Steelers leave the draft with a glaring need that may take massive trade to fix

Few if any will argue about the readiness of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 draft class. 

Drafting four players in the top 100 who can start come Week 1, Pittsburgh is in a position to improve at some key positions. 

But even after an offseason of marquee signings in free agency and solid draft picks, these three areas are still lacking:

Need #1: Second WR

I know, I know, Pittsburgh just drafted a potential steal at WR in the third round via Roman Wilson. And look, you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who believes more in what Wilson can become than me. 

But a realist knows that asking a rookie WR who was drafted in the thrid round to take over for a Pro Bowler (Diontae Johnson) on a playoff contender is no easy task. That's where a veteran WR comes into play. He can help take the pressure off of Wilson as he acclimates to the pro game, and make life easier on George Pickens who will have his hands full as defenses gameplan to shut him down. 

Need #2: CB 2

The Steelers acquired Donte Jackson in exchange for Diontae Johnson during free agency, but there are a few issues with projecting him to be a plug-and-play starter. 

For one, he's been injured over the course of the last few seasons, meaning asking him to hold up on the perimeter for 18-22 weeks is rich. 

On top of that, his game, or at least in my opinion, is best suited for the slot at this point of his career. That makes another outside CB to pair with Joey Porter Jr. a priority, only I'm not sure how Pittsburgh solves it at this point of he roster-building process. 

Need#3: DL Depth

The Steelers added Logan Lee in the draft, and second year starter Keeanu Benton is poised to take the next step as one of the league's best nose tackles. But when Larry Ogunjobi and Cam Heyward were out last year, the run defense and front seven as a whole suffered tremendously. 

Dean Lowry as a late free-agent addition was a good start, but one more piece could hep ensure stability no matter what the season throws at the unit.