and also digressed in several other areas. Was feeling good about his roster spot at safety, but really needs a strong finale to push for that honor.
We’ve seen quite a bit from the rookies outside of injuries (Fautanu, Roman Wilson). Hope that valuable experience continues, and I can’t wait to see how the 2024 draft class looks in the final preseason game.
Which rookies are you most excited to see? Who are your favorites to perform well (if they play)? Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
