The NFL Draft is finally here. Come Thursday night, there will be no need to speculate over which player the Steelers will take in the first round of the draft.
But, in one last ditch effort of speculation, here's my one and only official mock draft of the 2024 cycle:
1. BEARS (from Panthers)
CALEB WILLIAMS, QB, USC
No need to overthink this one. The Bears need a quarterback and Caleb Williams is the best in a good class.
2. COMMANDERS
JAYDEN DANIELS, QB, LSU
The Commanders are also in the market for a quarterback. It's a new regime in Washington, and Daniels feels like the higher impact player to add here.
3. PATRIOTS
DRAKE MAYE, QB, NORTH CAROLINA
The Patriots could trade down here to acquire some extra draft capital and take Michigan's J.J. McCarthy a little later. Don't be surprised if that happens. But, I'm sticking with the better quarterback prospect here. Drake Maye reminds me a bit of Justin Herbert. If he turns into that level of quarterback, this is a win for the Patriots.
4. CARDINALS
MARVIN HARRISON JR., WR, OHIO STATE
The son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison is probably the best player in this draft class. He's an absolute freak. This gives the Cardinals a major weapon for Kyler Murray.
5. *TITANS (from Chargers)
JOE ALT, OT, NOTRE DAME
Trade: Chargers trade 2024 No. 5 pick to Titans for 2024 No. 7 and No. 146 picks
This is where the draft begins to get interesting. The Chargers are rumored to try and trade down here, so I have the Titans getting a bit desperate to resolve their offensive line issues. Nothing major here as they only had to give up the 146th pick in the draft to move up two spots. But, the Chargers add more capital to still get a guy they really want.
6. GIANTS
MALIK NABERS, WR, LSU
The Giants are stuck with Daniel Jones if they can't trade up for a quarterback. I don't have them doing that here, which means they go for the most explosive weapon to try and bolster the offense. Nabers is exactly that player.
7. *CHARGERS (from Titans)
JC LATHAM, OT, ALABAMA
JC Latham isn't my OT2, but he's a plug-and-play right tackle for a team that wants to become more physical up front.
8. FALCONS
DALLAS TURNER, EDGE, ALABAMA
This just feels right to me. After making upgrades to the offense, the Falcons need help on defense. Adding perhaps the best edge rusher in this year's class is a great place to start.
9. BEARS
OLUMUYIWA FASHANU, OT, PENN STATE
The Bears could do one of three things here in this scenario: Take a tackle, take a receiver or trade down a few spots and probably get a tackle. But, I don't see a trade necessarily working out here. Maybe if the Broncos are desperate for a quarterback such as McCarthy, they try to get ahead of the Vikings. But, I'm sticking with the Bears standing pat and protecting Williams with a significant upgrade at left tackle.
10. JETS
ROME ODUNZE, WR, WASHINGTON
At this point, the Jets run to the podium with Rome Odunze falling into their laps. Should Odunze be off the board, the Jets could go with tackle or add freakish tight end Brock Bowers. But, if Odunze's there, I have a hard time seeing the Jets pass this up.
11. VIKINGS
J.J. MCCARTHY, QB, MICHIGAN
The Vikings could make a trade up for McCarthy, but they might not have to. If they can stand pat and get a talented quarterback, that'd be ideal. And, McCarthy doesn't have to start right away since the Vikings now have Sam Darnold.
12. *EAGLES (from Broncos)
TALIESE FUAGA, OT, OREGON STATE
Trade: Broncos trade 2024 No. 12 and No. 136 picks to Eagles for 2024 No. 22 and No. 50 picks
I know for a fact the Eagles are looking to move up in the draft, perhaps for either a tackle or cornerback. Given the Eagles' history of emphasizing the trenches, and the fact that they have two second-round picks at their disposal, they use one of them to move up 10 spots and take their right tackle of the future. The Broncos are also without a second-round pick, so this could be a great way for them to get back in that round.
This would obviously be a big blow to the Steelers, who love Taliese Fuaga. I just don't know if they love him enough to trade up eight spots to get him.
13. RAIDERS
MICHAEL PENIX JR., QB, WASHINGTON
I'm joining the Penix-to-the-Raiders train. They've apparently done a lot of homework on him. There could be a trade-down scenario here if the Raiders are dead set on Penix, but I don't have a trade working out. So, the Raiders stand pat and get their guy.
14. SAINTS
TROY FAUTANU, OT, WASHINGTON
The Saints are heavily involved in the run of tackles and could try to trade up for one if they are desperate enough. But, I don't have one working out, so they take the best tackle left.
15. COLTS
BROCK BOWERS, TE, GEORGIA
Brock Bowers' fall ends here. There are a lot of ties between Bowers and the Colts. However, should there not be a run of tackles to this point, this is the portion of the draft in which I could see the Steelers getting aggressive for a tackle. I already have the top-five tackles off the board, so the Steelers don't come calling. Should Bowers not be the pick here, it could very well be a cornerback.
16. SEAHAWKS
TERRION ARNOLD, CB, ALABAMA
Finally, the first cornerback is off the board. I have Quinyon Mitchell as my personal CB1, but there seem to be a lot of ties between Terrion Arnold and the Seahawks, who need help alongside Devon Witherspoon in the secondary.
17. JAGUARS
QUINYON MITCHELL, CB, TOLEDO
The Jaguars watch the Seahawks take Arnold, then say, "Thank you very much" as they sprint to the podium for perhaps the best cornerback in the draft at 17th overall.
18. BENGALS
AMARIUS MIMS, OT, GEORGIA
I know the Steelers like Amarius Mims, but I don't know if they love him enough to trade in front of the Bengals to get him. Thus, I have the Bengals solidifying the tackle position by taking the best tackle on the board. I am, however, very intrigued by the trade requests made by Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins. That could put the Bengals in a conundrum that forces them to trade down, acquire more draft picks and try to address multiple needs. Edge rusher and receiver could be in play for Cincinnati, whether it's at No. 18 or later.
19. RAMS
BYRON MURPHY, DT, TEXAS
Lots of talk about the Rams possibly trading down from 19th overall. But, I have them standing pat and taking the best interior defender in the draft class in the wake of Aaron Donald's retirement.
20. STEELERS
GRAHAM BARTON, C, DUKE
With a trade up for a tackle not working out in this scenario, the Steelers stand pat, hold onto their picks and take the top offensive lineman on the board, which just so happens to address the biggest need on the offensive line.
I firmly believe that if there's not a run of tackles like I have in this mock, the Steelers could get very aggressive and move up for Fuaga, Fautanu or Latham. But, Graham Barton is a heck of a consolation prize. He's a plug-and-play center, despite playing exclusively left tackle for the past three seasons. He played 430 snaps at center as a freshman in 2020. I have zero concerns about him anchoring the offensive line.
21. DOLPHINS
JER'ZHAN NEWTON, DT, ILLINOIS
The Raiders signed Christian Wilkins in fee agency, which leaves a void up front for the Dolphins. Newton is a promising prospect at a position of need for Miami.
22. *BRONCOS (from Eagles)
BO NIX, QB, OREGON
This could go either quarterback or edge rusher, but I'm leaning with the most important position in the game. Bo Nix might be a bit of a reach here, but he could be a great fit in Sean Payton's offense and could really give anyone in that abysmal quarterback room a run for their money.
23. *CARDINALS (from Vikings through Texans)
LAIATU LATU, EDGE, UCLA
Trade: Vikings trade 2024 No. 23 pick to Cardinals for 2024 No. 27 and No. 90 picks
The Vikings might not like the way the board falls in this scenario, so they gain some capital in the third round to move back four spots while the Cardinals get themselves a very accomplished pass rusher to bolster the defense after adding a playmaker on offense earlier in the draft.
24. COWBOYS
TYLER GUYTON, OT, OKLAHOMA
The Cowboys would probably love to get Barton, but that would most likely require a trade up in front of the Steelers. And, based on their very passive approach this offseason, I have no reason to believe that'll happen. So, Dallas settles for the best tackle on the board, despite there being some limitations in Guyton's game.
25. PACKERS
COOPER DEJEAN, CB, IOWA
The Cooper DeJean disrespect stops here. The dude is a playmaker. There might be a team well before this that can't pass up on him, perhaps the Colts, Seahawks or Jaguars in the middle of the first round. That'd be for good reason. This kid might end up being the steal of the draft, no matter where he's selected.
26. BUCCANEERS
JARED VERSE, EDGE, FLORIDA STATE
The Buccaneers need help at edge rusher, and Jared Verse is the best remaining on the board. No need to overthink this one. This guy could easily go in the top 20.
27. *VIKINGS (from Cardinals through Browns and Texans)
NATE WIGGINS, CB, CLEMSON
After taking care of quarterback earlier, the Vikings now address their secondary by adding a very promising coverage corner in Nate Wiggins.
28. BILLS
BRIAN THOMAS JR., WR, LSU
In the wake of the Stefon Diggs trade, the Bills add to the receiver room with a very talented receiving threat that can help Josh Allen test defenses deep down the field.
29. LIONS
CHOP ROBINSON, EDGE, PENN STATE
Chop Robinson is a superb athlete, but is a bit of a boom-or-bust pick. However, a lot of what he lacks is coachable. This could be another steal should Robinson live up to his potential.
30. RAVENS
KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY, CB, ALABAMA
Kool-Aid McKinstry might be the best player available at this spot. Adding to the cornerback room could also help the Ravens tighten things up in the secondary. I'm also inclined to believe the Ravens really like Alabama players, so this pick makes a lot of sense to me.
31. 49ERS
XAVIER LEGETTE, WR, SOUTH CAROLINA
John Lynch is adamant that they want to get an extension done with Brandon Aiyuk. But, there's a part of me that wonders if a trade actually ends up happening. So, I'm going with the 49ers adding a bit of insurance to a loaded roster. Xavier Legette is one of my favorite receivers in this class, and could fit very well in Kyle Shanahan's offense.
32. CHIEFS
ADONAI MITCHELL, WR, TEXAS
The almighty Chiefs have one glaring weakness. As long as the maturity concerns with Adonai Mitchell are overblown, the Chiefs could wind up getting the receiver with the most potential in this class.
