The 2024 NFL Combine has officially come to a close and it’s time to glean and dissect some of the information pertinent to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over 100 prospects took to the stage in Indianapolis to run, jump, and throw while wearing their finest pair of shorts. While their performances won’t necessarily be an end-all-be-all regarding their draft stock, there are still plenty of assumptions to be made based on the information released. Let’s take a look at a few of those.
1. No center meetings? No problem!
The Steelers did not meet with two players they’ve frequently been linked to early on in the draft process. Those two are Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Why is this not something to write home about? Because Pittsburgh spent extensive time with Powers-Johnson in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and likely didn’t need to do it again.
JPJ is a powerful center who doesn’t have many flaws in his game. He’s projected to go in the first round by most prognosticators.
West Virginia’s Frazier is coming off an injury and hasn’t reportedly met with the Steelers. However, given their interest in the position and his local roots, it seems likely that Pittsburgh will be at his pro and likely bring him in for a top-30 visit.
For what it’s worth, they did meet with George C Sedrick Van-Pran.
2. Wide receivers were the flavor of the weekend.
Who had the Steelers meeting with Washington WR Rome Odunze on their bingo card? Odunze, one of the most prolific wideouts in college football history, will probably be selected in the top 10, rated as the No. 3 overall prospect on NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 only behind USC QB Caleb Williams and OSU WR Marvin Harrison Jr. But it wasn’t just the Huskies pass-catcher that garnered attention from the Steelers. Here is a list of receivers that they met with:
Brian Thomas Jr. – LSU
Adonai Mitchell – Texas
Troy Franklin – Oregon
Ricky Pearsall – Florida
Keon Coleman – Florida State
Tez Walker – North Carolina
Jalen McMillan – Washington
Those guys are not late-round flyers by any means. Their heavy interest in the top-flight pass-catchers could mean a Diontae Johnson trade is looming, or the most likely scenario — they just want to improve their abysmal offense.
3. There’s no interest in the second tier of quarterbacks
Or at least they are hiding it extremely well. The Steelers did not meet with Michigan quarterback prospect J.J. McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., or Oregon’s Bo Nix. Those three players could be available at pick 20, though McCarthy is a longshot given his recent apparent rise in draft stock.
This aligns with the reports that Pittsburgh plans to either stick with Kenny Pickett as their signal-caller or chase a new quarterback via Free Agency or a trade. Which brings me to my last takeaway…
4. This Justin Fields thing could really happen
When Adam Schefter speaks, we should all listen. One of the NFL’s top insiders said that Pittsburgh is interested in Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields.
There are no doubts around the league that Fields will be traded. It’s a formality that the Bears plan on drafting USC QB Caleb Williams with the first overall selection, which means that Fields, their first-round pick in 2018, won’t have a spot on the roster. The Bears also said that they want to do right by Fields and trade him before free agency, whenever they officially decide that Williams’ is their guy (they’ve decided).
It doesn’t necessarily feel like teams are lining up at the door to acquire Fields, which means a second-day pick could ultimately be the compensation that Chicago receives. If that’s all it takes, given the Steelers’ current quarterback situation, and the upside a guy like Fields presents — how could they not have interest?
