Getty The Pittsburgh Steelers have given more attention to Amqarius Mims and Nate Wiggins than any other prospect
With less than a week until the 2024 NFL draft, what the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to do with their first-round pick remains a mystery.
However, they have dropped hints during the pre-draft process that could indicate who they want with the pick.
Those hints are who the team has chosen to focus their attention on throughout the pre-draft process.
It turns out there are a couple of players who have gotten a bit more attention than any other prospect.
Still Curtain editor Tommy Jaggi tracked the team’s pre-draft interest and his tracker shows that there were only two prospects in the 2024 NFL draft class that had a Pro Day visit from Mike Tomlin or Omar Khan, met with the team at the Combine, and was brought in for top-30 visit.
Those two players are former Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims and former Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins.
A Great Fit for the Steelers
There’s a pretty strong case to be made that Mims is the best fit for the Steelers in round one.
The team needs to upgrade their tackle positions and drafting Mims would allow them to fix both.
Last season, Dan Moore Jr. was the team’s starting left tackle and he struggled.
Moore allowed 55 pressures and 8 sacks in 535 pass-blocking snaps during the 2023 season, according to PFF.
Broderick Jones was better at right tackle, but still wasn’t great. He allowed 29 pressures and 4 sacks in 405 pass-block snaps.
Those numbers came despite the fact that Jones is naturally a left tackle.
If the Steelers draft Mims, he would become their right tackle and allow them to move Jones back over to the left.
The question is really just how long it would take.
Mims only started eight games at Georgia. That could mean it will take him a little while to be ready to line up opposite his former college teammate.
He doesn’t think the lack of starting experience is going to be an issue. During an April 18 appearance on NFL Total Access, Mims said if you have concerns about his lack of starts, “the film is all there.”
Despite the concerns about Mims, he seems like he would fit right in on the team’s offensive line and help them make a big improvement in the trenches and the Steelers have made it obvious during the pre-draft process that they are interested.
A Tougher Case for Wiggins
Early in the pre-draft process, Wiggins looked like a great fit for the Steelers.
They needed a corner that could play alongside Joey Porter Jr. after they released Patrick Peterson.
More importantly, they needed somebody with some speed. The only defensive back they had on their roster at the start of free agency who ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds was Miles Killebrew.
He is used more on special teams than on defense.
Wiggins ran the 40 in 4.28 seconds.
Now they have somewhat fixed their cornerback issue. They traded Diontae Johnson to the Panthers to land Donte Jackson.
Right now, Jackson is set to be the team’s other corner and he ran the 40 in 4.32 seconds, giving them a bit more speed.
Not only has the role been filled, but there is also one major concern about him. At 173 pounds, Wiggins will be the NFL’s smallest corner.
That could be an issue with a team like the Steelers, known for its physicality on defense.
Wiggins will still likely be taken early in this draft, but with other major needs on their roster, it would be surprising for the Steelers to be the team that takes him.