Joe Kuzma’s 2024 3-Round “Something Different” Steelers Mock Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and mock drafts are everywhere to be found. Heck, I even did one the other day, projecting four rounds of Steelers picks.
What will Team A do at Pick B, you ask? That’s the million-dollar question everyone is trying to seek answers for. Even in my previous draft, I was meticulous in my crafting of how the Steelers might approach business.
It’s no secret that the team is currently missing a starter center and could use help at the wide receiver spot. Some other fans are begging for a right tackle, with the theory being that last year’s first-round pick, Broderick Jones, moves over to left tackle replacing Dan Moore Jr.
But what if the Steelers go a different direction? That’s what I’ve been mulling as I look at their defensive back depth chart and the future beyond Cameron Heyward with the defensive linemen. Does Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and company have their sights set elsewhere?
Those are the questions I’m going to address in this “something different” mock draft! Unlike my previous draft, just about anything is on the table: but I’ll still try and keep things as realistic as they can be in this fantasy of a mock draft!
First Round (20): Cooper DeJean – Cornerback (Iowa)
There will be hooting and hollering if the Steelers don’t take a big swing at a wide receiver while passing on filling holes on the offensive line. I will tell fans to exercise some patience and trust in the “Khan Artist” as this unfolds.
My bet is that one of several centers falls to the Steelers with their second round pick. As four quarterbacks and four wide receivers are snagged ahead of pick 20, that leaves 11 slots before the Steelers are on the clock. There’s no doubt that top tier talent at other positions are taken before pick 20 (such as edge rushers) so the odds of DeJean sliding down the board should entice Pittsburgh.
The Iowa defensive back is primarily viewed as a safety at the next level but should be a plug-and-play player anywhere in the secondary. In fact, he could player anywhere on the field, satisfying Coach Tomlin’s desire for versatility in his playmakers.
And make no mistake, DeJean is a playmaker. He can fly around all over, setup in the box to stop the run, or settle into a zone. Some analysts have even suggest he could play linebacker, which would fit into one role the Steelers are currently missing with a nickel corner.
I would assume that by this point, if DeJean is still available, he would have to be the highest-rated player the Steelers have on their board. It would make passing on him nearly impossible.
Second Round (51): Zach Frazier – Center (West Virginia)
Cooler heads prevail on day two when Frazier also slides down the board to the Steelers at pick 51. With Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson already off of the board, a “run” on centers is unlikely, allowing the Steelers to get the guy they targeted all along.
The 6’3″ 310 lbs. center should fit right into the Week 1 starting role after playing over 2,500 snaps at the center position as a four-year letterman with the Mountaineers.
Third Round (84): Blake Fisher – Offensive Tackle (Notre Dame)
The pick is in and another sigh of relief, maybe, as the organization addresses another spot with the offensive line, this time with a dedicated right tackle.
Picking Fisher would indicate that Broderick Jones would make a move to the left side of the line and leave the Steelers with a youth movement in three of their five starting slots.
Third Round (98): Trade!
Steelers acquire WR Brandon Aiyuk from the 49ers
So, this trade appears later in the article for a “gotcha” (and something different, remember?) But this transaction will likely be announced well ahead of this pick or even the Steelers pick 84.
Ideally, in my fantasy world, I would love if the Steelers could trade this third round selection and package it with something like a fourth round pick in 2025. The going rate for receivers can be spotty, however, when you revisit the A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill trades. Regardless, I’m not sure Aiyuk will fetch the same capital, but we also have to remember that Omar Khan got a second round pick for Chase Claypool back in 2022!
Regardless, I think this swap happens and addresses the last major hole that the Steelers have in regard to finding another starter on the depth chart.
