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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been aggressive during the 2024 NFL offseason in improving their chances of becoming contenders again. Most notably, they made the bold move to part ways with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph and replace them with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Now that the Steelers have theoretically figured out their quarterback situation, with Wilson being the likely starter, they can continue building the rest of their roster. While some holes still exist, they will have the opportunity to address some of them in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft.
Here are three mock draft examples of how they could approach it.
Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft 1.0
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The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson during the 2024 NFL free agency period also acquired Justin Fields via trade. According to Sportskeeda's 7-round Mock Draft Simulator, that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't take a quarterback in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft as well. This simulation predicts them to still select J.J. McCarthy in the first round.
With Wilson and Fields both essentially on one-year contracts in Pittsburgh, the strategy does seem to make sense. If neither of them are impressive this year, McCarthy could potentially take over the role next season.
This is the most important position on any team as it is nearly impossible to win a championship without one, so the Steelers are apparently going all-in to find their guy.
Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft 2.0
In the second simulation, the Steelers pass on the idea of bringing in a third potential quarterback and instead focus on improving in the trenches. They do so by drafting linemen with four of their first five picks, including three on the offensive side. Blocking has been one of their biggest weaknesses in recent years, so they would be wise to improve here, especially with a new quarterback situation.
Audric Estime of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is an interesting pick from this simulation, considering the Steelers are already strong at running back. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have proven to be a solid combination, but adding more depth is never necessarily a negative strategy. An effective rushing game often opens up the playbook for the rest of the offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft 3.0
The third mock draft predicts that the Steelers will address one of their other biggest needs in the first round by selecting top cornerback prospect Kool-Aid McKinstry. They then tripled up on improving this position in later rounds by also adding Mike Sainristil and Cam Hart.
This simulation also expects the Steelers to find some more weapons to surround Russell Wilson, and possibly Justin Fields, in their offense. They first do so in the second round with wide receiver Johnny Wilson and follow that up by selecting tight end Cade Stover two picks later.
