2024 NFL Draft Day 3 notes: Adonai Mitchell's slide explained, Panthers' Round 4 targets, and more
Day three of the 2024 NFL Draft gets underway as the final four rounds of this year’s edition are about to kick off. Here are some news and notes on what took place yesterday and what may happen today.
NFL Draft 2024: Steelers pivot in Round 2
The Pittsburgh Steelers were ready to select Michigan receiver Roman Wilson with the 51st selection in round two last night, that was until Zach Frazier landed in their laps.
The team never expected the West Virginia center to last that long and when he did, it was a no-brainer. Fortunately for them, Wilson, whom they view through the lens of Hines Ward, fell to their selection in the third round. Now the question is should they have selected cornerback Quinyon Mitchell over offensive lineman Troy Fautanu in the first round?
In Fautanu, the Steelers are getting an athletic, mobile blocker similar to who they selected a year ago in Broderick Jones. And while it’s never a bad thing to have two of those players, they let the best cornerback in the draft slide by when they passed on Mitchell.
Honestly, the answer to this question won’t come for two to three years.
NFL Draft 2024: Explaining Adonai Mitchell's slide
Adonai Mitchell was projected as a potential late first-round pick but slid into the late part of round two; why?
Mitchell’s pre-draft interviews were terrible and his approach turned off a lot of teams. In many ways, that went hand in hand with his play on the field.
While Mitchell displayed flashes of dominance last season and comes with incredible upside, his best football was played three years ago as a freshman at Georgia. The inability to elevate his game after transferring to Texas off an injury-plagued campaign with the Bulldogs in 2022 concerned scouts. That, coupled with the interviews, precipitated Mitchell’s drop by almost a full round.
NFL Draft 2024: Panthers team needs
The Carolina Panthers selected two skill players yesterday yet still need a tight end. They could look to fill that need at the top of day three as I’m told they are interested in Ja'Tavion Sanders of Texas. Theo Johnson as well as Jared Wiley are another pair at the position who would be intriguing, though I’ve not heard any direct interest from Carolina in those two.
The Steelers, Jets and Vikings have shown a lot of interest in Jaden Crumedy of Mississippi State through the pre-draft process. The athletic defensive tackle fits a variety of schemes and comes with an upside. Keep an eye on him through the final rounds.