With the 2026 NFL Draft only two weeks away, let’s revisit Omar Khan and the Steelers’ 2024 draft class.
The 2024 Steelers draft class is far from perfect. Injury-prone players and players who haven’t proven their spot on this roster were drafted alongside absolute stars. Two years go by in a blink, and with that time to prove themselves, here’s where the Steelers’ 2024 draft class is now.
Troy Fautanu, Round 1: 20th Pick, Offensive tackle
The Steelers’ first pick in the 2024 NFL draft was Troy Fautanu, straight out of the University of Washington. Starting at right tackle, Fautanu spent the entirety of his rookie year injured and was on the IR for the majority of his sophomore season with a knee injury. Though Fautanu hasn’t had his breakout moment yet, there are still plenty of opportunities for him to display his athleticism. He only allowed two sacks all season. He is widely considered to be impressive despite his injury-prone nature, with Pro Football Focus grading him at 66.7. Hopefully, we see a breakout from Fautanu this upcoming season without any injuries preventing him from showing off his first-round potential.
Zach Frazier, Round 2: 51st Pick, Center
Zach Frazier was a second-round steal. Frazier has been absolutely showing out at center and was ranked 8th in the league at his position last season. Frazier was an absolute stud at West Virginia University and is now showing off in the black and gold as a Steeler. He’s an absolute wall in the middle of the Steelers’ offensive line and has shown consistent blocking throughout his last two seasons. During the 2025-26 season, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers described him as having “a real good disposition for a center.” Frazier is ready to take off in this coming season, and with a few additions to the Steelers’ o-line in the upcoming draft to solidify the line, Frazier is going to have a great upcoming year and will be an absolute necessity for the offensive line.
Roman Wilson, Round 3: 84th Pick, Wide receiver
Roman Wilson was one of the most talked-about players that the Steelers drafted in 2024. With a championship at the University of Michigan on his resume, Wilson was supposed to be a star receiver for the Steelers. But all we’ve seen from Wilson in the past two years is a mere 12 receptions. He only played in one regular-season game in 2024 and didn’t even take enough snaps to be ranked for his position in the 2025 season. So, for a reigning Wolverine champ, Wilson hasn’t been making any big plays — or small plays for that matter — for the Steelers’ offense. With the Steelers severely lacking reliable receivers over the last few seasons, it’s unclear why Arthur Smith didn’t use Wilson even as a receiver down the depth chart. It’s uncertain what Wilson’s impact on the Steelers will be in the future, but if he’s able to take more snaps in the next few seasons while still under his rookie contract, he’ll be able to prove how much he deserves a spot on the roster.
Payton Wilson, Round 3: 98th Pick, Linebacker
Payton Wilson, the linebacker out of University of North Carolina, was a third-round steal. Going later in the draft, Wilson has continuously proven himself to the team as an absolute asset. He had a breakout rookie year and led the Steelers in solo tackles during his sophomore season in 2025. He’s an outstanding athlete with a 40-yard dash time of 4.43 seconds, which was one of the fastest from a linebacker in the 2024 draft class as a whole. Coming into his sophomore season, though, despite his leading tackles, he was only graded a 52.6, which is not great for how much he impacts the Steelers’ defense. He’ll have to prove he deserves a spot on this roster, considering the Steelers’ stacked linebacker room. He’s competing for playtime with a long list of impressive names, such as Malik Harrison and Cole Holcomb, to name a few.
Mason McCormick, Round 4: 119th pick, Guard
From South Dakota State University, the Steelers took Mason McCormick. Though he hasn’t made a huge impact as a guard on the Steelers’ roster yet, he was a solid pick for the fourth round. McCormick made a notable impact on the Steelers’ offense during the 2024 season as a factor in ex-Steeler running back Najee Harris’s ability to run for 100-plus yards in back-to-back weeks. Though he hasn’t taken a huge amount of snaps for the Steelers the last two seasons, there is definitely potential for McCormick to build up his skills and find his place on the team this upcoming season.
Logan Lee, Round 6: 178th Pick, Defensive End
Logan Lee, the defensive end out of the University of Iowa, started his career with the Steelers in a rough way. Dealing with an injury that prevented him from playing his entire rookie year was definitely a setback for Lee. Even considering this, his stats are underwhelming with zero sacks last season and only two solo tackles. With that said, it’s doubtful the Steelers will re-sign Lee to a long-term deal after his rookie contract is up if no improvement or impact is seen in the next few seasons.
Ryan Watts, Round 6: 195th Pick, Defensive Back
Finally, the last player the Steelers drafted in 2024 was Ryan Watts out of the University of Texas. Watts’ career as a Steeler was short-lived. He was released after sustaining a neck injury during a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions heading in 2025. Since his release, Watts has retired from football.
One word to describe the 2024 Steelers draft class is injury-prone. With a majority of the players not showing their full potential due to injury, this is far from Omar Khan’s best draft class since he became general manager of the Steelers. There’s still time on all these players’ rookie contracts to show their grit and athleticism and earn a spot on the roster in the coming seasons. But until then, they’ll have to go head-to-head with the next draft class, which will be picked next week.