We are less than a week away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the excitement is about to amp up. Last year was Omar Khan's first draft as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he showed just how aggressive he's willing to be.
Khan traded for Allen Robinson just days before the 2023 draft. During the draft, the new Steelers GM made two trades -- one to move up for Broderick Jones in one to trade back to add a fourth-round pick.
Because of Khan's aggressiveness early in his tenure, we won't be surprised to see Pittsburgh pull off trades in the 2024 NFL Draft. In my latest Steelers mock draft, Omar Khan pulls off two trades in a wild turn of events.
Steelers mock draft Round 1: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
The Pittsburgh Steelers have eyed Amarius Mims throughout the pre-draft process, and they may like him enough as a prospect that they are willing to trade up a few spots to ensure they don't miss out on him (much like Jones last year).
The Bengals are rumored to have a strong interest in Mims and could take him in Georgia TE Brock Bowers is off the board at pick 18. I have the Steelers leapfrogging Cincinnati and trading with Jacksonville. The Steelers surrender pick 20, pick 98, and a 2025 5th-round pick for the 17th pick that they use to select Mims.
Steelers mock draft Round 2: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
Cooper DeJean is a player who the Pittsburgh Steelers may consider selecting in the first round this year, but like Joey Porter Jr. in 2023, DeJean slides out of the first round as teams look elsewhere to fill needs. DeJean is recovering from a broken leg and didn't do much to increase his stock during the pre-draft process. As a result, only a handful of teams met with DeJean for a Top 30 pre-draft visits.
Omar Khan will gladly pick up the pieces. Though he may prefer to trade back and pick up additional draft capital, he can't pass up the opportunity to jump up for a player they have a first-round grade on. I have the Steelers trading pick 51, pick 119, and a 2025 7th-round pick for pick 47 and pick 183.
With the 47th overall pick, the Steelers run their card to the podium for Cooper DeJean. He will begin his career as Pittsburgh's slot cornerback but can slide to the outside opposite Porter by his second season.
Steelers mock draft Round 3: Maason Smith, DL, LSU
Because of the trade-up, the Steelers miss out on an opportunity to land a starting-caliber receiver on Day 2 of the draft (a trade-off they will gladly take to land both Amarius Mims and Cooper DeJean). This puts them in a position to take one of the highest players on their draft board at a different position of need.
Pittsburgh is eyeing the interior defensive line, and Maason Smith is a player who is firmly on their radar after hosting him for a pre-draft visit. At 6'5 1/8'' and 306 lbs with 35'' arms, Smith has a body type very much in the mold of former defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt. Smith's game needs plenty of refinement, but the upside to being a starter alongside Keeanu Benton when Cameron Heyward retires is there.
Steelers mock draft Round 6 (via ARI): Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State
After missing out on the first two waves of centers, Pittsburgh finds a consolation prize in Hunter Nourzad. Nourzad started his college career at Cornell before transferring to Penn State.
At 24 years old, Nourzad is one of the oldest prospects in the class, but his experience all over the offensive line and quality play at center for Penn State make him a solid choice at this stage of the NFL Draft. He shares a very similar size and athletic profile to West Virginia center Zach Frazier.
Steelers mock draft Round 6 (via NYG): Cornelius Washington, WR, Michigan
In a perfect world, the Steelers would like to get a wide receiver much earlier than this in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the board did break their way in the third round and the value didn't line up until this point.
Cornelius Johnson was a five-year player at Michigan who never put up big numbers, but he's coming from a run-heavy scheme. The lesser known of Michigan's starting receivers (the other being Roman Wilson, Johnson has excellent size and athletic traits with 4.44 speed at 6' 2 3/4'' and 212 pounds. He fits the profile of what Arthur Smith looks for at the position and has the upside to develop into a WR3.
Steelers mock draft Round 6: Omar Speights, LB, LSU
The Steelers could elect to double up on wide receiver, cornerback, or the defensive line, but I have them adding linebacker depth with their final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
There's nothing that jumps out when it comes to Omar Speights' tape and some teams will have an undrafted grade on him, but he's got quality size, a physical demeanor, and good enough athletic traits to make him a core special teams player at the NFL level.