STEELERS CLASS OF 2024 THE PICKS
A look at the players the Steelers selected Saturday on Day 3 of the NFL draft:
Mason McCormick School: South Dakota State Pos: G • 6-4 1/4 • Wt: 309
About the pick: Spent six seasons in college, four years as a full-time starter and turns 24 in late May. ... Played entirely at left guard but made a lot of the calls at the line for his offense and also worked at center in the pre-draft process. ... Native of Sioux Falls, S.D., and used one of the Steelers’ 30 visits earlier this month the same day as first-round pick Troy Fautanu. ... Also trained this offseason with second-round pick Zach Frazier under personal O-line coach Duke Manyweather. ... Three-time team captain and back-to-back consensus CFS All-American for two-time reigning national champions. ... Had a relative athletic score of 9.96 out of 10 among guards, thanks in part to a 5.08 40-yard dash and 35½-inch vertical leap at the combine. ... Also has decent length for an interior lineman with 33⅞-inch arms. ... Impressed Steelers coaches with performance at the East-West Shrine Bowl against competition from bigger programs. ... Didn’t miss a start in his last 57 games. ... Wasn’t ranked as a center recruit coming out of high school.
Logan Lee School: Iowa Pos: DE • 6-5 • Wt: 281
About the pick: Started 41 games for the Hawkeyes the past four seasons and had 158 tackles and nine sacks in his college career. ... Named honorable mention All-Big Ten the past two seasons. ... The Steelers believe he can play up and down the line from over the tackle to over the center. “He’s a strong kid who can do some things,” defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. “He fits the Steelers mold.”... Lee was among the best testers among the defensive linemen who attended the combine. He had the top time in the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.
Ryan Watts School: Texas Pos: CB • 6-3 • Wt: 208
About the pick: Played his first two seasons at Ohio State and had two interceptions for the Buckeyes in 2021 Transferred to Texas for the 2022 season and started 13 games for the Longhorns, earning honorable mention All-Big 12. ... Made 10 starts in 2023. ... “I feel like I can play anywhere,” Watts said. “I can play safety, nickel, corner. I feel like I can maximize my potential anywhere. They liked how versatile I was. That’s what they loved most about me.”