Steelers 2024 NFL Draft Pick Slot Finalized
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The draft slot was finalized after the Steelers’ 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 32-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round on Monday. The draft picks among the 14 playoff teams — picks 19 through 32 — are determined by playoff finish, and not regular-season record.
If Tampa Bay lost, they would’ve had a higher pick than the Steelers because of their 9-8 regular-season record. Like the Steelers, the Los Angeles Rams were eliminated in the Wild Card Round and finished 10-7 in the regular season. The Steelers had the tiebreaker due to their Week 7 win over the Rams, which is why Los Angeles holds the 19th overall pick.
The draft is scheduled to be held around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024.
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter thinks the Steelers’ biggest needs in the draft are at cornerback, offensive tackle, interior offensive line, safety and linebacker.
“Pittsburgh will need to add depth around Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Peterson at cornerback. The offensive line is once again an area of concern for the Steelers, and I suspect they’ll find their usual middle-round values at safety and linebacker in the draft,” Reuter wrote.
The last time the Steelers had the 20th overall pick in the draft was just two years ago — quarterback Kenny Pickett out of Pitt. Defensive end Darryl Sims out of Wisconsin in 1985 was the only other 20th overall selection by the Steelers in franchise history.
With Pickett struggling in his first 25 career games and essentially getting benched for Mason Rudolph late in the season, the future at quarterback for the Steelers is certainly uncertain. Is Pickett still the starter heading into 2024? Who will be the next offensive coordinator to mold him? Will Mason Rudolph be back or head to a new team in free agency? Will they sign a quarterback in free agency? The Steelers probably won’t draft a quarterback in the first round, unless they trade up, but a mid-rounder is possible. There’s a lot of questions to be answered this offseason, for sure.
Above all, Mike Tomlin’s future is not set in stone in 2024. He has just one year left on his contract and there’s been a ton of speculation surrounding his future over the last few weeks. NFL insiders Jay Glazer and Adam Schefter have suggested that Tomlin might leave the Steelers and take a break from coaching.
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