THE STEELERS JUST PUT TOGETHER AN ALL-TIME DRAFT CLASS

Never in my lifetime have I seen a Pittsburgh Steelers draft class that has looked quite as good as this.

With a combination of great drafting, luck, and the football gods smiling upon them, the Steelers went 4-for-4 with making excellent draft picks over the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, and they didn’t have to trade up for any of them.

Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu fell to Pittsburgh at No. 20 in the first round. West Virginia center Zach Frazier was there waiting at No. 51 in round two. Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson slid out of the second round and into the middle of the third for the Steelers to grab him at No. 84. And finally, the consensus No. 1 linebacker in this class, Payton Wilson out of North Carolina State, fell all the way to No. 98 for the Steelers to close out the first two days of the NFL Draft with a potential all-time draft class.

It wasn’t long ago when the Steelers’ offensive line looked like this:

  • LT: Dan Moore
  • LG: Kevin Dotson
  • C: Mason Cole
  • RG: James Daniels
  • RT: Chuks Okorafor

That’s also without mentioning the sprinkling of Kendrick Green and Trai Turner in 2021. Now, the offensive line is completely revamped and looks like this:

  • LT: Broderick Jones
  • LG: Isaac Seumalo
  • C: Zach Frazier
  • RG: James Daniels
  • RT: Troy Fautanu

Omar Khan deserves a ton of credit for cleaning up the mess that Kevin Colbert left behind.

Not only did the offensive line get completely revamped, Pittsburgh addressed almost every position of need with their first four picks. Roman Wilson is one of the best receivers in this class who can be boundary and slot versatile. Remember, the biggest question about Justin Jefferson coming out of LSU was he was a slot receiver and many believed he wouldn’t be able to play outside. That’s not to say Wilson will be Justin Jefferson, but he has the tools and skillset to be the Steelers’ boundary receiver opposite of George Pickens.

Payton Wilson was a player I never even imagined would be an option for the Steelers. He was very easily the top linebacker in this draft class. His injury history definitely caused him to fall, as he has had multiple knee injuries that plagued him in college. However, he was the best coverage linebacker in the nation last season, picking off three passes and allowing a passer rating less than 50.

The Steelers were able to add a consensus top 10 player in Fauatnu at tackle, arguably the most versatile and reliable center in the draft in Frazier, a high-end versatile receiver in Roman Wilson, and the top linebacker in Payton Wilson. If all four even come close to reaching their respective potentials, this will be a draft class that goes down in NFL history as one of the best ever.

2024-04-27T04:11:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd