REPORT: The Steelers have just assembled an all-time draft class.
Never in my life have I seen a Pittsburgh Steelers draft class that looked this terrific.
With a combination of outstanding drafting, luck, and the football gods smiling on them, the Steelers went 4-for-4 in making good draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, and they didn’t have to move up for any of them.
Troy Fautanu, an offensive tackle from Washington, was drafted 20th overall by Pittsburgh. Zach Frazier, a West Virginia center, was waiting at No. 51 in Round 2. Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson slipped out of the second round and into the middle of the third, when the Steelers selected him at No. 84. Finally, the consensus No. 1 linebacker in this class, Payton Wilson of North Carolina State, slipped all the way to No. 98, allowing the Steelers to wrap up the first two days of the NFL Draft with a potential all-time draft class.
Not long ago, the Steelers’ offensive line looked like this:
LT: Dan Moore
LG: Kevin Dotson
C: Mason Cole
RG: James Daniels
RT: Chuks Okorafor
That’s also without mentioning the sprinkling of Kendrick Green and Trai Turner in 2021. Now, the offensive line is completely revamped and looks like this:
LT: Broderick Jones
LG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Zach Frazier
RG: James Daniels
RT: Troy Fautanu
Omar Khan deserves a ton of credit for cleaning up the mess that Kevin Colbert left behind.
Not only was the offensive line entirely rebuilt, but Pittsburgh addressed nearly every position of need with their first four picks. Roman Wilson is one of the top receivers in this class, capable of playing both on the perimeter and from the slot. Remember, the biggest question about Justin Jefferson coming out of LSU was that he was a slot receiver and many people thought he couldn’t play outside. That’s not to say Wilson will be Justin Jefferson, but he possesses the tools and skill set to be the Steelers’ boundary receiver opposite George Pickens.
Payton Wilson was not a player I expected the Steelers to consider. He was easily the best linebacker in this draft class. His injury history undoubtedly contributed to his slide, as he suffered repeated knee ailments during his college career. However, he was the nation’s finest coverage linebacker previous season, intercepting three passes and allowing a quarterback rating of less than 50.
The Steelers were able to add a consensus top 10 player in Fauatnu at tackle, arguably the most versatile and reliable center in the draft in Frazier, a high-end versatile receiver in Roman Wilson, and the top linebacker in Payton Wilson. If all four even come close to reaching their respective potentials, this will be a draft class that goes down in Steelers’ history as one of the best ever.
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