Getting to Know the Steelers’ Day Two 2024 Draft Picks
I don’t want to overreact, but I’m going to anyway. The Steelers had the best day two of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Zach Frazier - Center From West Virginia
After Graham Barton went to Tampa and Jackson Powers-Johnson went to Las Vegas, it would’ve been easy for the Steelers to jump the gun and spend draft capital to get their guy. But, they stood ten toes down, and sweated it out. It paid off, and with the 51st overall pick in the second round, they were able to take Zach Frazier.
When talking about the Frazier pick in the post-pick press conference, the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, had this to say: "It's rare you find a guy with that kind of pedigree and resume and the number of snaps he has in college. Certainly, there's his background in wrestling. He's been a high achiever his whole life, and we couldn't be more fired up to get Zach in the building."
When you turn on the film, a few things jump out about Frazier. For starters, he’s an excellent run blocker. He moves fluidly, with his head up, when pulling, and has a great feel for zones, giving him the ability to quickly identify assignments and open holes for his runners. He also has shown a tendency to get to the second level. It’s always nice to see that from a center. Like Tomlin said about our first round pick, Fautanu: “Just turn the tape on.”
In my humble opinion, the same can be said about Zach Frazier. In the first video I watched of him yesterday, he’s literally picking guys up and setting them down out of the way of his runners. This is another case of a guy whose play on the field really speaks for itself.
There’s little-to-no dropoff when he’s operating as a pass blocker. He is extremely bottom-heavy and anchors his weight really well. This makes it so he’s not getting pushed into the quarterback’s lap, and helps to keep a relatively clean pocket. His ability to keep his head up during blocks also makes it so guys don’t get to the quarterback unblocked. It’s also worth mentioning that he graduated with a 4.0 in sports management. I only bring that up, because as a center, he’ll be tasked with identifying pass rush schemes and shifting protections. It’s important for your center to be able to process information presented on both sides of the ball.
The offensive line is a lot better today than it was to start off this week.
Click here to watch an informative film breakdown that I found on Youtube.
Roman Wilson - Wide Receiver From Michigan
The Steelers nabbed Roman Wilson in round three with the 84th overall pick; the 14th wide receiver taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. This is another good example of the Steelers not jumping on opportunities to move up in the draft, and still landing themselves a STUD.
Wilson was likely overlooked because of the fact that he played for a Wolverines squad that runs the ball, then runs the ball, then runs the ball some more. The downside to this is that, statistically, there were better options out there in this draft. However, the plus to this is that he is not afraid to block for his guys, and many draft analysts believe that if he had the opportunity to play for more vertical offenses, he would’ve thrived. I know Michigan won the National Championship, and had tons of nationally televised games, but I was not privy to Roman Wilson’s skills. So, what does the film say?
The first thing that struck me was his YAC abilities when he gets the ball in stride. Everyone that knows who Roman Wilson is probably knows that he’s FAST (like 4.39 40 at the combine fast), and he can turn a shallow cross into a 50-yard touchdown if he has some space. One thing that isn’t being talked about enough, in my opinion, is he ATTACKS the ball when he goes up for catches. He’ll effectively be replacing Diontae Johnson. Now, I’m a huge Diontae Johnson fan, but his effort has been questioned on a few occasions. But the way Wilson goes to the ball, especially on contested catches, is really refreshing, and, dare I say, Steve Smith-like.
Most of his big plays at Michigan came when J.J. McCarthy was extending plays. He stays active when plays break down, and defenders have a really tough time sticking with him when it turns into backyard football like that. Think about the two quarterbacks that the Steelers acquired this offseason. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both LETHAL extending plays. Roman Wilson fits right in with this offense. Offensive line isn’t the exciting, sexy pick, regardless of how good I think Fautanu and Frazier are going to be, so look out for Roman Wilson to be the most talked about pick from this draft in the 2024 season among Steeler Nation.
Click here to watch every single target for Roman Wilson in 2023.
Payton Wilson - Linebacker From NC State
Last month, when the Steelers moved Kenny Pickett to the Eagles, part of their return in that trade was an additional pick in the third round of this draft; 98th overall. With that pick, the Steelers selected inside linebacker Payton Wilson.
This figures to be one of the most controversial picks of this draft class. On one hand, you have a Butkus Award winner (given to the nation’s top college linebacker) and Bednarik Award winner (given to the nation’s college defensive player of the year), and a guy with a stellar tape. On another hand, he’s coming off a significant shoulder injury, and he’s missing an ACL in one of his knees. That isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. Hines Ward, for example, obviously had a stellar NFL career, and he played without an intact ACL. It is, however, a cause for concern.
Even with the injury concerns, the accolades, and the film, says he’s an absolute steal at 98th overall. Wilson has a lot of speed, and he really ATTACKS the ball, while still maintaining an admirable amount of discipline. His play is predicated on speed, and a lot of defensive guys that play like that have a tendency to lose sight of their discipline, and overcommit to things. Wilson doesn’t have that problem. His abilities and his instincts are not in question.
Obviously, I mentioned the injury concerns, but there’s another aspect of his play that needs to be addressed once he gets a feel for the NFL; his strength. He has a fairly skinny frame, and guys are typically able to fall forward on him when he’s making tackles. These strength issues also show up when he’s pass rushing, as he’s able to beat blockers with his speed, but if they get ahold of him, he’s fairly easy to take out of the play. That didn’t hold him back in college, but with the speed and strength of these linemen in the NFL, that could be an issue.
Luckily for him, he’ll start his career behind newly acquired LB, Patrick Queen (who is a MENACE), as well as Elandon Roberts, who figures to return after his 2023 season was cut short due to injury. These are two guys who are extremely capable at that position, and this will allow him to build some additional strength, as well as play on limited snaps to avoid those injury concerns, for now.
Click here to watch a great film breakdown I found on Youtube.
All in all, I’m seeing nothing but happiness from most of Steeler Nation about all three of these picks. Our offensive line has the potential to be one of the best in the world, and we’ve added some SERIOUS speed both on offense and defense. I don’t think I’m overreacting when I say that this team can compete for first place in the AFC North, and maybe even a Super Bowl. I think we really improved that much. We are going to be a PROBLEM. What say yinz?
Here we go STILLERS here we go * clap, clap *
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