With the draft coming up at the end of April, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a pivotal spot where they need to address the wide receiving room. Pittsburgh has one solidified starting wideout on their roster, that being third-year star George Pickens. Pickens was a second-round pick by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Pittsburgh is looking to approach this draft the same way in order to find Pickens a partner for 2024.
The 2024 draft class is loaded with receivers where teams will be able to find talent at any point in the draft. The Steelers need more help at other spots like offensive line and cornerback, so it is safe to assume they will target either of those positions with their first-round pick. Also, everyone knows how well the Steelers are at drafting wideouts.
Ray Fittipaldo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reminded fans of this on the PM Team w/ Poni & Mueller. With the immense amount of talent in this year's draft, everyone could see the Steelers landing someone that's similar to Pickens as far as talent goes.
"This draft is loaded with number one types of receivers who might fall to you in the second round. Guys who could be like George Pickens. Pickens was picked in that part of the draft, as well. This is such a deep draft for receivers that you could legitimately get another deep threat at that point."
Guys like Roman Wilson (Michigan), Troy Franklin (Oregon), Ricky Pearsall (Florida), and Jermaine Burton (Alabama) should all be on the Steelers' radar after the first round. All of these guys are studs and are expected to fall out of the first round in the draft, leaving the door open for a handful of teams like the Steelers to select them on day two.
Steelers' General Manager Omar Khan did an exceptional job drafting in his first one (2023), and he will look to keep the momentum going. Hopefully, he can keep it going in 2024. If Khan and company can pull off a way to land one of these guys, or any of the other proven wideouts, as well as landing a top notch center, the Steelers and their offense will be in great shape.
The Steelers need an efficient and elite route-runner to replace the absence of Diontae Johnson, who Pittsburgh decided to trade away with one year left on his contract. Johnson's time was running short, and with all of the problems on and off of the field, Pittsburgh sold him while they could. All four of those names listed previously have solid route-running abilities that can draw attention to themselves, allowing Pickens to get his one on one chances. The Steelers new rushing attack will also allow some more one on one chances for 14.
Who Will Steelers Take In The First Round?
It seems likely that Pittsburgh will continue to try to improve their offensive line by selecting someone in the first round. Many hope for guys like Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon), Amarius Mims (Alabama), or Graham Barton (Duke). There is also a possibility that the Steelers take a cornerback with their first pick, but that would only come if some of the best of the best are still available.
With goals of finally ending the famous seven year playoff win drought, the results of this draft will critically determine the Steelers' future by the postseason. It's vitally important that Pittsburgh finds a next generational center and play makers at the wide out and cornerback spots.
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