empirevive'S MOCK DRAFT
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  • empirevive DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (PIT)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Cooper DeJean Head Shot
PICK: 55 RND: 2 (PIT)
Cooper DeJean
CB Iowa
Sedrick Van Pran Head Shot
PICK: 75 RND: 3 (PIT)
Sedrick Van Pran
C Georgia
McKinnley Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
McKinnley Jackson
DL Texas A&M
Brenden Rice Head Shot
PICK: 95 RND: 3 (PIT)
Brenden Rice
WR USC
Jalen McMillan Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (PIT)
Jalen McMillan
WR Washington
Payton Wilson Head Shot
PICK: 113 RND: 4 (PIT)
Payton Wilson
LB North Carolina State
Khyree Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 138 RND: 5 (PIT)
Khyree Jackson
CB Oregon
Billy Bowman Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 154 RND: 5 (PIT)
Billy Bowman Jr.
S Oklahoma
Braden Fiske Head Shot
PICK: 184 RND: 6 (PIT)
Braden Fiske
DL Florida State
Tyler Baron Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (PIT)
Tyler Baron
DL-EDGE Tennessee
Jacob Cowing Head Shot
PICK: 201 RND: 6 (PIT)
Jacob Cowing
WR Arizona
Reuben Fatheree II Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (PIT)
Reuben Fatheree II
OT Texas A&M
Jase McClellan Head Shot
PICK: 244 RND: 7 (PIT)
Jase McClellan
RB Alabama
Phil Jurkovec Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (PIT)
Phil Jurkovec
QB Pittsburgh
Draft Picks Received
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (HOU)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Sedrick Van Pran Head Shot
PICK: 75 RND: 3 (NYJ)
Sedrick Van Pran
C Georgia
McKinnley Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (ARI)
McKinnley Jackson
DL Texas A&M
Brenden Rice Head Shot
PICK: 95 RND: 3 (HOU)
Brenden Rice
WR USC
Jalen McMillan Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (NYJ)
Jalen McMillan
WR Washington
Khyree Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 138 RND: 5 (CAR)
Khyree Jackson
CB Oregon
Billy Bowman Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 154 RND: 5 (CIN)
Billy Bowman Jr.
S Oklahoma
Braden Fiske Head Shot
PICK: 184 RND: 6 (TEN)
Braden Fiske
DL Florida State
Tyler Baron Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (ARI)
Tyler Baron
DL-EDGE Tennessee
Reuben Fatheree II Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (TEN)
Reuben Fatheree II
OT Texas A&M
Phil Jurkovec Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (NYJ)
Phil Jurkovec
QB Pittsburgh
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (TEN)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (NYG)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (TEN)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (NYG)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (TEN)
NEXT YEAR (2025)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Bo Nix Head Shot
PICK: 23 RND: 1 (HOU)
Bo Nix
QB Oregon
Michael Hall Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 87 RND: 3 (TEN)
Michael Hall Jr.
DT Ohio State
J. Michael Sturdivant Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (IND)
J. Michael Sturdivant
WR UCLA
Players Gained
Head Shot
Nick Bawden
FB
Players traded away
Head Shot
Chukwuma Okorafor
OT
Head Shot
Dan Moore Jr.
OT
Head Shot
Diontae Johnson
WR
Head Shot
Mitch Trubisky
QB
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C
ValueB- NeedB TradesF FutureB
The Steelers bled value on every deal, hence the C.

You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Steelers did exactly that with Payton Wilson in slot 113. The good and the questionable cancel out to a C.

The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end. That Cowing pick is the receipt they will wave around later.

With tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on offensive lineman is the choice that costs them.

Hit on JC Latham and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.

Pick Analysis
Pick24 Rnd1 JC Latham
Nice patience on JC Latham, who had no business lasting to pick 24. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick55 Rnd2 Cooper DeJean
Cooper DeJean in slot 55 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick75 Rnd3 Sedrick Van Pran
A curious use of pick No. 75. Tight end needed the pick; an offensive lineman in Sedrick Van Pran did not.
Pick85 Rnd3 McKinnley Jackson
No drama and no debate, McKinnley Jackson went about where he belonged in No. 85. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick95 Rnd3 Brenden Rice
This one needs a full-page explanation: Brenden Rice in the 95th overall pick, miles early. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick111 Rnd4 Jalen McMillan
Jalen McMillan at the Round 4 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick113 Rnd4 Payton Wilson
Payton Wilson at No. 113 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick138 Rnd5 Khyree Jackson
Value with a capital V on Khyree Jackson in pick 138, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick154 Rnd5 Billy Bowman Jr.
By-the-book stuff, Billy Bowman Jr. at the 154th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick184 Rnd6 Braden Fiske
A slide stopped in Round 6, Pick 9, with Braden Fiske worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick198 Rnd6 Tyler Baron
They took Tyler Baron at par in the 198th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick201 Rnd6 Jacob Cowing
A tidy bit of business in the Round 6 slot, where Jacob Cowing graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick227 Rnd7 Reuben Fatheree II
They paid up for Reuben Fatheree II at slot 227 when waiting would have done the job. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Pick244 Rnd7 Jase McClellan
A premium they did not need to pay, Jase McClellan a notch or two before his time. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick256 Rnd7 Phil Jurkovec
They reached into another round for Phil Jurkovec, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.