Football News

A busy offseason might allow some flexibility for the Pittsburgh Steelers in this week's NFL draft.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said as much in Monday's pre-draft news conference, which indicates that Pittsburgh could have the luxury of drafting the best player available come Round 1 on Thursday night.

"We've been very active in free agency and that makes you really comfortable as we lean in on draft weekend," Tomlin said. "So that we've addressed a lot of needs and don't feel overly thirsty in any particular area. I just think that's a good feel going into the weekend."

The Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded away former first-round pick Kenny Pickett before acquiring Justin Fields in what was one of the offseason's blockbuster deals. Pittsburgh also added a former rival in Patrick Queen to fill a long-vacated hole at the linebacker position, brought in veteran cornerback Donte Jacksonin another trade and rounded out its busy spring by signing quality skill-position depth in Cordarrelle Patterson, Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins.

A starting center seems to be the only position of need for the Steelers entering the 2024 NFL Draft, but general manager Omar Khan said Monday that there are offensive linemen on the roster who have the ability to make a full-time switch.

That leaves an intriguing spot at No. 20 overall when Pittsburgh is on the clock. But before looking into what pro days the Steelers attended to try to zero in on who they're interested in, Tomlin indicated it could be a ploy to throw teams -- or even the media -- off Pittsburgh's scent.

"Sometimes at pro days, I'm looking at people I'm not interested in because I know everyone's watching," Tomlin said. "To be bluntly honest, there's not a lot of my peers that work

Russell Wilson Kenny Pickett Mike Tomlin