Former Steelers Super Bowl Winning QB Believes Strong 2024 Draft Class Could Rival 1974 When He Played

The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan have been praised and lauded for the draft class the organization put together in 2024. It is considered one of the best draft classes in the league by most analysts and outlets. The Steelers addressed the majority of their needs with high value picks, all while not making a single trade. Khan put on a masterclass, and a lot of credit is due to the Steelers Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl. 

The Steelers have had some legendary draft classes throughout the organization's history, mainly the 1974 draft class where Pittsburgh selected four would-be Hall Of Famers, while also signing another as an undrafted free agent. A member of the Steelers during that time was Terry Hanratty, who suited up at quarterback from 1969 through 1975. He now hosts the podcast, Hanratty's Huddle, and on the most recent episode he gave the Steelers new draft class a glowing comparison. 

"I think it might be the best draft they've had since 1974. We'll refresh our fans, the 1974 draft produced five Hall Of Famers. You got [Lynn] Swann, [Jack] Lambert, [John] Stallworth, [Mike] Webster, and Donnie Shell. The first four were selections, Shell was signed as a free agent. Obviously the backbone of our Super Bowl runs."

It is nearly impossible to top the Steelers 1974 draft class. They found four Hall of Famers through the draft, and even added another one in undrafted free agency. The organization pulled all-time greats from different levels of the 1974 Draft, as Lynn Swann was a first round selection and Jack Lambert was a second round selection. Meanwhile, John Stallworth was picked in the fourth round while Mike Webster went in the fifth. It's the best draft class in NFL history, so this is extremely high praise from Hanratty.

The Steelers incoming rookies have a lot of work to do to fulfill Hanratty's praise. The 1974 draft class went on to win four Super Bowls during the 1970's while having a ton of individual success to land themselves in the Hall of Fame. The Steelers first two selections in the 2024 NFL Draft were Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier, who each have the ability to start immediately on the offensive line and make an impact right away. Along with Broderick Jones, the Steelers have a good young core up front for years to come. 

The Steelers are pretty weak at wide receiver outside of George Pickens after trading away Diontae Johnson, meaning Roman Wilson will also be able to contribute immediately. He is an impressive route runner that should be able to take some of the pressure in the passing game off of Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. Defensively, Payton Wilson has been considered to be the steal of the draft as the Steelers got him with the 98th overall pick. He has the old-school Steelers mentality, which he made known shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh. 

Steelers 2024 Draft Class Has A Lot Of Similarities To 1974

There is a lot of crossover between both of these Steelers draft classes. Obviously Pittsburgh addressed the receiver in 1974 with Swann and Stallworth, as the organization did with Wilson in 2024. Khan is also looking to build on the organization's impressive history at center with Frazier, which Webster is a big part of as he is arguably the best center in Steelers history. Wilson is also a hard-nosed linebacker, similar to Lambert.

Khan and Weidl were just addressing the team's needs for the 2024 season, it just so happens that there is a lot of positional crossover to the 1974 class. If the 2024 class has even half of the success that the 1974 unit did, Steelers fans will be very happy and Pittsburgh will separate itself from the New England Patriots at the top of the Super Bowl championship leader board.