The 2025 NFL draft is scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisc. In the preceding weeks, the Post-Gazette is monitoring mock draft selections for the Steelers from various national outlets. Here’s a summary of where things stand this week.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com
The pick: Will Johnson, Michigan CB
What they’re saying: “I don't believe Johnson is the top-10 lock some seem to think he is, with the big corner facing injury and speed questions ahead of the NFL scouting combine, but his skill set could bolster Pittsburgh's secondary.”
PG reaction: He certainly fits the prototype of what the Steelers tend to like in their corners physically at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds. His playmaking ability should also appeal to GM Omar Khan and the front office. Johnson had nine interceptions in three years at Michigan, including four during the Wolverines’ national title run in 2023. For that reason, he’d pair well with Joey Porter Jr., who’s solid in coverage but is not known for generating many turnovers, going back to his years at Penn State. As Edholm points out, though, stock remains a big question at this early stage of the evaluation process. Johnson frequently appeared in the top five of mocks released this past week, with Jacksonville at No. 5 in the order being a particularly popular destination for him. The Steelers don’t need a corner badly enough to trade that high to get him, so he’d have to fade a little bit for this to become a serious conversation.
Chris Trapasso, CBS
The pick: Benjamin Morrisson, Notre Dame CB
What they’re saying: “Morrison is simply too sudden for the Steelers to pass on him here. He'll be an instant starter in Pittsburgh across from Joey Porter Jr.”
PG reaction: At this stage, there are too many downsides to expect the Steelers to take this risk in Round 1. He lost a good chunk of this past season with a hip injury and was not a factor in the Fighting Irish’s run to the College Football Playoff title game. He gives up some size at just 6 feet. And most mocks do not currently have him as a first rounder. By CBS’ own rankings, he’s the No. 52 prospect in the draft this year. Simply put, he’d need to show some things on the evaluation circuit to justify this pick. That said, you can at least put him on your radar for Day 2. Like Johnson, he’s got a knack as a playmaker. He had six picks in 2022 and followed that up with three a year ago before his 2024 was cut short.
Matt Millers, ESPN
The picks: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State WR (first round); Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State RB (second round)
What they’re saying: “Najee Harris is set to hit free agency, and his return to Pittsburgh is far from guaranteed. Judkins would be an ideal replacement. He has the downhill power of Harris but better speed to rip off the chunk plays missing from the Steelers' offense, as evidenced by his 28 runs of 10 or more yards.”
PG reaction: We spent a good chunk of time on Egbuka last week, so we’ll mostly highlight Judkins this week, except to note that Egbuka remains the trendy pick for the Steelers in Round 1 across many mocks. The second round does feel a little early for the Steelers to address the need at running back, considering the experience they just had with using a first-round pick on Harris and finding Jaylen Warren as an undrafted free agent. The happy medium there would appear to be a pick closer to the third or fourth round, especially given this team’s many other needs. If Judkins can be had around that range, though, there’s a lot to like. He was efficient with 5.5 yards per carry. He saved some mileage this past season while splitting carries with teammate TreVeyon Henderson. So he should enter the NFL relatively fresh. And he has a proven nose for the end zone with at least 14 touchdowns in each of his three college seasons split between Ole Miss and Ohio State. Add it all up, and he’s a player you’d probably like to see here if the price is right.
Josh Liskiewitz, Pro Football Focus
The picks: Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State CB (first round); Xavier Restrepo, Miami WR (second round); Rylie Mills, Notre Dame DL (third round); Will Howard, Ohio State QB (fourth round); Kalel Mullings, Michigan RB (fifth round); Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington WR (seventh round); Luke Newman, Michigan State G (seventh round)
What they’re saying: “Thomas has excellent size at 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, and he uses his length and frame effectively in man coverage. He gave up completions on less than 48% of throws into his coverage in each of the past two seasons and forced a combined 20 incompletions and two interceptions over that span.”
PG reaction: Thomas is a fringe first-rounder in most mocks this week, so it’s unlikely the Steelers would like him at No. 21 overall. That said, the stat profile mentioned above does track well with Porter’s in his senior year at Happy Valley, and Thomas has the size the Steelers like to back it up, so don’t dismiss him if he’s available into the later rounds. Restrepo was a favorite target of Hurricanes star Cam Ward, who’s poised to be an early Day 1 pick. The pair connected on 69 passes at an explosive average of 16.3 a pop. Throw in 11 touchdowns, and he’d be a great playmaker to add on Day 2. Mills was a great player for the Irish but went down in the playoffs with a knee injury that he’ll have to prove he can shake off. Howard is a proven winner with physical limitations. The fourth round would be an appropriate place for the Steelers to take a chance on him. But he’d have to work to be a threat to Russell Wilson, Justin Fields or anyone else. And don’t sleep on Mullings. He totaled nearly 1,000 yards on a rebuilding Wolverines offense and had his best game against Ohio State’s top-ranked defense, piling up 116 yards and a touchdown to aid one of the biggest upsets of the college season. The Steelers could do much worse on Day 3.
First Published: February 7, 2025, 2:35 p.m.
Updated: February 8, 2025, 3:01 a.m.
