2024 NFL Draft: Steelers updated draft needs with 1 week to go

In just one week, the 2024 NFL draft will be going full speed ahead and the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the rest of the NFL will be hitching their futures to a bunch of young men eager to make names for themselves. We are also anxious to see what direction the Steelers will go with so many clear-cut draft needs. Here are our updated rankings of Pittsburgh’s top draft needs.

The Steelers traded away their starting center and have no viable starter on the roster. The team also didn’t even try to add a veteran in free agency. This is the clear top need based on the strength of his draft class.

Pittsburgh traded away wide receiver Diontae Johnson leaving only George Pickens on the roster with any experience last season. But we leave receiver No. 2 because the team signed multiple free-agent receivers but more importantly, the receiver class in this draft is much deeper than center.

Even though the Steelers traded for Donte Jackson, there is still the need for at least one starter, whether that would be in the slot or on the boundary if Jackson moves inside.

An upgrade to Dan Moore Jr. would be nice but at worst the Steelers need to draft a guy to develop behind him at the bare minimum.

Cam Heyward can’t play forever and DeMarvin Leal was a disappointment last season..

The Steelers added Patrick Queen in free agency but it would be nice to get a young guy to prep behind Elandon Roberts.

The Steelers have shown no interest in bringing back Markus Golden so the team needs a fourth edge defender.

Pittsburgh added DeShon Elliott in free agency but Pittsburgh could draft an athletic player to make Damontae Kazee replaceable.

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Jones, an offensive tackle out of Georgia, will look to help the Steelers improve on last season’s 9-8 record.

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The NFL is expected to release the 2023-24 schedule in May, but we know that Steelers fans can look forward to the first matchup of the season, whoever the foe is. It will be the first outing for this promising era of Steeler football.

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Passing on Kenny Pickett could be 1983 all over again for the Steelers

Kenny Pickett could still be on the board for the Steelers at No. 20.

Chances are slim, but some mock drafts — like one of Pro Football Network‘s latest — project Kenny Pickett to still be on the board for the Indianapolis Colts to select at No. 47.

Let’s pretend for a minute that Pickett falls.

The Steelers would be crazy not to take him, right?

This season, Pickett put his name out there with his stellar play and broke Pitt legend Dan Marino’s all-time record for passing touchdowns with 81. Oh, and he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Through 13 games in 2021, Pickett completed 67.2-percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Overall, Pickett accumulated 12,303 passing yards and 81 passing touchdowns in his five seasons; all NCAA football players were granted an extra year following the 2020 season.

Bringing in Pickett makes sense for the Steelers, considering he played his home games at Heinz Field and they’re familiar with his body of work. But given that the Steelers will be picking in the middle of the first round, they will have to trade up to get him.

Revisiting the 1983 draft

Every team has drafts or draft selections they wish they could do over, but perhaps none as badly as the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983. Their need for a quarterback was abundantly clear. Terry Bradshaw, on the downside of his career, played the entire strike-shortened 1982 season with a torn muscle and tendons in his elbow, which he had surgery to repair in the offseason.

Yet with quarterback Dan Marino still on the draft board at No. 21, the Steelers selected defensive tackle Gabe Rivera, who played in just one game before an alcohol-related car wreck left him paralyzed.

Fresh off elbow surgery, Bradshaw played just one game in 1983 and then aggravated his injury. He retired that offseason.

Meanwhile, Marino went to the Dolphins with the No. 27 pick. He made nine starts as a rookie, going 7-2. He threw for over 2,000 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. The following season, he set the single-season passing yardage record with 5,084, a record since broken. Marino finished his 17-year career with the Dolphins with 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns through the air.

No one knows whether Pickett has a Marino-like career ahead of him, but if Pickett is still around at No. 20, the Steelers would be wise to grab him.

Otherwise, it could be 1983 all over again.

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NFL Draft: Which position will the Pittsburgh Steelers draft first?

Assessing 2020 NFL Draft odds centered around which position the Pittsburgh Steelers will draft first.

The second and third rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft take place Friday, April 24, in the basements of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and general managers around the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers did not have a first-round pick as a result of their mid-season trade with the Miami Dolphins for DB Minkah Fitzpatrick. Below, we’ll look at the BetMGM odds for which position the Steelers will target first Friday evening.

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Pittsburgh Steelers draft first? Odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Friday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

POSITION	ODDS
Offense	-141
Defense	+115

The odds for the Steelers’ first pick, scheduled to be with the No. 49 overall selection, or the 17th pick of the second round, are set up as a two-way line between a defensive player or an offensive player. The Steelers enter Day 2 with two selections at picks No. 49 and 102.

While the Steelers fell short of the postseason last year with a record of 8-8 to finish second in the AFC North, QB Ben Roethlisberger returns from injury and looks to lead another playoff charge. When betting on the Steelers’ first draft selection, it’s important to keep in mind they’re in “win-now” mode and will look to give Roethlisberger the best opportunity for one more Super Bowl run.

Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM, or play in their online casino. Bet now!

2020 NFL Draft: Which position will the Pittsburgh Steelers draft first? Best Bets

The Steelers are heavily favored to target an OFFENSIVE PLAYER with their first pick of the 2020 draft. A $10 bet at the -141 odds will return a profit of $7.09. This is an adequate profit margin and a solid investment ahead of the start of Friday’s second round.

The Steelers lack a true No. 2 receiver behind bounceback hopeful JuJu Smith-Schuster. James Washington and Diontae Johnson have both flashed at times, but they’re likely better suited to depth roles as No. 3 and 4 targets in the passing game. TE Eric Ebron was signed as a free agent and will be an excellent red-zone asset, but Pittsburgh needs someone to draw double coverage off of JuJu.

Michael Pittman, Tee Higgins, Laviska Shenault Jr. and Denzel Mims all fit that role, but there are plenty of receiver-needy teams ahead of Pittsburgh.

Should those receivers go off the board early, Pittsburgh may pivot to a running back in order to pair James Conner with a quality complement. D’andre Swift is unlikely to fall much further, but one of Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins or Zack Moss is sure to hang around.

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Ranking the Steelers 2019 rookie class

Here’s how the 2019 rookie class shakes out.

Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the season with an astonishing nine rookies on the 53-man roster. And of those nine, seven of them had significant roles on a team that was decimated by injuries. We were definitely impressed by many of this 2019 draft class and they give a ton of hope for the future of this team.

Here are our final season rankings for the Steelers rookie class

1-WR Diontae Johnson

The guy who was drafted to replace Antonio Brown looked like Brown at times during the season. Johnson led the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (680) and receiving touchdowns (5). His rookie campaign will go down as one of the best in Steelers history.

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