The Pittsburgh Steelers have had arguably the best 2024 draft. The Steelers had a total of 7 picks in this year’s draft. They are acquiring three offensive linemen, one wide receiver, one linebacker, one defensive back, and one defensive lineman. So, let us look at all these picks and see what the Steelers have in store for these young stars.
ROMAN WILSON (WR) B+
Roman Wilson was the number 1 receiver on the National Championship-winning Michigan team. Wilson did not have the ideal production at Michigan, as his career high is only 789 yards. Wilson’s lack of production could have been due to Michigan’s heavy run offense. Nonetheless, there was still hype around the Michigan receiver’s name. Wilson had the 15th-best overall score for receivers, per the NFL. Wilson’s biggest draws were his incredible hands, only having two drops in 2023, and his no plays off energy. Wilson was very vocal about how important it is for a receiver to block. Wilson was a big part of why Michigan’s run game was so strong and successful. Roman Wilson was a good fit for many teams as he played both outside and slot in college. This makes him a fit for almost all offenses in the league. As for the Steelers, the team traded their veteran wide receiver, Diontae Johnson, to the Panthers this offseason. This led to the Steelers looking for a receiver in the draft. With that, the Steelers used the 20th pick in the 3rd round and selected the Michigan receiver, Roman Wilson.
THE GOOD:
Diontae Johnson has been the most productive receiver for the Steelers since 2019. However, due to some lack of effort and overall morale problems, the Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers. Diontae was a great route runner who could play both slot and outside but struggled with drops and lack of effort on run plays. Wilson is exactly this and more. Now, Wilson is not the greatest route runner, but he makes up for it with his incredible speed and deep-threat ability. Wilson is also a great blocker and will play every down like it is his last. Wilson is very consistent with his hands and can be exceptionally reliable on contested balls. Without the route-running skills, the Steelers could have just gotten a faster Diontae Johnson to replace Diontae Johnson.
THE BAD:
Roman Wilson is a great deep threat who can fly by defenders. But like many deep threats. Roman needs to improve in route running. The man is great at extending plays and making tough catches in traffic. Most of his receptions are in tight coverage due to the lack of separation he gets. Roman Wilson has the incredible speed to pass defenders, but he cannot produce that speed every play which makes it necessary to improve on his route running. On film, most of his receptions are on either broken plays, deep balls, contested catches in traffic, or against soft coverage. So, it will be fascinating to see how Wilson handles playing against heavy man-coverage defenses in the NFL.