The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers draft class completed their rookie season. It is time to see how Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Roman Wilson, and Peyton Wilson stacked up against their draft-class contemporaries. I’ll also comment on the rest of the class.
Here is the link to the 2024 rookie tale of the tape if you want to compare their college combine and/or senior day statistics versus their contemporaries. In the tables below, I’ve included links to each player’s Steelers Depot draft profile when available.
I’ll be recapping the Steelers rookie classes from 2020 to 2024.
All statistics were extracted from the Pro Football Reference (PFR). Here is how the Steelers’ top four 2024 draft picks stack up statistically against their contemporaries after one regular season of play:
TACKLE
| Name | G/GS | O/ST Snaps | Hold | False Start | Other | Declined or offset | Total Penalties | Sacks Allowed |
| Joe Alt | 16/16 | 1011/74 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| JC Latham | 17/17 | 1094/55 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| Olumuyiwa Fashanu | 15/7 | 533/51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Taliese Fuaga | 17/17 | 1071/63 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 6 |
| Amarius Mims | 15/13 | 836/53 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Troy Fautanu | 1/1 | 55/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Guyton | 15/11 | 670/61 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 6 |
| Roger Rosengarten | 17/14 | 933/32 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference Except Sacks from Pro Football Focus
Tackle Summary
Due to his injury, Troy Fautanu is at the bottom of the tackles chosen in the first round. In fact, I’ve placed the Baltimore Ravens Roger Rosengarten at the top of the list. He was chosen in the second round and the tenth tackle selected overall in the draft. He took over as starting right tackle in week 4 right through two playoff games. Rosengarten was selected to the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) All-Rookie team with Joe Alt.
The Chargers Joe Alt started all 16 games he appeared in with the Chargers. But three other tackles ranked right behind him. The Tennessee Titans JC Latham switched from a college right to an NFL left tackle. He played every offensive snap and recovered three fumbles. Taliese Fuaga also started all 17 games for the Saints. The Bengals Amarius Mims started 13 of 15 games played. He suffered hand and ankle injuries at the end of the season. But tried to play through it. Mims was limited to 14 offensive snaps in the season finale versus Pittsburgh.
Olu Fashanu leads the trailing pack. He started seven of 15 games played for the New York Jets. Unfortunately, he got plantar fasciitis in week 16 and was placed on injured reserve. Tyler Guyton started 11 of 15 games for the Cowboys. But he led this group with 14 penalties. And Guyton gave up six sacks with fewer snaps than the top tackles in this list. Fautanu has a long way to go to catch up with the leaders of the pack. Four of the seven tackles had very strong rookie years.
CENTER
| Name | G/GS | O/ST Snaps | Hold | False Start | Other | Declined or offset | Total Penalties | Sacks Allowed |
| Graham Barton | 16/16 | 1065/24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zach Frazier | 15/15 | 976/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tanor Bortolini | 12/5 | 351/28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sedrick Van Pran | 16/1 | 120/74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Nourzad | 17/0 | 31/76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference Except Sacks from Pro Football Focus
Center Summary
Zach Frazier and Graham Barton top this group of centers. Frazier got the nod for the PFWA All-Rookie team. But it will be fun to see how his career compares to Barton, who started 16 games and Tampa’s playoff. He beat out veteran center Robert Hainsey. He started every offensive snap in the games he played. Frazier missed just two games due to an ankle injury.
Jackson Powers-Johnson was listed as a prospective center on the original list. But he played guard for the Raiders. He beat out Mason McCormick for a place on the All-Rookie team. Colts center Tanor Bortolini got his first NFL start against the Steelers. He could be a full-time starter in 2025 if free agent Ryan Kelly signs with another team. Sedrick Van Pran got to start the Bills’ final regular season game before the playoffs. But saw limited action otherwise. And the Chiefs Hunter Nourzad played all 17 games primarily as a special teams player.
WIDE RECEIVER
| Name | G | Snaps D/ST | TGTs | RECs | Yds | Suc% | Y/R | Y/G | Catch % | Drop% | Points |
| Malachi Corley | 9 | 83/8 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 33.3 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jermaine Burton | 14 | 131/37 | 14 | 4 | 107 | 28.6 | 26.8 | 7.6 | 28.6 | 7.1 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | 1 | 5/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | 13 | 626/6 | 58 | 37 | 461 | 55.2 | 12.5 | 35.5 | 63.8 | 6.9 | 48 |
| Luke McCaffrey | 17 | 419/51 | 24 | 18 | 168 | 50.0 | 9.3 | 9.9 | 75.0 | 4.2 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | 16 | 386/0 | 53 | 28 | 263 | 35.8 | 9.4 | 16.4 | 52.8 | 5.7 | 12 |
| Javon Baker | 11 | 90/28 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 25.0 | 12.0 | 1.1 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Devontez Walker | 9 | 57/155 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 33.3 | 21.0 | 2.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 6 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference
Wide Receiver Summary
Tampa’s Jalen McMillan easily leads this group of third-round receivers. He was the 15th wide receiver selected, but only Jaguars first-round pick Brian Thomas scored more touchdowns. Roman Wilson sits at the bottom, with only five snaps played, as he missed most of training camp with an injury. Denver Bronco Troy Franklin and Washington’s Luke McCaffrey are distant second and third, respectively. The Bengals Jermaine Burton has the speed to get behind defenses with 26.8 yards per reception. But only caught 28.6 percent of his targets. The rest are unremarkable for now. Maybe this group will step up in 2025.
LINEBACKER
| Name | G | Snaps D/ST | INTs | PDs | FF | FR | Sacks | Tackles | TFL/QBH | Missed Tkl% |
| Junior Colson | 11 | 218/94 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 29 | 0/1 | 6.5 |
| Trevin Wallace | 13 | 583/105 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 64 | 2/1 | 9.9 |
| Marist Liufau | 17 | 521/169 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 50 | 4/2 | 2.0 |
| Ty’Ron Hopper | 17 | 18/215 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 0/0 | 10.0 |
| Payton Wilson | 17 | 492/301 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.0 | 78 | 3/2 | 8.2 |
| Cedric Gray | 7 | 48/126 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 22 | 0/0 | 4.3 |
| Tyrice Knight | 16 | 551/82 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 | 88 | 3 /4 | 4.2 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference
Linebacker Summary
Payton Wilson had the least starts among the top four in this linebacker group. But his 21-yard fumble recovery touchdown against the Bengals in a 44-38 win. And his interception in the Steelers 18-16 win over Baltimore sets him apart from the rest. The Cowboys’ Marist Liufau started 9 of 17 games played. He became every-down linebacker for the last four games. And he deflected three passes, forced two fumbles, recovered one, and made 1.5 sacks. Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight also started nine games, playing in 16. He became a starter after their week 10 Bye week, making 65 tackles in his last eight games. The Panthers Trevin Wallace started eight of 13 games played. Wallace forced a fumble and recovered one against Atlanta. Then had a high of 15 tackles against Chicago. Carolina lost both games, but Wallace made a defensive impact.
The Chargers’ Junior Colson was the first of this group picked. But he missed four games with an ankle injury, starting just one game. The Titans’ Cedric Gray missed the first 10 games after a camp injury landed him on injured reserve. He had 15 tackles against the Colts, but he mostly played special teams in the other six games played. The Packers’ Ty’Ron Hopper played in all 17 games, but he was restricted mainly to special teams. He played just 18 defensive snaps.
Day Three Selections and Undrafted Free Agents
Just one day-three selection and one undrafted free agent (UDFA) made an impact in 2024. Unfortunately, Defensive lineman Logan Lee and defensive back Ryan Watts went on injured reserve before the regular season began. We’ll have to wait until 2025 to see if either is recovered and can make the roster.
| Name | POS | G/GS | O or D Snaps | ST Snap |
| Mason McCormick | G | 17/14 | 939 | 72 |
| Logan Lee | DL | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Watts | DB | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beanie Bishop (UDFA) | CB | 17/6 | 548 | 175 |
Stats from Pro Football Reference
But guard Mason McCormick stepped up big this season. First he started and rotated with Spencer Anderson at left guard in week three with Isaac Seumalo out. Then took over as the starting right guard after James Daniels went on injured reserve. He played every offensive snap for 13 straight games until hurting his hand in the season finale. He was a candidate for the PFWA All-Rookie team but missed out. He’s a mauler. And should improve in 2025.
Beanie Bishop was the only UDFA to make the Steelers roster. Beanie intercepted Aaron Rodgers twice in a 37-15 win over the Jets. Then he made a game-ending interception against the Giants the following week. He was Defensive Rookie of the Month for October with 16 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, and 2 tackles for a loss. His snap count dropped off at the season’s end. But he gave fans a lot to cheer about.
Conclusion
So far, the 2024 draft class is feast or famine. Zach Frazier and Payton Wilson are at the top of their groups and made significant contributions to the Steelers’ 2024 season. But Troy Fautanu and Roman Wilson were injured for most of the season.
Same for the four day-three selections and undrafted free agent. Mason McCormick and Beanie Bishop played significant time and made contributions. However, the other two, Logan Lee and Ryan Watts, never made it onto the field due to injuries.
If two or three of the injured players make the roster in 2025, and the others take a leap in their second season, this could be a very good class.
Your Music Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. This rookie class is about halfway there to being great. Here is Meet Me Halfway, performed by The Black Eyed Peas.
