It's NFL Combine week! All 32 teams have representatives on hand in Indianapolis to meet with and scout the best college football players in the nation who are set to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. We will soon have information about which players Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will visit with during their time at the Combine, and this data will help us make even more educated guesses as to which players they could be targeting this April.
As of now, all eyes will be on the 300-plus players who are set to weigh in and take the stage for the biggest workout of their lives. Recently, NFL Draft analysts took a stab at one last pre-Combine first-round mock draft.
Pittsburgh clearly has several directions they could go, but one familiar name popped up the most frequently this week. Here's what draft experts have the front office doing in the latest Steelers mock draft roundup.
Steelers mock draft roundup: Amarius Mims is the popular pick ahead of the NFL Combine
Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Recently, NFL Network Analyst, Bucky Brooks, released the second edition of his first-round mock draft. Following a run on offensive tackles and cornerbacks in the teens, Brooks has the Pittsburgh Steelers going with the best available OT option: Georgia's Amarius Mims. The Steelers need to find a way to kick Dan Moore Jr. to the bench. Mims wouldn't be guaranteed to start right away (as he is extremely raw), but he would eventually take over at right tackle with Broderick Jones kicking back over to left tackle.
Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman, Pro Football Focus: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
Jackson Powers-Johnson has been the most frequently mocked player to the Steelers early in the pre-draft process, and that might not change anytime soon. Following the decision to release Mason Cole, Pittsburgh has a bigger need at center than ever. Obviously, what they do in free agency could determine how hard they will pursue a center in the NFL Draft, but as of now, Powers-Johnson is a prime candidate to be the 20th overall pick.
Connor Livesay, The 33rd Team: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Like Bucky Brooks, Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team also mocked Amarius Mims to the Steelers in his most recent NFL mock draft. Admittedly, this would make for an extremely raw and unpolished OT duo with Mims and Jones, but the upside is undeniable. Tomlin clearly loves Georgia players, as Pittsburgh selected two of them in the first three rounds last year (OT Broderick Jones and TE Darnell Washington).
Will Helms, Pro Football Network: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Will Helms of Pro Football Network has the Steelers going with cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry with the 20th overall pick in the NFL Draft This doesn't seem to be as popular of a selection as it once was, as the Alabama CB seems to be sliding on draft boards ahead of the NFL Combine. However, we know that the Steelers have a major hole at cornerback, and McKinstry checks the box when it comes to nearly everything this team looks for in a first-round pick.
Kyle Stackpole, CBS Sports: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Here's one more vote for Amarius Mims. Based on Pittsburgh's need at offensive tackle and looking ahead to how the board could lay out, there's a chance that that Mims is the best player available for the Steelers who also happens to line up with a major position of need. The Mims-to-Pittsburgh selection is gaining steam in the latest NFL mock drafts.