So far this offseason, Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers have had their throttle pegged to the floor as they drive towards the Motor City for the NFL Draft coming up next Thursday, April 25th.

It has been a battle in itself, to try and keep up with all of the movement the team has had. But here we are just over two weeks away from NFL Christmas, and it really feels like the night before Christmas is here.

The Free Agency frenzy that kicked off the “Player Acquisition Phase” of the offseason started with a Black and Gold bang, as Russell Wilson, Patrick Queen, and others were brought on board.

Then it was the Combine, Pro Day visits, and Top 30 visits for all of the NFL Draft Prospects. Teams and players made the airline industry just a little bit more comfy with all of the air traffic over the last couple of weeks, as NFL teams went to see the prospects, then the prospects went to see the NFL teams, and so on.

So now that all of the NFL squads have had their time to get smitten with their respective Draft Prospects, the last couple of weeks before the Draft tend to quiet down. Trades at this point are pretty much shelved until after the Draft, and most, if not all, of the Top 30 visits have been held.

So now it’s time for Omar Khan, Coach Tomlin, and Mr. Rooney to take their Prospects, set them up in a row on the Board, and hit their marks in each round.

Just like shooting ducks, right?

Eh… maybe if the ducks were feral, and there were 32 of them in a room fighting for the two slices of bread you are holding. That is the kind of crazy the NFL Draft is, right?!?!

Anyways, let’s get to the Roster Breakdown!

Roster Breakdown

Key:

New players are listed in BOLD

Underlined name denotes players expected to make the Final 53

* denotes player who has position flexibility

**UPDATED 3/31/24**

Offense

Total # of Players: 35

Quarterback (3) – Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Kyle Allen

Running Back (4) – Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Cordarelle Patterson*, Aaron Shampklin, Jack Colletto

Tight End (4) – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington*, MyCole Pruitt, Connor Heyward*, Rodney Williams

Wide Receiver (10) – George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins*, Dez Fitzpatrick, Marquez Callaway, Keilhan Harris, Denzel Mims, Deuce Watts

Offensive Tackle (8) – Broderick Jones*, Dan Moore Jr, Spencer Anderson*, Tyler Beach, Dylan Cook, Kellen Diesch, Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy

Offensive Guard (4) – James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig*, Joey Fisher

Center (1) – Ryan McCollum

Notes of Interest:

• It’s looking more and more like a 3 position race on Offense for #20 Overall in the upcoming Draft on next Thursday between Offensive Tackle, Wide Receiver, or Center. The only other position that makes sense for the value of the pick would be on Defense at Cornerback, but IMO, only if Mitchell or Arnold are somehow still there.
• It makes sense to wait till after the Draft at this point to sign Brian Allen, just to see where the chips may fall regarding the Draft and the Center position, but they will need to be quick. The Steelers aren’t the only team shopping for a Center this offseason.
• If it’s me, and it’s not, I want an OT @ 20, C @ 51 (or earlier), and a WR at #84 Overall. Gimme Jalen McMillan (Wash) or Roman Wilson (Mich).
• Offense is where all of the depth of this Draft lies, especially in the OT and WR positions. Steelers are definitely in position to double dip at either position. Or maybe even both.

Defense

Total # of Players: 36

Defensive Tackle (6) – Cam Heyward, Montravius Adams, Isaiah Loudermilk, Larry Ogunjobi, Jonathan Marshall, Jacob Slade

Nose Tackle (1) – Breiden Fehoko

Defensive Line (1) – Keanu Benton*

Defensive End (2) – Demarvin Leal, Dean Lowry

EDGE (7) – TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, David Perales, Tyler Murray, Jeremiah Moon, Kyron Johnson

Inside Linebacker (4) – Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson

Cornerback (8) – Joey Porter Jr, Donte Jackson, Darius Rush, Cory Trice Jr, Kalon Barnes, Luq Barcoo, Thomas Graham Jr, Josiah Scott

Safety (7) – Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Damonte Kazee, Miles Killebrew*, Jalen Elliott, Nathan Meadors, Trenton Thompson

Notes of Interest:

• I pressed Jeremy Betz on the Sunday Night Q&A two weeks ago to pick a Defensive Tackle in Rounds 1-3, but the truth is, the bulk of the DT talent in this Draft is in the 3rd thru 4th Rounds. Who knows, now that T’Vondre Sweat has been booked on DUI, maybe the Steelers CAN pick him up at #84 Overall if they think this situation is an exception and not the rule regarding his character.
• Cornerback is the only position on Defense that I can see the Steelers fixating on at #20 Overall, and T Arnold or Q Mitchell better be the guys they are fixating to pick if they aren’t already gone. If they ARE gone, the Steelers better start fixating on one of the Offensive Tackles. It’s the only position I can see the Steelers sitting tight at 20 to pick.
• The Steelers really do need to look at a Middle Linebacker to develop behind Holcomb/Roberts. One of them will probably end up getting cut next offseason as it is, so if the Steelers were to pick one this year, they theoretically could cut Robinson and the “loser” of the Holcomb/Roberts battle at that point. I’d hope that the Steelers find a worthy Mack to put beside Queen at the beginning of next year, say, a Jaylan Ford from Texas in the 4th Round?

Special Teams

Total # of Players: 4

Long Snapper (1) – Christian Kuntz

Punter (1) – Cameron Johnston

Kicker (1) – Chris Boswell, Matthew Wright

Notes of Interest:

The Camp Kicker has officially been brought in! At least Mr Wright is familiar with how St Vincent is laid out, and should appreciate knowing how to get around fairly quickly.

Who knows, if he keeps this up, maybe he can make a career of cameo’s at the Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp every year.

I mean, this IS his 4th time with the Steelers. Originally a UDFA in 2019, he was re-signed in 2020 and 2022 for short stints when the Wizard of Boz was injured, and now back again.

Recap

Offensive Players: 35

Defensive Players: 36

Special Teams Players: 4

Total Number of Rostered Players: 75

Total Number of Roster Spots Available: 15