Over the past 23 NFL drafts, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made a selection in the top 10 just once. That came after the Steelers traded up from No. 20 to No. 10 in 2019. Ironically, Pittsburgh again holds the No. 20 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey argued the Steelers should package in a deal to move up into the top 10 to draft Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims.
Tansey also named offensive tackle prospects Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu as potential Steelers draft targets after a trade up into the top 10.
“Mims should be the target of a potential trade into the top 10 unless Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu tumble out of the top six,” wrote Tansey.
“Securing a long-term protector for Pickett is imperative this offseason and the draft may be the best way to complete that goal.”
Tansey noted that Bleacher Report projected Mims to be the No. 10 selection to the New York Jets. Bleacher Report had Alt and Fashanu the first two offensive tackles off the board at No. 5 and 6 overall, respectively.
Including the 2019 trade, the Steelers have moved up in the first round in two of the past five drafts. But a jump into the top 10 could still be historic for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers haven’t made a pick above the No. 10 selection since 2000. That year, they selected wide receiver Plaxico Buress at No. 8 overall.
The NFL is known as a copy cat league. This offseason, the copycats are apparently out pushing the Steelers as a trade up candidate in the 2024 NFL draft.
In the past week alone, three analysts have argued the Steelers could move up the draft board to select an offensive tackle.
On February 15, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards proposed Mike Tomlin’s team trading the No. 20 pick to move to No. 16 overall. Then on February 17, Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings had the Steelers leaping from No. 20 to 17 overall in his new mock draft.
Tansey’s trade proposal was the most bold, as his had Pittsburgh jumping into the top 10.
It makes sense for mock draft experts to suggest the Steelers as a trade up candidate. Last year, the Steelers dealt their No. 17 and No. 120 overall picks to the New England Patriots for No. 14. Pittsburgh then selected offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
The Steelers also traded their 2019 and 2020 first-round picks.
The Steelers moving up in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft is just beginning to gain momentum. But mock draft experts have linked Mims with Pittsburgh since the end of the regular season.
Jones and Mims were teammates at Georgia. Both were on the roster when Georgia won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Each started during the College Football Playoffs when the program defended its title at the end of the 2022-23 season.
That alone makes Mims an interesting potential draft target for the Steelers.
Adding Mims to pair with Jones could also give Pittsburgh its two starting offensive tackles for the foreseeable future.
Jones started at right tackle during the second half of 2023, but left tackle is his more natural position. Mims could start at right tackle for Pittsburgh with Jones flipping back to left tackle. That’s where they were positioned for Georgia in the 2023 College Football Playoffs.
Dan Moore has started at left tackle for the Steelers the past three years. But he’s been inconsistent, particularly in pass protection. His rookie contract also expires after the 2024 season.
Like Jones last year, Mims may not be ready to start Week 1. But Moore can remain in the lineup until Mims is ready. Once he is, the Steelers would have a pair of former college national champions anchoring both ends of their offensive line.
