The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the best drafts out of all 32 NFL teams. They addressed every need, and did so by finding good value at each of their picks without making a single trade. They drafted a lot of prospects who are expected to be able to contribute right away, including tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier. The Steelers fixed their offensive in the 2024 NFL Draft, while also drafting the Offensive and Defensive Rookie Of The Year for the 2024 season.
Pittsburgh has been praised for their draft by many, just as they were for the way they drafted in 2023. They found value and fixed holes up and down their roster. Rhett Lewis, an analyst for NFL Network, even said that the expects Roman Wilson and Payton Wilson to both be crowned Rookie Of The Year for the NFL once the 2024 season is over with. Lewis gave praise to the Steelers picks during the networks post-draft coverage.
"Sign him up for a hundred tackles already. It's gonna happen. He was an absolute monster on the field for NC State. He has a GPS to the football. Blew up the Combine with his athleticism. He has had some injury concerns, which led to him falling down the draft board, but he landed in a great spot right there." Elliot was then asked about Offensive Rookie Of The Year. "I'm giving it to Roman Wilson, so go Roman Wilson and Payton Wilson, there it is, your rookies of the year."
Both Wilson's will earn themselves some hardware in 2024 according to Lewis. The Steelers selecting Payton with the 98th overall pick was praised by many, as he was considered a second round talent and the best inside linebacker in the entire draft class. The only reason he fell was because of his injury history and the fact that he is missing an ACL in one of his knee, which is a trait he shares with Hines Ward.
Payton joins a talented linebacker room, with Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and newly acquired Patrick Queen. It'll be interesting to see how much playing time Payton gets, especially if Holcomb is healthy and ready to return at the start of the season. Expect Wilson to be in a special teams role and on defense during passing downs to begin his career, hopefully making enough of an impact to win Defensive Rookie Of The Year.
Unlike Payton, Roman is joining the Steelers at a time where they need him the most as the wide receiver room is less than impressive. Pittsburgh got rid of Diontae Johnson via trade, leaving George Pickens as the first option at receiver. Behind Pickens the Steelers lack a true number two. They signed Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson, but neither of them should be relied upon as a primary option at receiver. Expect Roman to slowly work his way up that wide receiver two spot throughout training camp and the beginning of the season.
Steelers Will Need To Get An Immediate Impact From Roman Wilson
The Steelers have yet to sign or trade for a big name receiver, meaning there is a lot of pressure on Pickens to produce despite likely having to face many forms of double coverage. The Steelers expect Roman to be able to alleviate some of the pressure. Roman was one of the best route runners in the 2024 draft class, and he should be able to get the defenses attention quickly.
Roman is a sure-handed receiver who should become a reliable target for Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. He'll likely see a lot of work from the slot, and be a good threat with the ball in his hands. Pittsburgh really improved their receiver room by bringing him in, and hopefully he catches the eyes of the NFL so he can get a trophy in 2024.
What do you expect from this rookie class?
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