Steelers Could Definitely Find Surprising Talent In 2024 Shrine Bowl Standouts

The Pittsburgh Steelers started their 2024 offseason earlier than they would have liked with a 2023 Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. With that sudden end to the season, their focus turned to potential players they could be targeting during the 2024 NFL Draft. With the 2024 Shrine Bowl showcasing some of the best collegiate talent, Pittsburgh could have its eye on some of the standouts from the event.

Steelers Could Find Defensive Help From the 2024 Shrine Bowl

Every year, at the Shrine Bowl, some of the best players from college football come together to show the NFL what they can do. It allows the athletes another opportunity to do what they do best in front of scouts, but also the chance to be coached by NFL staff. For example, the 2024 Shrine Bowl had the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Mike Kafka, and the special teams coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Richard Hightower, as head coaches for the game.

To succeed in 2024, the Steelers will need to bolster their secondary, and that starts by building on the impressive rookie season that Joey Porter Jr. put together. Several cornerbacks stood out from the pack and increased their draft potential. Jarius Monroe out of Tulane is one of the names climbing the draft boards thanks to earning the Defensive MVP of the 2024 Shrine Bowl. He consistently stood out in practices and stepped up his game on the field by intercepting East's quarterback Austin Reed to help the West secure a victory.

Another athlete who proved he could possibly be a legitimate cornerback in the NFL was Jarvis Brownlee Jr. out of Louisville. The 6'0" cornerback played in 24 games for the Cardinals and showed was a strong tackler, tallying nearly 100 tackles in two years at Louisville to go with three interceptions. It was the way Brownlee Jr. used his length to stand out in practices, especially the red zone area. If Brownlee Jr. is available with a late draft pick, the Steelers may see him fitting in well with a young position group.

The defensive line is also an area that the Steelers should be addressing for the 2024 season, and there were two prospects who may have put their names onto Pittsburgh's radar. Khristian Boyd from Northern Iowa and Gabe Hall out of Baylor could be sleeper picks come the 2024 NFL Draft. Boyd and Hall came into the Shrine Bowl without many people outside of their own teams knowing who they were, but that changed as they let their play do the talking.

Pro Football Network singled Boyd out as their PFN Defensive Player of the Week, pointing out that the defensive lineman outshone everyone he faced. Hall became a force of nature during the week, showcasing his strength and ability to approach battles with preparedness rather than raw chaos. Both players will surely be more popular when the 2024 NFL Combine begins; until then, they can rest assured that they made their mark, and teams like the Steelers certainly took note.

Steelers Could Consider Late Quarterback Help In The Draft

With Mason Rudolph's future in Pittsburgh very much up in the air, the likely quarterback room for the 2024 Steelers currently has Kenny Pickett in it. Mitch Trubisky shouldn't be back, so that leaves Pickett, who will be going into his third NFL season. If that is the case, then expect the Steelers to bring in some serious competition to ensure they have the right player under center for their 2024 campaign. While Pittsburgh is highly unlikely to spend an upper-tier draft pick on a quarterback, the potential for them to look deeper in the rounds is a legitimate reality.

Like Hall and Boyd on the defensive line, Carter Bradley, out of South Alabama University, showed a side to his game that few had a chance to see prior to the Shrine Bowl. Yahoo Sports noted him as the quarterback who showed the most consistency throughout the week, as well as responding much better to pressure than expected. With images of Pickett spinning into sacks and inviting injury, the prospect of a quarterback who knows how to handle the pass rush has to be attractive.

If the Steelers would prefer a more well-known quarterback who could fly under the radar, they might consider Spencer Rattler, who played at South Carolina for his final two college seasons. The NFL Draft is always a toss-up and runs on a particular position could throw every draft board into disarray, but if that isn't the case, then Rattler should be within reach for the Steelers.

The concern with Pittsburgh using a 2024 pick on a quarterback is that they would be sacrificing a better choice just to give Pickett competition. Rattler falls in that sweet spot where he played in larger programs by isn't as recognized as the other passers in the 2024 draft class. Pickett needs to be challenged, and a player like Rattler might be a serious enough pick to create a legitimate competition, which would be good for whoever ends up starting.

Either of these passers could be an excellent choice for the Steelers, especially if Rudolph doesn't come back to Pittsburgh. Don't expect the Steelers to reach in order to fulfill this, but a late pick could turn into Rattler, Bradley, or another quarterback on Pittsburgh's big board.

Which quarterback would you want the Steelers to draft in 2024? Which of these picks would fit the best for the Steelers? 

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