The Pittsburgh Steelers have many needs to fill in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those currently include center, offensive tackle, defensive line, cornerback, and wide receiver. During a recent interview, General Manager Omar Khan stated that they are looking at practically every position in free agency and the draft. He said that while they may have starters in a lot of areas, they still need depth.
This has everyone debating where they will go in the draft's first round, and everyone has an opinion. If you look at the mock drafts that have popped up recently, you will see them drafting almost everything except a quarterback and an edge rusher with that 20th overall pick. However, by doing nothing at all, they pretty much told the world they wouldn't be going after a top wide receiver with that first selection.
In a post from LSU's Pro Day, Cameron Wolfe, a reporter for NFL Network, posted about which general managers and head coaches were in Baton Rouge. Noticeably absent from that list are Khan or Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
Most of the teams were there to see quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., who are all considered first-round selections. There had been talk that the Steelers would send out the big guns in Khan and Tomlin to see Nabers and Thomas, hoping to get one of them with their first pick. You never want to say never, but the Steelers never select someone with their first pick without having the head coach put eyes on him in person at the school's Pro Day.
That pretty much takes Pittsburgh out of the running for those two. They would almost certainly have to move up to get Nabers, who is primarily slotted to go in the top 10. Thomas is a little more possible, with most mocks having him getting picked anywhere from 15 to the mid-20s. That makes it hard to imagine the Steelers going after a wide receiver at 20 without fully evaluating all of the possibilities. You never know when a player will drop, it happens every year.
The Steelers only have one proven starting receiver on the current roster, George Pickens, since they traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson.
Pittsburgh did have staff at LSU; defensive line coach Karl Dunbar and scout (and former Steelers cornerback) Ike Taylor were there. Dunbar was sent to evaluate defensive tackle Maason Smith. Smith is currently projected to go on day two. He is exciting to watch and best suited to a 3-4 defense, but he lacks experience. Most analysts feel that he will improve if a team invests time in his development. It is unclear if the Steelers want a project type player behind Cameron Heyward.
Steelers Need Maturity In Their Receiving Room
One interesting component of the current wide receiver situation is that the room lacks a mature veteran. It appeared that Pickens and Johnson fueled each other's inner diva. They both displayed behaviors that appeared immature and selfish. That had most fans relieved that Johnson had been traded. There was a lot of expectation created from the trade that they would find a veteran receiver to pull that group together.
There were a few names that came up fairly often, including Brandon Aiyuk, Hunter Renfrow, Tyler Boyd, and Josh Reynolds. Despite all of Aiyuk's teasing on X with his comments about being Tomlin's twin, the San Francisco 49ers have said they plan to keep him happy and in California for the foreseeable future. Aiyuk responded back with a post that spelled out "money talks and bull s**t walks" in emojis.
Many insiders assume that the team will seek to draft a receiver in the first three rounds. In addition, the Steelers signed Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins. Jefferson is a veteran receiver with a pedigree. While some believe he is being underestimated, most agree that he falls third on a depth chart at best. Watkins is another speedy depth piece who was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles.
What isn't clear about Watkins and Jefferson is if they provide the veteran leadership that Pickens seems to need. If the team brings in another rookie as their number two, will it be even more chaotic than last season? Or perhaps with Johnson gone, Pickens will step up and become a leader.
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