Welcome to the “week after.”

Yes, the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone. Prospects have turned into pros, rosters are coming into focus, and the National Football League is about to go as quiet as it ever does over the next 3 months until Training Camps begin.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, seven new faces have been added to the roster, and the future of the Franchise is now!

At the conclusion of such a monumental calendar event, it becomes appropriate to take stock of the players, positions, and coaches most affected by the latest additions. Let’s dive in!

STOCK UP: NAJEE HARRIS & JAYLEN WARREN

The Steelers took no time addressing the team’s biggest needs along the Offensive Line with their early selections of Tackle Troy Fautanu and Center Zach Frazier, who project as immediate contributors for a team hell-bent on pounding the rock in 2024.

As the team’s dynamic two-man punch out of the backfield, Harris and Warren have to be thrilled with these two additions along the OL, as well as 4th Round Guard Mason McCormick. The Steelers offense will be predicated on an efficient running game that plays to the strengths of Harris and Warren to open up the rest of the attack.

For Najee Harris specifically, the resources the Steelers have committed to that position group the last two off-seasons has to be a breath of fresh air. This backfield is ready to feast in 2024, and it starts with the upgraded big boys up front.

STOCK DOWN: NICKEL CORNERBACK

The one downside to the Steelers OL-heavy draft was that the glaring hole at Nickel CB was left untouched in the Draft. The team decided to select a WR and ILB in Round 3 and then went back to the trenches with another O-lineman (McCormick) and a DT prospect in Logan Lee before addressing the defensive backfield. When they finally did draft a CB, it wasn’t a slot cover man, but an outside corner (Ryan Watts) who’s best position in the NFL might actually be safety.

While a team can’t be expected to fix every hole in a single draft, the team’s relative dismissal of the Nickel position so far is puzzling, and needs to be remedied with some summertime Free Agent additions if the Steelers want to walk into 2024 without a glaring weakness on the defensive side of the ball.

STOCK UP: PATRICK QUEEN

The Steelers savvy selection of Payton Wilson in the 3rd Round at Pick 98 overall wasn’t just incredible value for a player with his upside, it was also a brilliant maneuver to maximize the talents of everyone in the Linebacker room in 2024. Wilson is a highly-decorated collegiate LB with the leadership skills, experience, and smarts to handle “Green Dot” duties at the NFL level.

The biggest beneficiary of this is Queen, who is at his best when his is free to attack and use his own freakish athleticism to execute his assignment without the burden of calling the defense. Elandon Roberts and Payton Wilson should combine well to take some of the pressure off of Queen and allow him to be the heat-seeking missile that earned him All-Pro honors in 2023 for the rival Ravens.

STOCK DOWN: FANS LOOKING FOR A HIGH-VOLUME PASSING ATTACK IN PITTSBURGH

If you’re hoping for Russell Wilson or Justin Fields to come in and consistently put up 350+ passing yards and 3 TDs through the air every week, you’re rooting for the wrong team. While the NFL’s best offenses are typically the ones who can “let fly” every week and produce gaudy stat sheets, the Steelers are zigging while everyone else is zagging.

The Steelers are still going to try to win ugly in 2024, but this year, they may actually have the pieces on offense to do it more efficiently and with a few more explosive plays each week. It’s going to be fun to watch… unless you had your heart set on Mahomesian passing stats for the Black and Gold in 2024.

STOCK UP: THE AFC NORTH

Already the best division in football, all 4 teams in the North have put together impressive off-seasons, improving areas of weakness and locking in high-impact performers for the upcoming season. You can make a solid argument for all 4 teams to win the division, and that means each and every intra-division matchup for the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, and Browns will be appointment viewing in 2024.

Get your popcorn, ladies and gentlemen.