5 takeaways from the Steelers’ pre-draft visits

Predicting the Steelers’ draft strategy based on their top-30 visits.

The Steelers’ 2024 pre-draft visits were finalized on Wednesday, leaving them with a total of 36 reported meetings between their top-30 quota and local visits. You can view BTSC’s pre-draft visit tracker for the full list of players (as well as linked draft profiles), but for the sake of this article, here’s the tally by position (offensive line positions are projected):

Offensive tackle: 8
Cornerback: 7
Wide receiver: 7
Defensive line: 6
Center: 5
Linebacker: 2
Guard: 1

Although not official visits, it’s also worth noting that the Steelers have shown some pre-draft interest in players such as Alabama cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, offensive tackle J.C. Latham, Georgia wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and Duke defensive back Al Blades Jr., among others. Top-30 visits are important, but they’re not the only sign of draft interest by a team. Still, five of the Steelers’ 2023 pre-draft visits did end up on Pittsburgh’s roster last season.

With the context out of the way, let’s dive into the takeaways:

1. The Steelers and the fans see the same draft needs

In years past, there’s seemingly been a disconnect between the positions the Steelers are prioritizing in the upcoming draft and what the fans want. This year, it’s a little different. If you ask a fan what the team’s top needs are, you’ll hear some order of offensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and defensive line. If you look at the Steelers’ pre-draft visits, you’ll see all but two are devoted to those positions.

While there will be disagreements regarding the team’s hierarchy of needs (as well as how the draft falls), there’s no reason not to expect the Steelers to spend the vast majority of their picks on those positions. For once, everyone seems to be on the same page.

2. A double-dip at cornerback could be coming

Early in the offseason, there was a lot of talk regarding the Steelers potentially picking two wide receivers in the upcoming draft. However, with the free agent signings of Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins, the Steelers seem to have filled out the bottom of the receiver room and seem to be content with letting a mid-round pick or free agent/trade candidate fill the remaining spot on the depth chart.

On the other hand, the Steelers lost nearly all of their cornerback depth in free agency, and besides the trade for Donte Jackson, they haven’t made much of an effort to replenish the depth. With seven pre-draft visits at the position (tied for second-most), and a wide range of players met with — early, middle, and late-round prospects, slot and boundary skillsets — the team seems poised to draft two cornerbacks at some point in the upcoming draft.

3. The Steelers don’t have a type at wide receiver

We’ve heard nonstop this offseason about the Arthur Smith offense and his preferred genre of wide receiver: big, fast boundary weapons in the A.J. Brown mold. However, the Steelers’ pre-draft visits have shown the team has an interest in a wide variety of play styles. There are some who fit the description, like Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, but there’s also some of smaller, shifty types like Florida’s Ricky Pearsall and USC’s Tahj Washington, as well as a stocky slot weapon in WKU’s Malachi Corley.

Furthermore, the Steelers’ aforementioned free agent wideout pickups in Jefferson and Watkins show that the team isn’t as attached to the idea of “Arthur Smith wide receivers” as many believe. Expect Pittsburgh to focus more on talent than scheme fit at wide receiver in the upcoming draft.

4. Linebacker could be a sneaky draft need

We’ve already established the big four draft needs: offensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and defensive line. More accurately, it’s five if you separate offensive tackle and center. However, with seven total picks in the upcoming draft, the Steelers could be drafting another position, even if they double-dip at wide receiver or corner.

If that’s the case, expect that sixth position to be linebacker. Despite the big-name free agent signing of Patrick Queen, the Steelers still have some question marks at linebacker, and their only two draft visits that weren’t linemen, receivers, or corners were spent at at the position, with Michigan’s Junior Colson and NC State’s Payton Wilson meeting with the team. Even more surprising? Neither player is a projected late-round pick, meaning the Steelers could potentially address inside linebacker sometime on Day 2 or early Day 3.

5. The Steelers’ top priority is improving at offensive tackle

Pittsburgh has shown some pre-draft interest in projected first-rounders at defensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and even center. But the vast majority of their visits with early-round prospects have been spent at offensive tackle: Taliese Fuaga, Troy Fautanu, Tyler Guyton, Blake Fisher, and Amarius Mims. Pittsburgh has shown some interest in just about every tackle who could be available at pick No. 20. While the Steelers could go a number of directions with their first round pick depending on how the board falls, it seems clear that the team’s top priority is at offensive tackle.

Another observation? All the prospects mentioned above project best at right tackle in the NFL (perhaps with the exception of Fautanu), as do the majority of the late-round tackle prospects the Steelers have scouted. While part of it is due to left tackles generally being selected higher than Pittsburgh’s draft range, it does seem to indicate that the Steelers plan on moving Broderick Jones back to left tackle in the 2024 season.

What trends have you noticed in the Steelers’ pre-draft visits? Let us know in the comment section below!