Ranking positions Steelers will draft in Round 1 from most to least likely

We can start counting down the days until the kick-off of the 2024 NFL Draft, and fans of every team are interested to see which direction their franchise chooses to go in Round 1. Since the 2023 season concluded, fans have been taking stabs at which position the Pittsburgh Steelers will target with the 20th overall pick in the first round.

There has been no consensus, and this has included a range of positions from center to cornerback to wide receiver. However, the closer we get to the NFL Draft, the clearer the picuture becomes.

Thanks to 'X' (formerly known as Twitter), we have been able to gather all of the NFL Combine meetings, Pro Day meetings, and Top 30 visits the Steelers have had this offseason leading up to the draft (you can check out our full Steelers visit tracker here).

Based on this data and the positions Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin appear to be focused on, here are the five possible positions the Pittsburgh Steelers could target in Round 1 ranked from most likely to least likely.

1. Offensive tackle

If you're surprised to see offensive tackle at the top of this list, you haven't been paying close enough attention. Since the NFL Combine, the Steelers have been meeting with several of the top OT prospects in the class. Three prospects in particular -- Amaris Mims, JC Latham, and Taliese Fuaga -- check at least two of the visit boxes.

Mims is a player who checks every box when it comes to the Pro Day meeting, Combine meeting, and Top 30 visit, and it stands to reason that he's the most likely player the Steelers will target if available at pick 20 in the NFL Draft. Omar Khan has talked repeatedly about building the offensive line, the team wants Broderick Jones to move back to left tackle. There is a very strong chance they will take a right tackle with their first pick in the draft.

2. Cornerback

This isn't what I would do, personally, but it's hard to ignore cornerback as a position the Pittsburgh Steelers could target in Round 1. While the front office appears to have the most interest in the talented group of offensive tackles at the top of the draft, they have met with numberous first-round cornerback prospects.

Ike Taylor confirmed that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan took Alabama cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry out to dinner when they were in town for Alabama's Pro Day. They also formally met with both of these CB prospects at the NFL Combine. Clemson CB Nate Wiggins joins Georgia OT Amarius Mims as the only other player to check every single visit box.

If the OT prospects Pittsburgh likes are gone when they are selecting, cornerback is the second-highest position on their first-round radar entering the NFL Draft.

3. Wide Receiver

There was a brief period of time when it felt like wide receiver was the most likely target for the Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft. This came shortly after Pittsburgh traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Though they later signed a pair of receivers (Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins), neither are expected to fill the void and act as the team's starting receiver alongside George Pickens.

The Steelers desperately need wide receiver help, but Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan didn't express enough interst in the first-round prospects for them to go this route in the first round of the draft. Instead, they have shown interest in receivers like Xavier Legette, Ricky Pearsall, and Malachi Corley -- indicating that they are going to take a WR on Day 2.

4. Center

Many Steelers fans won't be pleased to see that center is just the fourth most-likely position the Pittsburgh Steelers will take in Round 1 of the NFL Draft, but it's hard to refute. While Pittsburgh's need for a starting center is undeniable, They haven't expressed nearly as much interest as most would have assumed.

Throughout the entire pre-draft process, the Steelers didn't hold a formal meeting with Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson, and they only met with Duke's Graham Barton at the NFL Combine (possibly viewing him as a tackle).

There was an early report that the Steelers were going to meet with West Virginia center Zach Frazier, but this was never confirmed and he would be a local visit (not counting against the 30 visits allowed).

What's interesting is that the Steelers have shown more interest in mid-round center prospects like Sedrick Van Pran and Beaux Limmer than they have for guy like Powers-Johnson and Frazier. Despite their need, it would be a surprise if they took a center with their top pick in 2024.

5. Defensive line

Defensive line has been a sneaky need for the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout the pre-draft process. Many have speculated that this could be Cameron Heyward's last year, and the front office is going to want to find a quality interior defender to pair with Keeanu Benton for the future.

It's not hard to connect the dots. The Steelers have had pre-draft visits or Pro Day visits with players like Missouri's Darius Robinson (a college EDGE who will move to IDL at the next level), Florida State's Braden Fiske, Clemson' Ruke Orhorhoro, and Michigan's Kris Jenkins Jr.

Most of these players are second-round candidates, and it's much more likely that Pittsburgh takes a defensive lineman on Day 2 of the draft. Selecting an interior defender at pick 20 is a long shot and the last of the five posible positions the Steelers could raft in Round 1, but it's something we can't rule out entirely based on their visits.