Age-old philosophy holds the keys to a perfect Steelers draft in 2024

Today's NFL is rapidly evolving. Once a run-heavy league, the quick passing game has become the staple of a successful offense in recent years. Unfortunately, this is not something that every team can execute at a high level.

The harsh reality is that there are only so many 'franchise' quarterbacks in the NFL at a given time and, unless Russell Wilson or Justin Fields prove otherwise, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of many teams who don't possess one.

When you don't have a quarterback who can carry the team on their shoulders, everything is more difficult. For these teams, drafting well is a must in order to stay competitive in the post-season.

Omar Khan appears to be on the right track. In his first full offseason as general manager of the Steelers, Khan was able to land impressive value at an important position. It's early, but the 2023 class could be one of the best Pittsburgh has seen in the past decade.

Khan, along with assistant GM Andy Weild, are getting back to their roots, and they can turn things around in a hurry by implementing this age-old winning philosophy in the NFL Draft.

Steelers must value trenches above all else in the NFL Draft

A wise person once told me that a team can't go wrong if they were to target the trenches with their top pick every year in the NFL Draft... and it makes sense. While not every pick is going to hit, it's hard to build a Super Bowl-winning team without a stable foundation.

Sadly, this is something the Pittsburgh Steelers got away from over the past decade of Kevin Colbert's tenure. In his early years, Colbert found a Hall of Fame guard in Round 1 by taking Alan Faneca. Later on, he struck gold on Maurkice Pouncey (2010), Cameron Heyward (2011), and David DeCastro (2012) with his first-round pick in three straight years.

Then something strange happened: Colbert went the final 10 years of his career as GM without spending a single first-round pick on an offensive lineman or an interior defender.

Now Omar Khan has a chance to right the ship... and me might be poised to do exactly that.

The Steelers have expressed more interest in the offensive tackle class than any positional group in the 2024 NFL Draft. With such a deep and talented group of tackles, it's possible that Pittsburgh can nab a player like JC Latham, Amarius Mims, or Troy Fautanu with their 20th overall pick.

Kudos to Khan and Weidl for recognizing that this team can't get by with what they've had at the offensive tackle position (inarguably one of the most important positions in football). After Colbert went his entire tenure without taking an OT in Round 1, Khan ended a 26-year drought in his first year as GM when he traded up to take Broderick Jones.

Aside from relentlessly pursuing a quarterback until you find a 'franchise' QB, beefing up the trenches with talented players is an age-old philosophy that teams seldom regret. This formula holds the key to a successful Steelers draft in 2024.