Following a three-game skid to begin the month of December, the Pittsburgh Steelers have since bounced back -- winning two straight contests. Many point to a quarterback change as one of the big reasons for the turnaround, as a Mason Rudolph-led offense has averaged 32 points per game and over 400 yards per contest.
The Steelers are preparing for their final week of the regular season in which they will take on the Ravens in Baltimore. A win in Week 18 -- coupled with a loss from either the Jaguars or Bills -- will be enough to get Pittsburgh into the playoffs as a Wild Card team.
After salvaging their record and improving to 9-7 with the road win over the Seahawks, Pittsburgh's draft positioning really wasn't affected much. Here's a look at the full first-round NFL Draft order for 2024 if the season ended today, per Tankathon.com.
2024 NFL Draft order if season ended before Week 18:
1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers)
2. Washington Commanders
3. New England Patriots
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. New York Giants
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Tennessee Titans
8. New York Jets
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Chicago Bears
11. Las Vegas Raiders
12. Minnesota Vikings
13. New Orleans Saints
14. Denver Broncos
15. Seattle Seahawks
16. Cincinnati Bengals
17. Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
19. Green Bay Packers
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Los Angeles Rams
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Philadelphia Eagles
27. Detroit Lions
28. Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns)
29. Miami Dolphins
30. Dallas Cowboys
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Baltimore Ravens
Despite their late-season surge, the Chicago Bears would still own two top-10 selections if the 2023 season ended today -- including the first overall pick acquired from the Carolina Panthers in the draft last April to move up for QB Bryce Young. The Cardinals also hold a pair of first-round selections, but their pick from Houston has moved all the way down to 17th overall as the Texans continue to turn heads.
On the opposite end, the Baltimore Ravens would hold the last pick in the first round (32nd overall) if the 2023 season ended today. They have the best record in the league and are coming off blowout wins over the Dolphins and 49ers.
For Steelers fans, if you want to look on the bright side, they are in somewhat of a 'best of both worlds' scenario. If they find a win against the Ravens this week (and the Bills or Jaguars lose) they will be in the playoffs. If not, they will have a mid-first-round pick they can use to bolster their roster.
If the season ended ahead of Week 18, the Steelers would hold the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Last year, Pittsburgh held the 17th overall selection in each round, and with their draft capital, they were able to reel in quite the haul (though they did have an extra second-round pick thanks to the Chase Claypool trade).
Because of records and tiebreakers, Pittsburgh likely will not be picking higher than 17th this year, and if they enter the playoffs (and win a playoff game) they will be picking somewhere in the 20s. Let's see how things play out in the season finale. The good news is that, if the Steelers will and do not make the playoffs, their draft stock will be unaffected.