Schultz: Two Steelers Targets ‘Risers’ in 2024 NFL Draft

Two Pittsburgh Steelers targets, Amarius Mims and Brian Thomas Jr., are risers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, both players will not last long on the first night of the NFL Draft, which becomes something to monitor for the Steelers.

Two risers for you: LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. and Georgia OT Amarius Mims – they won’t be around very long come Thursday. Teams love these dudes. pic.twitter.com/RRYOWjypt6

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 23, 2024

The 6-foot-7 3/4, 340-pound Mims certainly has the size and athleticism to be an elite offensive tackle. At the combine, Mims ran a 5.07-second 40-yard dash, an impressive time for that size.

As mentioned, the significant questions about Mims’ experience level and injury history are valid. After sitting behind Broderick Jones and others his first two seasons, playing in just two games as a sophomore, Mims played only six games due to injury in 2023, before declaring early for the draft.

The Steelers haven’t bothered to hide their interest in Mims, bringing him into the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for a pre-draft visit, sending general manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and others to his pro day in Athens, Georgia, and holding a formal interview with him at the 2024 NFL Combine.

Thomas is a freak athlete who can make plays above the rim. He is an entirely different player than Johnson, which raises some questions about the pick, but there is no doubt that Thomas has the requisite tools to appeal to the Steelers. His height, weight, and speed combination allows him to win on the outside and vertically, but more than anything, he is a guy who gives 100 percent on every play. Even though the profile reads like George Pickens, he is different than him, too. Thomas has some Matravis Bryant traits in his game.

The Steelers have not shown much outward interest in him, though, so it raises a few questions about if he will be the pick. This certainly is shaping up to be a pick where the Steelers address the offensive line.