The third and final day of the 2024 NFL Draft started with the Pittsburgh Steelers needing to address the cornerback and defensive line positions. While they did indeed do that, the selections were a bit head-scratching. This doesn’t mean they were poor picks, but it does suggest what the future holds for all three of the guys chosen on Saturday.
With one pick in the fourth round and two in the sixth, the Steelers were a tad limited in how terms of how “picky” they could be. In the fourth, they selected South Dakota State Guard Mason McCormick. The Steelers had brought McCormick in for one of their 30 visits so we knew ahead of time there was interest. As a player, McCormick is a classic offensive lineman. He’s a tremendous drive blocker who plays with a streak similar to that of earlier picks Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier.
While there will no doubt need to be some attention paid to his pass blocking, there are some that believe could easily step in and start. Therein lies the problem… With Isaac Seumalo and James Daniel already entrenched there, does McCormick immediately become the ‘swing’ guard? If so, what does that mean for Nate Herbig? The idea that McCormick was drafted to replace either Seumalo or Daniel is a fair one, but there are questions.
Seumalo is signed through the end of the 2025 season when he’ll be 32 years old. To this point, there’s no sign of him slowing down. As for Daniels, he’ll be a free agent at the end of this coming season but he’s only going to be 27. Therefore, I find the drafting of McCormick a bit odd simply because there were defensive linemen and cornerbacks available.
For their first pick in the sixth round, the Steelers took Logan Lee, a defensive lineman who won’t have to change his colors as comes in from Iowa. Lee is a bit of a ‘gap shooting’ defensive tackle who will need to add some weight but he’s also built very much in the mold of a classic 3-4 defensive end or 5-tech.
The question for Lee is whether he will be strong enough and quick enough to play there. As for now, Lee will project as nothing more than rotational defensive lineman and Special Teams’ player. I think he has a shot to make the roster knowing the needs of bodies on the D-line but don’t be surprised if he starts out on the Practice Squad.
The Steelers final selection in the 2024 draft was Texas CB Ryan Watts. There has already been a lot speculation that Watts will likely transition to the safety spot but I’m not 100% convinced of that just yet. I say this simply because Watts possesses the size and length that the Steelers like for the cornerbacks.
Further analysis however suggests that due to his overall lack of quickness, safety seems much more likely down the road. He does however have some experience and decent ability to line up over the slot or the tight end where he uses physicality as his chief weapon.
While McCormick is a shoo-in for a roster spot in my opinion, both Lee and Watts will have work to do. Watts does have Special Teams experience and is likely to be a favorite of Danny Smith.
