Steelers address OL, WR in Mel Kiper’s most recent 2024 NFL deride draft
ESPN NFL Draft investigator Mel Kiper discharged his last 2024 NFL deride draft on Wednesday, anticipating the Steelers to address two key gaps within the 2024 NFL Draft, counting the center position and wide recipient.
At 20th generally, Kiper anticipated the Steelers with Duke IOL Graham Barton, who enters the NFL with four a long time of involvement as a starter on the hostile line, counting three seasons (2021-2023) at cleared out handle after playing his first year recruit year at center. Tragically, that season at center was cut brief due to the widespread.
Kiper composes with respect to the choose in Circular 1:
Cornerback, wide recipient, center — I wouldn’t be shocked with any of these positions for Pittsburgh, which has made a number of captivating augmentations this offseason. The Steelers separated ways with beginning turn Bricklayer Cole in February, and taking Barton, my top-ranked center, might indeed be an update. Barton played center as a first year recruit but went through the past three seasons at cleared out handle for the Blue Demons, and I see his professional future along the insides. He permitted fair three sacks over the past two seasons.
Barton positions as the No. 25 prospect within the most recent version of “consensus huge board rankings,” in which NFL examiner Marcus Mosher compiles and averages the prospect rankings of eight best NFL draft specialists. He’s too outstandingly the best insides hostile lineman by consensus.
Within the moment circular, Kiper has the Steelers tending to wide collector with Washington prospect Jalen McMillan, with huge shoes to fill taking after the exchange of ingenious Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Pumas.
George Pickens is the Steelers’ clear No. 1 wideout with Diontae Johnson exchanged to Carolina, but who’s their No. 2? Van Jefferson? I’m not sold. In case they can include a difference-maker in Circular 2, Russell Wilson would have an extremely strong bunch of pass-catchers. McMillan was eclipsed by Rome Odunze at Washington, but he’s a energetic space collector. He missed a number of recreations with harm final season, but he had 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022.
At 6’1” and 197 pounds, McMillan has essentially played out of the space for the past two seasons after playing nearly only on the exterior within the 2020 and 2021 seasons. McMillan offers bounty of blast as an competitor, testing within the 60th percentile or higher for wide collectors with a 4.47 moment 40-yard sprint, 37” vertical bounce, 127” broad jump. He’s got more than sufficient to offer as a course runner with strong footwork, but fans will be hoping he can remain sound at the another level (an issue in his time at Washington) and more consistency with his hands, with bounty of concentration drops littering his tape
McMillan is right now positioned as the No. 15 wide recipient in this course on the agreement huge board, strikingly anticipated with Circular 3 draft capital concurring to DraftScout.com.