The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 NFL Draft is complete, and don’t think there isn’t a ripple effect already going on once all seven picks were made. In other words, when a draft pick is selected, there are players/personnel who benefit (winners) and those who don’t (losers). So, it’s time to see who were the winners and losers after the Steelers selected seven new players in the 2024 NFL Draft.

For clarification, calling someone a loser doesn’t mean they are in any way lesser, but they just didn’t benefit from the selection. With that out of the way, let’s get to the winners and losers…

Winners

All Drafted Players

For all the players who now start their professional football careers, a huge congratulations goes out to every one of them. For the Steelers seven draft picks, they are hopefully the pieces of the puzzle which will get the Steelers back to that “sticky” Lombardi.

Cory Trice Jr. / Darius Rush

While I do believe there will be moves made before training camp at the cornerback position, the fact the Steelers didn’t draft a cornerback until Round 6 speaks highly of Trice and Rush moving forward. If there were winners on the Steelers current roster, it’s the cornerbacks who were on the roster prior to the draft.

Pat Meyer

Three of the seven draft picks were along the offensive line, and Pat Meyer has to be grinning from ear-to-ear with these new big men up front. With the new infusion of youth, and talent, on the offensive line also comes the pressure of performing. Meyer can’t say he doesn’t have the hogs up front to have a grind-it-out ground game, or the pass protection necessary to allow the quarterback to make plays. Time for Meyer to show what he’s capable of doing.

Arthur Smith

The Steelers new offensive coordinator is coming into a very new situation, not just for himself as a coach but with the roster he will now coordinate. The Steelers have put serious draft capital into the offense, especially the offensive line, and when you look at the roster on paper it is brimming with talent. Can Smith get the most out of the talent on the roster? That will be the task at hand, but I don’t see many people buying a “he doesn’t have the horses to run” narrative in 2024.

Offensive Skill Position Players

Whether you’re talking about Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields, or the tight ends and wide receivers. The investment in the offensive line has a ripple effect to all of the skill positions on the roster. All of these players have to be ecstatic with what they saw transpire in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Future Draft Capital

The seven draft picks the Steelers got in the draft were tremendous, but the fact they didn’t have to trade any future draft capital to get those seven players makes things even sweeter. The Steelers have a near full allotment of draft picks in the 2025 draft, and they can use those picks to help maneuver their way through bringing in potential players via trade before the start of training camp.

Steelers Front Office

Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, Mike Tomlin, Art Rooney II, and any other person in the Steelers front office deserve tremendous kudos for the work they’ve done this offseason, and particularly in the draft. It was a tremendous weekend of roster improvement, and the Steelers front office hit it out of the ball park.

Steelers Fans

The Steelers fan base has been clamoring for a rebuilt offensive line for years, since the DeCastro, Pouncey, Foster days, and they finally got it. On top of that, the team was able to address other aspects of the team at the same time. Will there be an immediate return? Fans should know sometimes, especially with the Steelers, it takes time. Nonetheless, needs were met, and that should make all Steelers fans winners this offseason.

Losers

Dan Moore Jr.

I spoke about this in my Round 1 Winners and Losers, and it is simply how Moore has been a good “soldier” since he became a starter on the offensive line. He isn’t an All-Pro, and not even a Pro Bowler, but the additions of Round 1 tackles in back-to-back drafts equals the end of the road for him after 2024, unless he signs for a back-up deal after this season.

James Daniels

No one thought Daniels would be replaced eventually, and that replacement might not happen in 2024, but it could in 2025. When the Steelers drafted a guard in Round 4, it could have equated the end of the road for Daniels in Pittsburgh. Daniels has been a very costly player, and the Steelers could see a youth movement push out players like Daniels after this season.

Mark Robinson

Just like Moore and Daniels, Robinson could be on the short end of the stick when roster cut downs happen. When the Steelers signed Payton Wilson you have to wonder if Robinson has a spot on the team anymore. Well, unless Cole Holcomb’s knee isn’t ready to return to the field, Robinson’s only hope is as a special teams ace. Otherwise, the 7th Round pick might find himself on the outside looking in.

Slot WRs

Whether you’re talking about Calvin Austin III or Quez Watkins, the battle for the slot wide receiver will likely come between those two players. Roman Wilson won’t have to worry about a roster spot, so it will be Austin or Watkins who will need to prove their value on the field. May the best man win…

What do you think of the list? Would you make any changes? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to check out my Monday episode of “Let’s Ride” for a more detailed breakdown of the above lists.