Steelers' pre-draft visit with Adonai Mitchell proves WR is an option in Round 1

At the conclusion of NFL Pro Days, it looked like it was getting easy to narrow down which position the Pittsburgh Steelers would target with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Offensive tackle was the only position checking all of the boxes when it came to Pro Day meetings and Top 30 pre-draft visits.

Players like Georgia OT Amarius Mims and Alabama OT JC Latham quickly emerged as frontrunners. While this might still be the case, we quickly heard that the Steelers had a pre-draft visit with Clemson CB Nate Wiggins and that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan took Alabama cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry out to dinner -- making CB a possibility in the first round.

Now a new position has emerged as a candidate to be selected by the Steelers in Round 1.

On April 8th, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported that the Steelers had a Top 30 pre-draft visit scheduled with Texas wide receiver, Adonai Mitchell.

At 6'2 1/4'' and 205 pounds, Mitchell is a big receiver with soft, natural hands who fits the profile that new OC Arthur Smith typically looks for at the position. After lighting up the NFL Combine with a 4.34 40-yard dash and an 11'4'' broad jump, Mitchell started flying up draft boards.

Mitchell now checks two of the three visit boxes we look for in a Steelers first-round pick. Though Pittsburgh's brass was not on hand at his Texas Pro Day on March 20th, Mitchell was a formal NFL Combine visit and now a Top 30 visit.

Steelers could draft AD Mitchell at pick 20

The biggest historical indicator of whether the Pittsburgh Steelers will spend a first-round on a player is whether or not a player gets a Pro Day visit with the head coach and general manager -- more specifically, a Pro Day dinner meeting. While AD Mitchell does not check that box, he now earns a pre-draft visit.

Mitchell is a player who is slated to be drafted in the back half of the first round. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, Mitchell's average draft position since early March has been between pick 25 and pick 30 in Round 1, and he has been most frequently mocked to the Buffalo Bills at pick 28.

It seems unlikely the Steelers would use a Top 30 visit on a first-round prospect if they had no interest in drafting him in Round 1. Perhaps this could come in a trade-back scenario, but taking him at pick 20 is not a significant reach on the consensus board.

With three selections on Day 2, it's possible Omar Khan would be willing to jump back into the late first round or early second round to secure a player like Mithcell if he's still on the board. However, after his Top 30 pre-draft visit with the team, he is squarely on Pittsburgh's first-round radar.

In addition to Adonai Mitchell, the Steelers expressed interest in a trio of first-round receivers at the NFL Combine as they hosted formal meetings with Mitchell, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas Jr.

Offensive tackle could still be the most likely selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 1, but wide receiver now joins cornerback as a position that must be considered in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.