For several years now, I have kept a personal running spreadsheet during the draft process. The goal was to learn about the players through information gathering. I will share a visual and some takeaways from the data points I create each year, simply called interest and athletic scores, with explanations to follow.
As Dave Bryan and Alex Kozora discuss regularly, the Steelers have a type of player they look for, and what the scores attempt to achieve is seeing who checks many of those boxes, or vice versa. You will notice many of the inspirations for these scores come from their studies of Pittsburgh’s draft trends over the years, and have fared well in who Pittsburgh has ultimately drafted.
While there is no perfect way to predict the 2024 Steelers selections, I feel great about what the data points measure and, of course, would love to hear feedback. Also, there is only so much time in the day, and additional things I’d like to measure, so I focus on the crucial and/or practical choices.
Now, for more explanation on how the scores come together. The biggest point I want to make is that this is not a big board or round projection view, but rather trying to pinpoint names the Steelers may select regardless of when they are drafted. After I get a healthy pool of names that I hear about or research, I begin the scoring.
Interest Score: Here, I configured a points system for the following important factors: college performance, body type, experience, age, position, competition level, pro day attendance, pre-draft meeting(s), and Senior/Shrine Bowl invitations/participation.
Athletic Score: simply 11 combine metrics, excluding wingspan, and whether or not they were within a threshold in each metric of any player drafted at their position by the Steelers since 2013. Pro day numbers are only included if the player didn’t do the drill at the combine.
Clear as mud? Let’s start with offensive tackles (T) that were combine invites:
NOTE: If you don’t see a name, please ask, I have many more non-combine players compiled but excluded them for a cleaner chart.
The top interest score is Ohio State’s Josh Simmons (8.8), tied for 34th in the entire draft class. Highly attended pro day (HC Mike Tomlin, GM Omar Khan, OC Arthur Smith), but an asterisk with their slew of prospects. Performance, size, age, and experience are other solid marks. No meetings. Four athletic score, missing in arm length, checking the other measurement boxes, and the bench. All but one snap in 2024 were LT—first rounder.
For context, Steeler Troy Fautanu was selected in round one of 2024 with 9.8 interest and eight athletic scores. Ironically, Broderick Jones had the exact same marks as Pittsburgh’s 2023 first-rounder, and Spencer Anderson was the final pick of that draft (6.7 interest, nine athletic).
Second in this class is Georgia’s Xavier Truss (8.1). Highly attended pro day (Tomlin, Smith), also with an asterisk. Size, experience, and Shrine Bowl some good marks. Performance, age (23), and no meetings are on the other side of the coin. Eight athletic, one DNP, and missed the arm length and shuttle thresholds. RT most of last year, playing four of the five OL spots. Late/undrafted prospect.
Six tackles land in the seven tier of interest scores: West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum (7.9 interest, nine athletic), Pittsburgh’s Branson Taylor (7.6, ten), Logan Brown of Kansas (7.3, ten), Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson (7.3, nine), Iowa State’s Jalen Travis (7.2, 11), Miami’s Jalen Rivers (7.0, eight).
Taylor had the only pro day attendance from Steelers OL coach Pat Meyer. Milum, Travis, and Rivers all met with Pittsburgh, the former formally. Travis also had a perfect 11 athletic score, and met Kozora’s What The Steelers Look For criteria, along with Brown.
Players with lower interest scores that met with the Steelers were William & Mary’s Charles Grant (6.9 interest, ten athletic) and North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel (6.4, eight). Assistant OL coach Isaac Williams’ only pro day attendance was for Grant, notably.
No tackles with sub-seven interest marks had perfect 11 athletic scores. One was the third at the position to meet Kozora’s WTSLF criteria: NC State’s Anthony Belton (6.5 interest, ten athletic).
Now for interior offensive line (IOL):
The top interest score is Georgia G Tate Ratledge (8.7), tied for 39th in the entire draft class. Highly attended pro day (Tomlin, Smith), but other positions likely had Pittsburgh’s eyes more. Informal combine meeting, performance, experience, and Senior Bowl are strong scores. Age (23), a lower score. Ten athletic, one DNP (short shuttle), checking all other boxes. Right guard primarily last season, seemingly a Day Two prospect.
For context, Steeler C Zach Frazier was selected in 2024 with a 10.0 interest score and a perfect 11 athletic score, along with G Mason McCormick (6.4, 11). That 6.4 interest score is the lowest mark of any Steelers draft pick in the four years I’ve done these studies.
Second in this class is Georgia C Jared Wilson (8.0). The pro day attendance (asterisk), performance, body type, age (21), and Senior Bowl are positives. Less experience than several peers. Nine athletic, missing in bench press, and a short shuttle DNP. Played minimal snaps at guard in 2024, too—Day Two projection.
Just four IOL land in the seven tier of interest scores: Clemson’s Marcus Tate (7.8 interest, three athletic), Ohio State’s Seth McLaughlin (7.7, two), Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild (7.5, six), and Alabama’s Tyler Booker (7.4, eight). All schools with heavy pro day attendance; a theme at the position that emphasizes higher priorities at other positions in this draft.
Of this group, none met with the Steelers, had perfect athletic scores, or met the WTSLF criteria. One player with a lower interest score did: Sacramento State’s Jackson Slater (6.0 interest, ten athletic), the only interior lineman to do so.
Notably, no combine offensive lineman had a pre-draft visit to Pittsburgh. Slightly more interest in tackles than IOL, but clearly much less overall than other positions. The team has invested heavily here in recent drafts, but it does not preclude them from adding depth, likely in later rounds if they do. One thing’s for sure, I can’t wait to see how it pans out.
Do you think Pittsburgh will draft one of the names listed above? Who are some of your favorites? Thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
