While the NFL draft did not quite have the intrigue that I had alluded to last week, there were still numerous moments where one was expected to be shocked. Of course, exhibit A was the Atlanta Falcons drafting University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth-overall pick, mere weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal to play that position. Why the hell would you burn a top-10 pick on an injury-prone guy who will be approaching 28 years on this planet, especially when the Cousins signing indicated that the Falcons would attempt to contend for a Lombardi trophy now? Quite literally, that was the position of least necessity for general manager Terry Fontenot and the rest of Atlanta’s front office.

It is a shame that Penix has to bear the brunt of the deluge of criticism emanating from both random people on social media and members of the NFL’s journalism fraternity–it is not like he asked to be selected with one of the more head-scratching picks in recent memory. However, a player is going to be judged based on where he is drafted. One example of this is San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy. He was selected with the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft and had immediate success, taking the reins as the Niners’ starter due to injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo and not relinquishing them. He has been good…but are we giving him more credit than he deserves, simply because he was “Mr. Irrelevant”? Had Trevor Lawrence been selected at the end of the draft instead of with the first pick, would he be criticized as much for failing to produce at a high level? NFL players–especially quarterbacks–are slaves to the expectations that come with being drafted at a certain juncture.

With that said, sometimes the best thing for a draft prospect is to not be picked too high, but rather in a round that captures their ceiling as well as their floor. Yes, one signs a more lucrative contract when drafted in the first round than they do in the seventh, but being able to play one’s game without the immense pressure that comes from being drafted high may result in improved performance, which can lead to more money in the long run.

Anyways, that is the end of my generic ramblings about the NFL draft. I want to instead focus on the amazing job that Omar Khan and the rest of the Steelers’ front office did over the weekend with their draft selections. Not only did they select players at positions of need (offensive tackle, center, wide receiver), but they also chose very accomplished players to fill those voids without reaching for prospects to do so.

With their first-round pick, the Steelers drafted University of Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu. One of the reasons I brought up Michael Penix Jr. in the introduction is that Fautanu blocked for him, preserving the health of the fragile quarterback. This past season, Fautanu was a first-team all-American and won the Morris Trophy, an award given to the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12 conference. Other winners of this trophy include Penei Sewell (who just signed an extension to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL), Alex Mack (twice), and two hall of fame members in Jonathan Ogden and Bruce Matthews. Fautanu also graded out as the third best offensive tackle in the draft based on NFL combine performance, per Next Gen Stats. At pick 20, this was a steal, in my opinion. Not only do you get an extremely versatile and accomplished lineman, but you do not have to trade any draft capital to move up and get him.

In the second round, the Steelers again addressed the offensive line, selecting center Zach Frazier from West Virginia University. Frazier earned first-team all-Big XII honors as the anchor of the Mountaineers’ offensive line and graded out as the third best center at the combine, per Next Gen Stats. Another accomplished collegiate athlete joined the ranks of the Steelers, hoping to follow in the footsteps of centers like Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Maurkice Pouncey.

The Steelers had two picks in round 3, taking slot receiver Roman Wilson from University of Michigan and linebacker Payton Wilson from North Carolina State (the two are not related). Roman was a member of the 2023 College Football Playoff championship team in Ann Arbor, earning second-team all-Big Ten honors. In a draft where the receiver position was very deep, Wilson was arguably the best slot prospect, managing to flourish in a run-heavy Jim Harbaugh offense. Payton Wilson is, in my opinion, the steal o fhte draft. Had it not been for an injury history the length of a CVS receipt, he would have been a top-ten pick. In 2023, Payton won the Bednarik award (best defensive player), Butkus award (best linebacker), and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, along with earning unanimous all-American honors. He graded out as the best linebacker in the draft based on combine performance, running the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.43 seconds at 6’4″, 233 lbs. He is a freak athlete. Him not having ACLs in either knee caused him to slide until the end of the third round, but even three seasons of a healthy Payton Wilson is a steal at pick 98. There were some other draft picks made on day 3, but I will not dive into them today.

I have been truly amazed over the past two drafts with Omar Khan. He has been able to balance positional need and the relative value on players available. He has completely rebuilt an offensive line that was absolutely dreadful towards the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era. He fleeced the Chicago Bears into giving up the 32nd overall pick in last year’s draft for Chase Claypool, who did not even last a full season in Chi-Town, resulting in us drafting a shutdown cornerback in Joey Porter Jr.

Of course, the Steelers will only go as far as Russell Wilson (or Justin Fields) takes them. However, no one can say that the quarterback room has not been given everything that is needed to succeed in the NFL from a personnel standpoint. Omar Khan deserves a ton of credit for sticking to his board and not becoming overly infatuated with prospects like his Falcons counterpart, and I do not think you could ask for more out of a general manager than what he has provided thus far.