Steelers' Euphoric 2024 Outlook Could Take Big Hit If These 3 Draft Prospects Join AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple options with pick 20 on Thursday, April 25th, when the 2024 NFL Draft begins. Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, and Mike Tomlin need to find a center, cornerback, wide receiver, and tackle, among their seven draft picks over three days. The fan base has been speculating about the organization's strategy to fill the roster's glaring holes. You can make a case for any of the four being the top priority, and social media is full of them.

It is natural for a fan base to focus on what their team might do in the NFL Draft. However, it is worth noting what the other teams in the AFC North are planning to fill the holes on their respective rosters. The rest of the division has very specific needs that could influence the Steelers' draft strategy. The Cincinnati Bengals, in particular, could spend most of the draft fouling up the best-laid plans of Khan and the organization. 

Here is a list of the draft prospects Pittsburgh does not want to see find their way into the AFC North. 

Jackson Powers-Johnson Goes To The Cincinnati Bengals

Very few players have captured the imagination of the fan base like Jackson Powers-Johnson. No fan base in the NFL appreciates center play like Pittsburgh. Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson are in the Hall of Fame, and Maurkice Pouncey will probably join them in the coming years. Powers-Johnson has been touted as a generational talent, but has been sliding down draft boards. 

The Bengals have picks 18 and 49 in the 2024 draft and could deliver a gut punch to the Black and Gold by selecting the Oregon Ducks center. Powers-Johnson could go as high as the 16th pick to the Seattle Seahawks, or he could be on the board when Day 2 of the draft starts. The Steelers have only picked one center in the first round in 87 years of NFL Drafts, and it would be particularly brutal if the Bengals picked him in the second round, three slots before the Steelers. Cincinnati has a real need at center, and it is doubtful they would pass on Powers-Johnson twice. 

Adonai Mitchell Goes To The Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have been searching for wide receiver help for Lamar Jackson for what seems like years. Zay Flowers had a solid rookie season in 2023, but the job is not done. Adonai Mitchell is a polished college wide receiver with a build similar to George Pickens. He may not have the combat catch ability of Pickens, but Mitchell is a speed merchant with good hands and would almost surely be the best wide receiver the Ravens quarterback has had at his disposal in his career. 

Xavier Worthy's record-setting 40-yard dash time overshadows Mitchell's 4.34-second effort at the NFL Combine. Mitchell was a college teammate of Pickens at the University of Georgia and played on both National Championship teams, although an ankle injury in 2022 limited him to just six games. He transferred to the Texas Longhorns program and was highly productive in 2023. The Steelers may not be able to find a way to get him, but if Mitchell goes to the Ravens with the 30th pick in the first round, Joey Porter Jr. will have his work cut out for him for the foreseeable future. 

Braden Fiske Goes To The Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns do not have a first-round draft pick, thanks to possibly the worst trade in NFL history. Unlike the Denver Broncos did with Russell Wilson, there is no escape from this blunder. They have to hope Deshaun Watson turns it around in his third season. Tyler Huntley and Jameis Winston are low-cost viable options that have joined the 2024 roster and could step in as Joe Flacco did in 2023 if necessary. The Browns will likely rely on Jim Schwartz's defense again this season. 

Braden Fiske was a vital piece of the recently snubbed by the antiquated BCS Florida State Seminoles. Fiske produced six sacks during the 2023 season and is Mel Kiper Jr.'s second-rated interior defensive lineman. Fiske had an eye-opening NFL Combine workout that has vaulted him up the draft charts. The Florida State prospect is an impressive pass rusher inside. If the Browns put him next to Myles Garrett, it could cause real problems for opposing offenses that cannot double-team Garrett, Za'Darius Smith, and Fiske. It is possible that the Browns' already potent pass rush could get even better with the addition of Fiske in 2024. 

Steelers' AFC North Dominance Predicted To End In 2024, Again

The Steelers have not finished last in the division since it was the AFC Central in 1988. Every other team in the division, the Browns, Bengals, and Houston Oilers, each won at least 10 games, while Pittsburgh finished 5-11 and posted one of only seven losing seasons since 1970. In 2023, they were picked to finish last in the AFC North with Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback. By any measure, the Steelers upgraded their position with Wilson and Justin Fields, but oddsmakers were not impressed and picked them to find the cellar in 2024. 

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and if they continue to put the Steelers last in the AFC North, eventually, it will happen. If Powers-Johnson, Mitchell, and Fiske find their way into the division, it might even happen sooner rather than later. Just don't expect it to happen in 2024 while Khan and Tomlin are running the show.