Pittsburg, PA
McCorkle: 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft (Version 1.0)
Following the first week of free agency, and with a number of trades having taken place to shuffle around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 selections, this is my first attempt of the season at an every-round mock draft for the team.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. This will probably be the last mock that I do until the days leading up to the draft.
ROUND ONE – 20TH OVERALL: AMARIUS MIMS/OT GEORGIA – 6076, 340 LBS.
Analysis: This may not be the most creative, with many other mocks linking him to the Steelers, but it makes too much sense to pass up. He would add an enormous frame to the offensive line and could play on the right side, allowing Broderick Jones to flip back to the left. The Steelers have two new quarterbacks who are dual threats with their arms and legs, and they figure to lean heavily on the two-headed monster of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in 2024. Shore up the offensive line at all costs to protect the new quarterbacks and propel the rushing attack to further success.
Mims may not be a completely polished prospect, having only started eight games, but his tape in those games suggests he could be the next great offensive tackle in the NFL. This, along with my second-round pick below, would give the Steelers a chance at having one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Amarius Mims Scouting Report
ROUND TWO – 51ST OVERALL: ZACH FRAZIER/C WEST VIRGINIA – 6025, 313 LBS.
Analysis: Drafting offensive linemen with the top two picks may feel like overkill, but the Steelers are in dire need of a center. The options in the free agency market have dried up, and that could leave James Daniels or Nate Herbig playing out of position if they don’t find another option. Powers-Johnson is almost certainly going to be gone by this pick, so you turn to the next-best option in Frazier.
He has everything you want in a center: the competitive toughness, play strength, balance, and football IQ to be a successful leader of the unit. His highly successful high school wrestling career gave him a unique understanding of body control and leverage that will serve him well in the NFL. Grab Mims and Frazier, and the Steelers’ offensive line is cooking with gas.
Zach Frazier Scouting Report
ROUND THREE – 84TH OVERALL: MALACHI CORLEY/WR WESTERN KENTUCKY – 5110, 215 LBS.
Analysis: The Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson and released Allen Robinson II, and just like that, the WR position shot to the top of the team’s needs. Thankfully, it is one of the deeper receiver classes in recent memory. They already have the big playmaker who can stretch the field in George Pickens., but they lost their possession receiver who excels at getting open and creating yards after the catch. Enter WKU’s Corley.
He is from a smaller program out of Conference USA, but he has 22 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards in the last two seasons. He excels after the catch with good play strength and short-area quickness and was used around the line of scrimmage a lot as a catch-short, run-long weapon.
Malachi Corley Scouting Report
ROUND THREE – 98TH OVERALL: MAX MELTON/CB RUTGERS – 5111, 187 LBS.
Analysis: This is where the Kenny Pickett trade really comes in handy, moving up 22 spots back up into the third round where a slot corner would be the best use of the team’s resources. Currently they have no logical option to play in the slot other than S DeShon Elliott, but he will be playing strong safety more than anything. Melton would be a great pickup as he could become a great player in the slot and provide a meaningful impact on special teams while he develops.
He had an incredible showing at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine with a 40.5-inch vertical jump, an 11’4″ broad jump, and a 4.39-second 40-yard dash time. He blocked four or five punts in college and was a gunner under head coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers. He played primarily in the slot, so his experience there is exactly what the team needs. He may have tested his way out of range for this pick, but there are so many corners in this draft that he could fall right into the Steelers’ lap.
Max Melton Scouting Report
ROUND FOUR – 119TH OVERALL: MCKINNLEY JACKSON/DL TEXAS A&M – 6014, 326 LBS.
Analysis: It isn’t the greatest draft class for defensive line talent, but the Steelers have a huge depth problem up front on defense, and one or two players will need to be added via the draft. Jackson doesn’t have the length to play all along the line, but he could be a valuable run-stuffer to use on early downs. He played a lot of 0-tech and 3-tech in college and has surprising quickness for his size to provide some juice as a pass rusher. He was also a two-time team captain.
McKinnley Jackson Scouting Report
ROUND SIX – 178TH OVERALL: JAHEIM BELL/TE FLORIDA STATE – 6020, 241 LBS.
Analysis: Bell is listed as a tight end, but he was much more than that at both South Carolina and Florida State. He played a little h-back, tight end, receiver, and even running back. When I asked him at the combine about potentially playing fullback, he said some teams have indeed talked to him about that possibility. He has the right frame for it, and could provide the team with more usage than just being a fullback in certain packages. He is a weapon with the ball in his hands and can make difficult catches in traffic. His blocking improved greatly over his time in college and was actually pretty good in his final season.
He tested very well at the combine, but his size will leave him off some teams’ boards as a tight end. The Steelers figure to utilize the fullback position in Arthur Smith’s offense, and I would bet they were one of the teams that discussed it with him. They had a formal meeting with him at the combine, which is pretty notable given that they barely met with any other Senior Bowl players there.
Jaheim Bell Scouting Report
ROUND SIX – 195TH OVERALL: ERIC WATTS/DL UCONN – 6055, 274 LBS.
Analysis: With the final pick of the Steelers draft, it makes sense to grab a guy with all of the correct measurables to develop into an eventual defensive end. In Alex Kozora’s “what the Steelers look for” study on drafting defensive ends, Watts checks every box other than his weight. He would need to add 15-20 pounds, but he would not be playing in his first year or two anyway. At the combine, he said he had some informal meetings with the Steelers, and he also said that some teams have asked him to put on a little weight if they draft him. He told me that would be no problem to add some weight to his frame. If he can, his testing numbers at the combine are something to marvel at.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers insider just poured gasoline on the Aaron Rodgers fire following latest report of what he was doing in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be in Pittsburgh over the weekend, with the thought that a deal would get done. One Steelers insider backs the report, but adds details that only compound a messy situation.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At this point, the events of the past two seasons between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers could probably be a book or movie. Everything from walks on the beach, to him throwing with DK Metcalf before signing, to someone capturing him driving a rental car into Pittsburgh has made waves.
This offseason was supposed to be different, and a decision from Rodgers was supposed to come much earlier. However, the Steelers remain in a holding pattern, and one that many believed would end over the weekend, after it was reported that Rodgers would be in town to sign a contract. Well, that seems to be true, but like much of this saga over the past two years, there seems to be a holdup.
Aaron Rodgers 2025 stats
- 3.4 TD to INT ratio.
- 3,322 passing yards.
- 65.7% completion percentage.
Aaron Rodgers visited Pittsburgh, but not the Steelers over the weekend
“Aaron Rodgers has been in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have not met with him yet and instead have been talking with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team’s South Side facility while the three-day rookie minicamp has been going on.” – Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The news from Dulac comes on the heels of the report from 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that Rodgers would be visiting the Steelers over the weekend, with the intention to sign his deal.
That report was backed up nationally by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, but some in Steelers media (Mark Kaboly) said that if Rodgers was going to be in town, that was news to the team.
Omar Khan said as much during a radio hit after the reports surfaced, saying that he didn’t know where Rodgers was, but that talks remained fluid. Of course, general managers, including Omar Khan, have been known to bend the truth, which seems to lie somewhere in the middle here.
The bottom line with Aaron Rodgers
It’s obvious to me that the Steelers and Rodgers are held up over money. I know that it was said to not be the case, but you don’t intentionally avoid meeting with a team and have your agent talk to them, just days after they use a tender that determines your 2026 salary, if you’re just going to sign.
I would be surprised if Rodgers doesn’t sign at this point, but it doesn’t change the monetary situation that needs to be worked out here.
Kennywood honored two longtime employees Saturday who together have worked at the park for a combined 100 years.
Larry Russ and Bobby Trygar started working at Kennywood in 1976.
Russ began his Kennywood career as a games employee, working at the Big Apple dart game. In 1980, Russ applied to the security team and has held positions there ever since, including roles as a corporal, lieutenant, chief, and captain, according to a press release provided by the park.
Trygar began his time at Kennywood by working in the Parkside Café. Since he joined Kennywood, he has helped to maintain some of the park’s most iconic attractions, including the Racer, Log Jammer, and Merry Go Round.
“This is something you dream about. It’s so amazing,” Trygar said. “One of the best things when I worked out here was when I met my wife on the Racer. I was the mechanic. It’s just a great feeling to come here every day, see smiles on people’s faces, it’s tremendous. It gives you that extra boost and happiness.”
“I was planning on going into the mill, like everyone else was during my era,” Russ said. “Of course, the mill shut down. My father told me, ‘You don’t want to [work at the mill]. This place isn’t going to be here that much longer,’ and he was right, so I stuck it out here. I got a full-time position in 1980, and the rest is history.”
The park also dedicated two benches in their honor.
The new policy requiring anyone under 18 to be accompanied by someone over 21 in Market Square may not be as firm as some first thought.
KDKA observed unaccompanied kids in and around the square in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening, but in very small numbers, especially compared to the hundreds of kids who gathered as recently as during the NFL draft last month. Many of the kids were walking through the square or to restaurants like Chipotle.
It was the kids who lingered on Saturday evening who were approached by either youth outreach teams, private security or officers.
Von Madden — the founder of AIM, a youth outreach group — said it’s when kids start gathering in large numbers that they’ll be asked to leave.
“I don’t think they are going to be kicked out of the space for buying food or walking by,” Madden said. “The policy was so they’re allowed to hang out, but if they’re causing disruption, they were asked to move.”
Outreach workers within the square on Saturday evening said they’ve been approaching kids to make sure they are aware of the rules, but aren’t forcing them to leave. Some workers suggested alternative places they could go, as they work to form relationships with the kids
Madden, who was not at the square on Saturday, said in theory, enforcement works by private security engaging kids first, and then if that doesn’t work, outreach staff comes over. Only as a last resort are police officers brought in.
KDKA watched as a group of about 15 to 20 kids formed along Market Street steps away from a police SUV on Saturday evening. A member of the private security approached the kids first, pointing toward the exit of the square. Once more kids gathered, a group of five to 10 officers walked over, and the group dispersed toward Liberty Avenue.
A group of teenagers near Chipotle told KDKA that officers told them they had to leave if they weren’t actually going to the restaurant. Madden said the policy, which is in effect from Thursday to Sunday from 3 p.m to midnight, has worked well this week.
“It was phenomenal. Thursday was great,” Madden said. “The kids came, a lot of kids. They were absolutely excited about everything going on.”
Thursday was the first night for the temporary roller rink in Market Square, and a rainy Friday kept many people away. People enjoying their Saturday evening in the square gave mixed reviews about the policy.
“I think it’s definitely necessary,” Cristina from Butler told KDKA. “It keeps the community safe, and it allows adults and parents to know that their kids are safe as well, and just a more controlled environment.”
Danielle Graham from Robinson said she’d been observing kids interacting with police and believes kids aren’t welcome in Market Square, even if they are not being disruptive. She said there was a discrepancy in what private security and officers knew about the rule, adding that police asked her if the child she was chaperoning was her legal guardian.
She said she offered to chaperone kids to allow them to enjoy the square and so she could observe what was going on.
“There’s no clear understanding from the people that are supposedly enforcing it,” Robinson said. “You just put more vulnerable kids in front of law enforcement, things can go wrong.”
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick shared her own criticism of the policy during a meeting last week.
“Not only does this feel highly unwelcoming to families with teens, it also seems questionable in terms even of enforcement,” Warwick said. “I don’t know that there’ll be like a private security, what are we checking IDs like, you know? How is this working? My understanding is it’s on an event permit.”
KDKA-TV did not observe any IDs being checked on Saturday and saw at most 12 officers in the square at once, along with the private security.
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