A night of reckoning for the Steelers' mock drafts leading to pick

Detroit, Michigan. Where mock draft dreams go to die. No more conjecture or hypothetical trades. If the NFL draft teaches us anything it’s that even the most plugged-in experts get things wrong. 

Take ESPN’s Mel Kiper. He’s been synonymous with the draft since 1984. Kiper has been synonymous with draft since 1984. Few, if any, know more about the process than him. So why didn’t he have the Steelers taking Troy Fautanu in any mock draft? 

Mock draft 1.0: Kamari Lassiter (CB) Georgia

On January 23, Kiper thought Pittsburgh would take another cornerback after hitting a home run with last year’s second-round pick. 

“Sure, the Steelers hit on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. with the top pick of Round 2 a year ago, but this is a defense that saw 33-year-old corner Patrick Peterson play more than 1,000 snaps, so there's room for an injection of youth at the position.”

He had a point. The team released Porter less than two months later leaving an even bigger hole to fill in the secondary. In his next mock draft, Kiper still had the Steelers taking a cornerback, just not Lassiter.

Mock draft 2.0: Nate Wiggins (CB) Clemson

On February 28, Kiper jumped from the SEC to the ACC to give Wiggins to Pittsburgh. Once again he praised Porter’s

“Wiggins allowed just 4.2 yards per attempt as the nearest defender in coverage last season. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he has a great blend of size and speed. With two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack, he showed up all over the Tigers' 2023 tape.”

By this time Kiper bumped Lassiter all the way down to No. 30 with Wiggins falling nine spots from his first mock draft. Less than a month later, Kiper had the Steelers falling in love with an LSU wide receiver.

Mock draft 3.0: Brian Thomas (WR) LSU

At this point, Pittsburgh had already traded away Kenny Pickett, added quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson and sent wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. With the team seemingly focused on the offense, Kiper followed suit with Thomas.

“Thomas has a tremendous blend of speed and size (6-foot-3). He caught 17 touchdown passes last season, leading the FBS. Pittsburgh had just 13 total touchdown passes in 2023. Thomas and George Pickens could form an exciting pass-catching duo.”

Thomas would certainly help the Steelers’ anemic 15.8 points per game average in 2023, but as the draft grew closer, Kiper decided protecting the quarterback(s) made more sense.

Mock draft 4.0: Graham Barton (C/G) Duke

By April 10, Kiper had been all over the board and began covering his tracks.

“Cornerback, wide receiver, center — I wouldn't be surprised with any of these positions for Pittsburgh, which has made a few intriguing additions this offseason. The Steelers parted ways with starting pivot Mason Cole in February, and taking Barton, my top-ranked center, might even be an upgrade.”

So as you can see, Fautanu wasn’t even on the radar for one of the draft’s most knowledgeable figures. Of course, that’s what makes speculation around the NFL Draft so much fun, even for pros like Kiper.