Who will be the next group to help shape the future of the black and gold?
We’re just a few days away from the NFL Draft which can only mean one thing – no more takebacks. This is my final mock draft, and I hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage throughout.
For this exercise, instead of picking who I think the Steelers would take out of a hat, I combed through every pick for each NFL team. Three full rounds, weighing team needs and evaluating top-30 visits. I wanted a clear picture of how the board could break, and I’ll take you through that thought process.
The big caveat is that I did not include trades outside of round one. A trade-up or a trade-down for Pittsburgh would throw all mock drafts off – and I think it’s likelier to happen than not. It would have also given me a nasty headache.
Alright… for the last time.
Round 1, No. 20: Graham Barton, OL, Duke
When I put together Barton’s draft profile back in mid-March, my headline was the following: “Barton could be the most overlooked prospect for Pittsburgh at pick 20.”
Not anymore. At least in my mind, he’s the favorite to be the Steelers’ pick at No. 20 — and for good reason. The Steelers currently don’t have a center. That’s a big problem. They also have a desire for players who can start immediately due to their “win-now mentality.” They don’t have time to wait around.
Barton has surpassed Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson on most draft boards and it’s easy to see why. He’s athletic and has plenty of experience in a zone-heavy offense. Barton’s versatility will ultimately be the tiebreaker between him and someone like Georgia’s Amarius Mims. He can be an above-average guard, and I think he could be a slightly below-average tackle in this league, which is why I described him as an offensive lineman and not just a center.
Here are how some of the picks before him looked:
Round 2, No. 51: Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
Omar Khan’s top priority last year was getting stronger in the trenches. Three of his first four picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including OT Broderick Jones, DT Keeanu Benton and TE Darnell Washington, were built to control the line of scrimmage. Khan’s not going to stop there.
Pittsburgh brought in six defensive linemen for top-30 visits, including the versatile Seminole defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
Fiske is a sixth-year redshirt senior and will be ready to play immediately. He has above-average play speed for a defensive tackle and can line up anywhere on the D-line. His ability to fight through traffic to attack the ball is uncanny. His motor and upper body strength make him a very attractive prospect.
Braden Fiske is a freak pic.twitter.com/5OhKL6RFyD
— JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) April 18, 2024
The Steelers also take value over need here. We’re generally seeing a receiver being mocked to Pittsburgh here, but South Carolina WR Xavier Legette and Michigan WR Roman Wilson were taken.
Here is how the board shook out here:
This is a deep wide receiver class, and I think Pittsburgh can afford to wait.
Round 3, No. 84: DeVontez Walker, WR, UNC
While I’m not particularly high on Walker, there are reasons to believe this could happen. I’ve been swayed by the many eyeballs that were present at the Senior Bowl, where Walker reportedly forgot how to catch a football. Walker was considered by many a lock to go in the second round, prior to the Senior Bowl. Now he’s generally in this region.
But he only had three drops all year long at North Carolina. So, I wouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions there.
He’s a physical specimen and a deep-threat long strider. Here are a few really important tidbits:
- Steelers OC Arthur Smith went to four pro days this year — Georgia, Clemson, Michigan … and North Carolina. Was he there to watch QB Drake Maye? Probably not. There isn’t another UNC offensive player worth keeping an eye on in this class.
- Consider this – Russell Wilson’s best attribute is his deep ball. It always has been his deep ball. He’s consistently ranked toward the top of the league in average depth and completion per pass. That’s what Walker does best.
I’d imagine the Steelers have watched plenty of tape on Clemson CB Nate Wiggins, and he gave up some big plays to Walker this past season.
Devontez Walker wins this one-on-one battle against Nate Wiggins, displaying the vertical speed needed to gain separation. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/LQdyMQQBF2
— WBG84 (@WBG84) April 17, 2024
I want to hedge my bets a bit here – I think this pick could easily be a trade-up for Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley or Florida WR Ricky Pearsall, and I think both will fall to round three.
Round 3, No. 98: Matt Goncalves, OT, Pitt
You down with the ACC? Yeah, you know me! This would make it four straight players from that conference drafted by the black and gold.
The Steelers would be very familiar with Goncalves. QB Kenny Pickett’s former blindside blocker met with the Steelers for a local pre-draft visit, and if his health checks out, he could be a steal at this range. The 6’6 lineman suffered a toe injury in Pitt’s week 3 game against West Virginia which ended up requiring surgery shortly thereafter. He missed the rest of the season. He feels fully healthy now, and that was verified at the Panthers’ pro day when Goncalves ran a 5.12 forty-yard dash, which is faster than Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga (5.13).
Goncalves told me he’s confident he can play all five positions on the offensive line, but likely projects as a left or right tackle in the NFL.
Round 4, No. 119: Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
Waiting until pick 119 to address a large need isn’t ideal, but once again, they have more important holes to fill. And if they get Hart here – it’s one of the steals of the draft.
Entering the ring at 6’2, Hart is a massive corner who uses his size to dominate on contested catches. Over the years Pittsburgh has generally preferred bigger corners like Hart.
The Steelers are comfortable with Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson holding down the top two corner spots and don’t forget about last year’s camp standout Corey Trice returning from injury.
Round 6, No. 178: Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State
I haven’t had the Steelers drafting a Georgia or Ohio State player yet, so I had to meet the quota here.
OSU linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is limited from a physical standpoint, but he’s a sure tackler and a proven leader. He’s a three-year starter and two-time captain at Ohio State and was first-team All Big-10 the last two years.
Pittsburgh could use help at inside linebacker following the injury to Cole Holcomb last season.
Round 6, No. 196: Mohamed Kamara, EDGE, Colorado State
I think the Steelers will address EDGE at some point in this draft, and Kamara is a highly productive prospect out of Colorado State. The 2023 Mountain West defensive player of the year had a whopping 14 sacks last season and finished with 42 sacks over a five-year span.
Mohamed Kamara has a quick first step off the ball, but he struggles at the point of attack in the run game. He’s obviously a developmental prospect, but the exact type of player you’d want to add in the later rounds.
What positions do you hope the Steelers target in the 2024 NFL Draft? Did any other prospects catch your eye throughout bowl season? Join the Behind The Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!