The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, with the second and third rounds set to start at 7 p.m. Friday. It was awesome to see Cam Heyward recognized as part of the proceedings for winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his off-field contributions to the community. Heyward would get the honor of announcing the Steelers’ first pick after being introduced by the commissioner. With the Steelers holding pick No. 20, there were moves made by other teams that led to the chance to select offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. The first five picks of the draft went according to script, making for a boring hour of viewing. Things would then get interesting.
How Troy Fautanu slid to pick No. 20
At No.6, the New York Giants could have been an uninvited guest to the quarterback feeding frenzy. In a year when the Steelers were not looking for a quarterback, seeing as many as possible get drafted ahead of No. 20 would be a good thing. The Giants didn’t help the cause and went with wide receiver Malik Nabers instead.
Out of nowhere at No.8, the Falcons came swooping in and shocked fans everywhere by drafting quarterback Michael Penix even though they just signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract that includes $100 million guaranteed. The bloody scalps that will be treated today in metro Atlanta urgent care facilities are the result of hours of intense head-scratching by the Falcon fan base.
With Atlanta being an unexpected player in the quarterback derby, the Vikings would trade up to No.10 to select JJ McCarthy. In a draft that was expected to see four or five quarterbacks taken in the first round, we saw five in the first 10 picks. Action like that pushed non-quarterbacks down the draft board, meaning better talent would be around for a team without quarterback as a need.
The Denver Broncos used pick No. 12 to take a sixth quarterback. Bo Nix was widely regarded as a second-round talent, but the Broncos had no second-round pick. Rather than risking losing Nix in a trade-down, they snatched him early and pushed yet another non-quarterback down the board.
After 14 straight picks of offensive players, teams started plucking their top defenders off the rack at discount prices. With five spots before the Steelers slot, four defensive players would be drafted. Three of those were edge rushers, Pittsburgh’s strongest position group and one of their least likely draft targets.
The only offensive player taken amid that run of defenders was tackle Amarius Mims by the Bengals at No. 18. Mims is considered a very raw player with tremendous upside. If the Steelers were looking for immediate on-filed impact, Mims may have required too much patience.
Finally the Steelers were on the clock. With a solid handful of great options available, a trade-down was a possibility. In a press conference after the pick, Omar Khan confirmed that the phones were ringing. He and Mike Tomlin were giddy at Fautanu being available to them and made the pick, ignoring any offers that came in.
At this point, many Steeler fans likely turned off the TV and headed to bed. There was almost no chance that the Steelers would trade back into the first round from No. 51 and make another selection before Friday. That doesn’t mean the next picks wouldn’t affect the Black and Gold though.
How the last 12 picks affect the Steelers plans for Day Two
After drafting a top offensive tackle, the Steelers’ top remaining needs include center and wide receiver. None of the top center prospects had been drafted, and there were still plenty of highly regarded receivers available. There had been much pre-draft speculation about a trade for a veteran wide receiver, but that hasn’t happened yet. If they were looking to draft one, what happened between pick No. 21 and pick No. 32 was still of interest.
The Jaguars used No. 23 to take receiver Brian Thomas in the middle of three other defensive selections. Thomas was often mocked to the Steelers, and it was no surprise to see him go.
At No. 25, the Packers would leave everyone dumbfounded with their selection of offensive lineman Jordan Morgan, widely regarded as a Day Two prospect. So far, so good. Four of the five players picked weren’t going to affect Pittsburgh.
The Buccaneers would take the top center prospect at No. 26 when they selected Graham Barton. There wasn’t a mock draft out there that had him lasting to No. 51, although a tiny few had him dropping within trade-up range, around No. 40.
The Chiefs would trade up to No. 28 and take wide receiver Xavier Worthy. As a team needing receiver help, seeing two go in a span of six picks could lead to a run at the position.
At No.31 the 49ers would take receiver Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall was a pre-draft visitor of the Steelers who was routinely mocked near the No. 51 spot. This was unwelcome news for Khan and company. It was now three receivers out of the last nine picks. Thankfully there was just one more selection before everyone could catch their breath and sleep on things.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, what happened at No.31 would also happen at No. 32. The Panthers traded up one spot to select wide receiver Xavier Legette. Like Pearsall, Legette was also a pre-draft visitor who was routinely mocked in the 40s.
In the final two picks of the night, the Steelers saw two very reasonable second-round wide receiver targets get swooped up. Two other pre-draft receiver visitors with second-round grades remain in Ladd McConkey and Malachi Corley— McConkey near the top of the round and Corley at the end.
The Steelers also saw two first-round picks that significantly affected their wide receiver trade possibilities. The 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and the Broncos’ Courtland Sutton have been the two hottest rumors for trade acquisitions. The odds of Sutton being available took a hit when the Broncos selected Bo Nix. Having good weapons for a young quarterback is a must.
If the Broncos were to trade Sutton, it would leave their wide receiver position to be led by second-year Marvin Mims and his 23 catches to go with discount veteran free-agent signing Josh Reynolds. Keeping Sutton around became more likely with the Nix pick. On the flip side, the 49ers are now more likely to trade a wide receiver after using their first-round pick on Pearsall. With the late run on the position, the Steelers may be more willing to pull off such a trade.
