A busy offseason might allow some flexibility for the Pittsburgh Steelers in this week’s NFL draft.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said as much in Monday’s pre-draft news conference, which indicates that Pittsburgh could have the luxury of drafting the best player available come Round 1 on Thursday night.
“We’ve been very active in free agency and that makes you really comfortable as we lean in on draft weekend,” Tomlin said. “So that we’ve addressed a lot of needs and don’t feel overly thirsty in any particular area. I just think that’s a good feel going into the weekend.”
The Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded former first-round pick Kenny Pickett before acquiring Justin Fields in what was one of the offseason’s blockbuster deals. Pittsburgh also added a former rival in Patrick Queen to fulfill a long-vacated hole at the linebacker position, brought in veteran cornerback Donte Jacksonin another trade and rounded out its busy spring by signing quality skill-position depth in Cordarrelle Patterson, Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins.
A starting center seems to be the only position of need for the Steelers entering the 2024 NFL Draft, but general manager Omar Khan said Monday that there offensive linemen on the roster that have the ability to make a full-time switch.
That leaves an intriguing spot at No. 20 overall when Pittsburgh is on the clock. But before looking into what pro days the Steelers attended in order to try to zero in on whom they’re interested in, Tomlin indicated it could be a ploy to throw teams — or even the media — off Pittsburgh’s scent.
“Sometimes at pro days, I’m looking at people I’m not interested in because I know everyone’s watching,” Tomlin said. “To be bluntly honest, there’s not a lot of my peers that work on the pro-day circuit the way that I work. And so I understand that my movement, what I pay attention to, who I conversate with all becomes media fodder. And so sometimes I have fun with you guys.”
Here’s what else we’re monitoring on Monday ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, which kicks off Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET:
With a handful of quarterback and wide receiver prospects expected to rule the top half of Round 1, who will be the first defensive player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft? NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport lists several names who could be the answer to that intriguing question, though it’s no shock it includes two of the most highly sought-after positions on the defensive side of the ball: pass rusher and cornerback. Pass-rushing prospect Dallas Turner leads his tally, and Rapoport adds that the Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and Chicago Bears (No. 9) could potentially make the Alabama product a top-10 pick. Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who’s been receiving comparisons to Aaron Donald, could also crack the top 10, according to Rapoport, while Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell, UCLA edge Laiatu Latu, Florida State edge Jared Verse and Alabama CB Terrion Arnold also remain as candidates for being the first defender taken come Thursday night.
