Happy Valentine’s Day to all who celebrate. As we head deeper into the offseason, I wanted to take some time to celebrate this holiday with some draftable that I am falling in love with. It is official, I have a crush on these ten draft picks as we continue with the scouting season.
These aren’t necessarily players I think the Steelers will draft (although I would like them to). It also isn’t just the elite players in this draft class. It is a wide mix of players that, based on the film I have watched, are my early favorites in this class. Here are my ten current draft-day crushes.
Steelers draft day crush #10: Jaden Hicks
The Steelers have a relatively consistent list of needs that most fans agree on. Center, cornerback, and tackle seem to make up most of what fans want this team to address. That being said, I think landing a capable strong safety, one that can play every down, is a big need. The multi-headed beast that was the Steelers safety room last offseason didn’t get the job done.
Hicks is your classic box safety with the size and athleticism to thrive close to the line of scrimmage. Because of this, he has a very high ceiling as a mid-round pick. At worst, you can plug and play Hicks in base defense as he is a terrific run defender.
He takes a lot of poor angles in coverage, that said he shows a willingness to be disruptive there. He is better in zone than in man, but when tasked with covering someone one-on-one, he shows an aggressive knack for breaking up passes. No, it isn’t perfect, but he is certainly trying.
Assuming you can land Hicks in the third or fourth round, he gives you a player that can thrive in the box early on and develop into an every-down starter. The safety market and draft class are inflated, which will help him fall. I’d love to see Pittsburgh pull the trigger.
Steelers draft day crush #9: Troy Franklin
Receiver isn’t the biggest need for this team. On the surface, a better third receiver would be logical. This team will likely move on from Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin proved that he isn’t more than a bit player. This means that a viable third target, and specifically a slot target, should be a big need.
With the emergence of the tight end room though and Arthur Smith’s offense that doesn’t heavily feature a slot receiver, this need could get pushed down. That hasn’t stopped me from falling in love with Troy Franklin’s body of work. So much so that he featured in my last mock draft.
Vincent helped turn Bo Nix into a potential first-round pick. He was a dynamic receiver who wore multiple hats. He has the size and speed to thrive on the outside but also showed a knack for making plays after the catch in the slot. He could play in either spot for the Steelers.
All things considered, it doesn’t seem likely that Franklin will end up with the Steelers. Taking a receiver in this draft is no longer a lock, and even if they do, it would be hard to justify taking one in the first round. Watch some of his tape though. Franklin has everything you want in a staring receiver in this league.
Steelers draft crush #7: Junior Colson
I’m not gung-ho that the Steelers need to draft a linebacker this year. Assuming Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb come back, they could form a viable duo at the position. Depth is needed, especially after the injuries, but you can probably get by without a top name being added to this room.
A name I love also doesn’t seem to fit what this defense needs. Junior Colson is a throwback type of linebacker. He has immense size and surprising athleticism, and he uses that to be an explosive run-defender. He sheds blocks and is explosive in the backfield on defense.
Where Colson lacks is as a coverage player. He can hold his own in zone defense, as his athleticism allows him to be a reactionary coverage player. That will likely be exploited at the next level, but it is at least something. His ability in man coverage isn’t as good, but he shows a willingness to make plays there.
Even though he doesn’t fit what this team needs, I can’t help but continue to see myself wanting to see him in a Steelers uniform. The run defense would make him an instant asset while the coverage ability can be worked on. They don’t build linebackers like him anymore, and his throwback style is appealing, to say the least.
Steelers draft crush #6: Gabe Hall
It is becoming increasingly hard for the Steelers to find defensive linemen that they like. Traditionally, this team has liked for their defensive linemen to be taller and longer. College defenses are getting smaller though, meaning it is hard to find the prototypes that this team covets. 2024 is no different.
The best size fit seems to be Maason Smith out of LSU. The issue is, that he will likely go somewhere on day two, and his play has been inconsistent at best. At one point in time, he looked like a top pick, but his play regressed. He can play the run, but he lacks any sort of pass-rushing refinement.
Instead, the Steelers could land a similar player in Gabe Hall out of Baylor. He has the classic size that this team likes in defensive ends along with the length. He hasn’t been a great pass rusher, but he has the functional strength to serve as a base-run defender.
While I doubt that Hall will become a dynamic starter, he has the most potential out of the day three picks. Hall fits the type of defender that this team wants on the line, and he can learn behind Cameron Heyward before he retires. Because of his natural fit and potential, I can’t help but have a little crush on Hall.
Steelers draft crush #5: Braelon Allen
In no way do the Steelers need to spend a significant draft pick on a running back this year, but if they do, I really want it to be Braelon Allen out of Wisconsin. If I were to build a running back in a lab, they would come out looking like Allen. He has the size (6’2, 245 pounds), but he also should test like a great athlete.
Allen was productive at Wisconsin, handling the majority of their running back work. He did a lot of damage in his three seasons, accumulating nearly 3800 total scrimmage yards and finding the end zone 35 total times. His power running is his best strength, which most would expect given his size.
That isn’t the only thing he does well. He has soft hands, and while he isn’t a potent route runner, he can take short passes and do some damage in space. He lacks lateral quickness, but he makes up for it with his straight-line speed. Once he gets up to speed, he can blow past defenders instead of just running them over.
My big concern is his college workload, as he took a lot of damage in his school years. That said, he should be getting more hype than what he currently has. If the team isn’t confident in Najee Harris long-term, Allen would be my dream replacement. While he may not end up with the Steelers, I am excited to watch his career at the next level.
Steelers draft crush #4: Amarius Mims
I was all aboard the tackle train last year, having fallen in love with Darnell Wright, Paris Johnson, and eventual Steelers pick Broderick Jones. It was seen as one of the better tackle classes in recent years, but also a shallow draft position. Outside of the top five tackles, the rest of the class was poor.
2024 is shaping to blow that out of the water. Not only is the top-of-the-class star-studded but there are a slew of names in the middle rounds that could develop into capable starters. That said, I have my eye on two tackles in the class, and the lesser of the two, at least slightly, is Amarius Mims.
Mims is a freaky-looking prospect, possessing rare size and athletic traits to be a dominant force at tackle for the long term. Like Jones before him, Mims lacks experience, as he hasn’t started a lot of games. While Jones was viewed as a raw prospect, he is leaps and bounds more of an established technician than Mims is. That raw factor is arguably his biggest liability.
You need to have a set plan for Mims if you draft him, and you also need to give him some easy leeway to give him some time to develop. He won’t be a refined product right away, as he will need to harness his raw traits to become a good starter.
If he hits his ceiling though, he has some of the highest upside in this entire class. He could easily become a dominant right tackle if put in the right system and given some time. There is a risk here, as he isn’t a finished product and can get beaten because of that, but you have to love the what-ifs with him.
Steelers draft crush #3: Mike Sainristil
A lot has been said about the Steelers cornerback room entering this offseason. For most fans, cornerback is one of the biggest needs and should be a target in the first round. I am less concerned, especially with how this draft class breaks down and some of the younger names on the roster.
What this team does need is a slot cornerback. The hodge-podge group of variable names hasn’t gotten the job done, and this defense was at its best when you had an established slot cornerback play for this team. While a free agent would make sense for this role, I also have my eyes on Mike Sainristil.
The Michigan cornerback doesn’t have the size that you want in an outside cornerback. He also struggles with man coverage due to his aggressiveness. What he does well is play like his hair is on fire every play, making big hits and defending the run well. He is as close to a Mike Hilton clone as you can get.
If Pittsburgh is serious about upgrading its slot cornerback position, Sainristil is the right choice. He can do a lot for this defense, and it would provide them with a more stable run defender in that role. He has a limited ceiling, but that would still make him a valuable defender for this team.
Steelers draft crush #2: Drake Maye
This quarterback class has a lot of good names in it. While people are all over Caleb Williams, I am more partial to Drake Maye. I like the more prototypical size that he has. Despite being a bigger quarterback, he fits the mold of a modern passer with the mobility to move in the pocket and pick up yards on the ground.
He also has a cannon for an arm. For a Steelers team that has been settling with average to slightly below-average quarterbacks, it would be a welcome sight to have a passer that can heave the ball deep. Maye does that, and his arm talent makes him a potent player to have leading your offense.
He does have a few flaws mostly centered around his decision-making and passing technique, but those are correctable. He can take a long time to process a play, leading to his line having to cover for him as he decides what to do. While a good scrambler, he will also have to get a little more conservative there to protect himself moving forward.
Look, there isn’t a chance that Maye makes it to the Steelers pick. While the team could, in theory, trade up for him, that is equally unlikely considering he will likely be a top-five pick. That said, he is my favorite quarterback in this class, and if I had my pick of players at the position, I would easily choose Maye.
Steelers draft crush #1: JC Latham
While Maye is my favorite quarterback in this class, he isn’t my favorite prospect. That just so happens to be another offensive tackle prospect in JC Latham. As stated before, this class has quite a few impressive names, and Latham could easily become the best of the group if he hits his ceiling.
What stands out right away with Latham is his size. Like Mims, he is a mountain of a man making it hard to move him when he anchors. He has great length as well, meaning he usually initiates contact and can take on defenders on his own. He also uses his hands really well, and his technique is one of the better ones in this class.
The issues aren’t major with him, but he did have a penalty problem last year. While he should test as an ok athlete, he isn’t the freakiest mover in space. That said, he should slide comfortably into a right tackle role and dominate there for quite some time. While Mims has the higher ceiling, Latham is the safer bet and doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of talent to get there.
While these ten prospects won’t all become Steelers (some of them don’t even make sense given the current makeup of the team), they are all names I have fallen in love with early in the draft process. Even if their home isn’t Pittsburgh, I’ll be following along with their careers in the league.