Disclaimer: This is not a mock draft for aggregation or predictive value. It is an exercise in hypothetical thinking and preparation for draft-day circumstances for the Steelers.
While the best-case scenario edition published last week was effectively a Steelers fan rooting guide for the 2025 draft, in this follow-up, the goal is basically to make their board at No. 21 look as uninspiring as we can.
Obviously, there are more than just 20 intriguing prospects in this draft (and any draft) but the Steelers have certain positions they need to bolster more than others, so with that in mind, how could the first round play out to make as many Steeler fans disappointed as possible? Between the two 20-choice projections, 29 different players were included, which shows the wide range of possibilities with this year’s group.
1. Titans — Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Browns — Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
3. Giants — Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
It’s looking more and more likely the Browns will pass on quarterback now that they’ve added not just Kenny Pickett, but also Joe Flacco. But the latest buzz on Sanders is his private workout for the Giants, who also badly need a jolt post-Daniel Jones. Should they take the chance, the Steelers probably start to feel as if all the work they’ve done on this year’s quarterback class could be all for naught.
4. Patriots — Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
5. Jaguars — Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
Graham is the consensus best defensive lineman in this class, but if he goes top five, that could trickle down to the rest of the position group being bumped up in value.
6. Raiders — Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
As with Graham, Jeanty being taken this high is more about thinning the ranks at running back already than any pipe dream about the Heisman Trophy runner-up falling to the Steelers (or even in range for a trade up).
7. Jets — Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
8. Panthers — Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
9. Saints — Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
There’d be much league-wide surprise if what’s been long viewed as a relatively weak quarterback crop turns out three top-10 guys. But you never know, particularly at the most significant position in football, and the Saints now have a steam-boat-load of uncertainty with Derek Carr’s reported shoulder injury. At this point, if the Steelers truly were eager to draft their quarterback of the future, it’s going to have to be a much later dart throw or a reach that sets talk shows ablaze.
10. Bears — Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
11. 49ers — Will Campbell, OL, LSU
Last year the Steelers would’ve been all for teams shunning the top tackles in the draft. This year Membou and Campbell represent a clear-cut upper echelon at the position, so they figure to not fall too low, but they’re pushing down the other tackles.
12. Cowboys — Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
The Steelers don't necessarily need another receiver now that DK Metcalf is in the fold to be the 1A to 1B George Pickens, but McMillan is such an enticing option that it’s difficult to see him landing outside the top 12.
13. Dolphins — Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
14. Colts — Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
15. Falcons — Walter Nolen, DL, Mississippi
16. Cardinals — Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
This is where the Steelers’ plans really go awry. A batch of teams think to themselves how dominant the 2024 Eagles defense was up front, especially in the Super Bowl, and try to nab their own game-wreckers at the line of scrimmage. Stewart is more of a stand-up edge rusher, which means he’s a tougher projection to helping the Steelers right away, but they thought enough of him to bring him in for a pre-draft visit.
17. Bengals — Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
18. Seahawks — Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Two more athletic studs with plenty of production who may not profile as instant starters in Pittsburgh but came to the South Side for two of the Steelers’ 30 visits.
19. Buccaneers — Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
20. Broncos — Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Walker’s slide ends with a Tampa Bay defense that needs a difference-maker, but Sean Payton wipes out the only other ball-carrier often tabbed as a first-rounder in this draft.
Now, the Steelers missed out on the top three quarterbacks, two best running backs, four elite defensive linemen and seven of their 30 pre-draft visitors in the initial 20 picks. This is who’s left for their first-round selection:
• Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
• Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
• Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
• Kelvin Banks, T, Texas
• Josh Simmons, T, Ohio State
• Josh Conerly, T, Oregon
• Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
• Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State
• Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
• Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
• James Pearce, Edge, Tennessee
• Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
• Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M
• Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
• Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
• Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
• Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
• Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
If the best available looks like this, or even close to it, the Steelers would be in a bind. Do they really have enough conviction in any other quarterback to overdraft one, such as Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough? Or would they look to Kaleb Johnson, Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson at running back? Receiver is the strongest area, but they’ve got experience, youth and speed there already, plus we know they aren’t going to choose another tackle this soon after Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu entered the mix.
One outside-the-box choice to still get stronger in the front four would be Georgia’s Williams, but he’s considered more of an edge defender than interior lineman. Another trench-centric pick would be Booker from Alabama or Jackson from Ohio State to be the eventual successor to Isaac Seumalo at left guard (both actually played left guard in college, too, a convenience that never seems to find the Steelers with their offensive line draftees).
Barron could be an immediate starter in the slot and perhaps outside later in his career. Revel is coming off a torn ACL but has the size and traits to be a hit down the road. Starks would be another wild card with versatility in the secondary.
No matter how you slice it, if the draft falls this way, the Steelers will be forced to reach for a player at a position of need or prioritize talent and reverse-engineer the roster fit to get him on the field early and often. Of course, they always have the option to trade down, but in this scenario, fans would be skewering Omar Khan for not trading up.
First Published: April 16, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
Updated: April 17, 2025, 4:21 p.m.
