We are a little under five months away from the 2024 NFL Draft kicking off in Detroit. The Steelers did not make any moves before the trade deadline and they hold plenty of picks right now to improve their team. It's possible they could make some moves between now and the draft that could hinder their draft choices in 2024.
Steelers most pressing needs: CB, S, OC, OT, WR, QB
When you look at the Steelers' current needs, they have a lot to do on offense and the defensive secondary. Strong safety has not been bad, but the future of the position is murky next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. They need to figure that spot out and the starting cornerback opposite of Joey Porter Jr. A slot corner might be another area of focus.
Center and tackle could be looking for upgrades by the end of the season. Receiver might have to be a focus come draft time too with Allen Robinson II and Calvin Austin III not showing much in the passing game. Quarterback remains a question mark as Kenny Pickett's performances will determine how much desperation is behind addressing that need moving forward.
The Steelers have a trade to announce on night one of the draft
Pittsburgh sits there in this mock draft simulation and sees a lot of things falling in their favor. Some of the quarterbacks have fallen toward the bottom of the first round, so they decide to take some trade-back calls. Arizona is one of the many quarterback-needy teams that feel the pressure to move up and take a young quarterback.
The Steelers decided to move back 11 spots, which knocked them out of the first round completely. They do receive an extra third-round pick this year and swap this rounder with the Cardinals, which is an earlier selection. A nice little haul for Pittsburgh as they can move back and gain some extra selections in this draft.
Steelers start off this 2024 mock draft strong in the secondary
With the 34th overall pick in the draft, Pittsburgh takes Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota. He is a fifth-year safety who is still young and won't turn 23 until this summer. He has a lot of experience with the Golden Gophers and should be able to handle a starting role. Strong safety requires a lot of different qualities with flexibility being a key piece.
Nubin has an eye for the ball, but he is not afraid to get his face dirty in run defense. He has shown the ability to be deployed across the defense during his time in college. Damontae Kazee and others could challenge him for the starting job in camp, but this will be Nubin's job sooner rather than later. He is a talented player and a great value at this selection.
Pittsburgh gets to their other pick in the second round and takes someone that they have grown familiar with. After watching so much Joey Porter Jr. tape last season, the Steelers have been able to also notice Kalen King on the opposite side of him. Those two were one of the best cornerback duos in the country last season for Penn State.
The hope with this selection is that King can continue his development at the next level as Porter Jr. keeps pressure off him as a true number-one defensive back. King has produced more turnovers in college than Porter did, so that trend should translate to the next level. The black and gold need an answer on the opposite side of Porter and King would be a good option here.
They acquired this extra third-round pick with the trade back from earlier in this draft simulation. Pittsburgh finds good value here with Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma who should be able to jump onto the field and impress. Dan Moore Jr. cannot be the future at left tackle for the Steelers and they need to bring in some players that could develop and potentially challenge for the starting job.
Broderick Jones will probably become the starter on the left side eventually, but Pittsburgh needs to find someone to take over the right side responsibility. Guton is an exciting prospect that brings huge size along with him. He has mostly played on the right side throughout college and will probably end up there. Guyton might not be able to start on day one, but he provides depth and options.
Another value pick with the swap of third-rounders from the earlier trade with the Cardinals. A lot of good value in that move. Malachi Corley becomes their final selection on day two of the draft here. He is someone that can play an immediate role in the Steelers offense. Both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens will be back next season, barring a meltdown.
Adding someone like Corley would provide an upgrade for someone who could play in the slot. He is a smaller receiver overall, but he is elusive with the ball in his hands. Calvin Austin III has not been great, so Pittsburgh needs to look for insurance options this offseason. Corley has been great at Western Kentucky and should be able to play a similar style of play to Hines Ward in some aspects.
Kicking off the final day of the draft here with a bang as the Steelers get tremendous value by taking Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon. It would be an outlier from past drafts of the Steelers, but it would be hard to pass up someone like Powers-Johnson at this point. He is someone who can come in and start day one for the offensive line.
Mason Cole's future in Pittsburgh should be in question after this season. He has been a little above average during his best days with the black and gold, which isn't good enough. The Steelers need to find a reasonable solution to a reliable starter at center for them moving forward. Cole cannot be the only starting option moving forward, he hasn't earned that.
With their last choice in the fourth round and last pick until their selection in round six, the Steelers take another Penn State product with Johnny Dixon. He is a cornerback who has not been tremendous for the Penn State defense, but he could fill a void that the Steelers have been searching for. Dixon has little experience in the slot, but he has a lot of talent.
He has played mostly on the outside, but he is tremendous against the run and has been able to be a quality blitzer. He might have to play in a particular niche on the Steeler's defense, but he would be a solid addition. Another cornerback could be too rich here, but Dixon is someone the defense could utilize with his flexibility.
Pittsburgh decides to add some depth at running back late in the process to push some of those vying for a spot on the roster. Carson Steele is their answer here by selecting him in the sixth round out of UCLA. He transferred over to the Bruins program after playing his first two years in the MAC with Ball State. He is a big back who has shown promise this season.
Steele may decide to return to college for another season to try and up his draft stock for next year. He is only a Junior but would be someone who could come in and press someone like Anthony McFarland Jr. for his third-string job. Another value pick here for the Steelers as they get ready to round out their 2024 draft class.
It was hyped up this season after Sam Hartman announced that he would be transferring to Notre Dame. The marriage started strong but things started to turn sour in a hurry after Notre Dame lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the final seconds. Hartman was expected to have something similar to Kenny Pickett's last season at Pitt but that never materialized.
Hartman had a decent season overall, but all the hype surrounding the Fighting Irish seems like it affected him in a bad way. His best seasons were back-to-back at Wake Forrest before he joined Notre Dame. If an NFL team can get him back to that point then he can be a reliable backup option for the Steelers going forward. They just need to help him get back to that level.