Apr 19, 2025 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

The hay is in the barn when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. All of the all-star games, pro days, private visits and interviews are completed.

What will the Steelers do with their first-round pick in this draft? That remains to be seen until the first round is held Thursday.

But their group of draft visitors could give some clues as to what direction the Steelers are leaning.

Omar Khan has been the team’s general manager for their past two drafts. Of the Steelers’ draft picks over the past two seasons, nine have been players who made private trips to Pittsburgh as part of the team’s allotted 30 pre-draft visits. That has included both of their first-round picks in that span, offensive tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu.

This year’s list of pre-draft visits, which concluded Wednesday, included nine running backs, eight defensive linemen, four quarterbacks, four wide receivers, three cornerbacks, one safety and one edge rusher, not including local visits.

Of that group, running backs Omarion Hampton or North Carolina and TreyVeon Henderson of Ohio State, defensive linemen Derrick Harmon of Oregon and Darius Alexander of Toledo, quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Jaxson Dart of Mississippi, wide receiver Matthew Golden of Texas, cornerback Trey Amos of Mississippi, South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori and edge rusher Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M would potentially be first-round or top-40 picks.

And that is the interesting part of the 2025 NFL Draft. In reality, there are four true blue-chip prospects in this draft – cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter of Colorado, quarterback Cam Ward of Miami (Fla.), running back Ashton Jenty of Boise State and edge rusher Abdul Carter of Penn State.

After those players are selected, you can throw a blanket over the next 50 or so players. They could come off the board in any order and in any spot. It’s a thin draft when it comes to potential stars. But it does have depth at the defensive line, running back and edge rusher positions.

The Steelers obviously could use a young quarterback to build around for the future, regardless of whether they wind up with Aaron Rodgers or not.

Because of that, taking Sanders in the first round, if he were available, with the 21st pick would make sense. Taking Dart there, however, would be a bit of a reach.

Given the scarcity of players available at the position this year, the Steelers might not have to worry about that. There’s a good chance Ward, Sanders and Dart are all gone by the time their first-round pick rolls around.

Hampton would make a lot of sense, as well, after Najee Harris left in free agency. He’s a big, game-changing runner. But Denver, which picks one spot ahead of the Steelers in the first round, could use him, as well.

Golden, Amos, Emmanwori and Stewart would be useful, but are more fallback options.

Harmon would be the ideal fit. He’s a 6-4, 313-pound defensive tackle who would be an ideal replacement for Cam Heyward down the road.

If he’s available, he should be the pick.

While Heyward is coming off an outstanding season that saw him named first-team All-Pro again, he’s also 35 years old.

The Steelers released Larry Ogunjobi this offseason and did not replace him. That spot is still open – perhaps the only open one on the roster.

And after allowing nearly 300 yards rushing in a playoff loss to the Ravens, beefing up the defensive line is a must. Taking Harmon and then grabbing one of the many nose tackle prospects in this draft makes a ton of sense.

In an ideal world, trading back in the first round and acquiring a Day 2 pick would be the move to make. But it takes a partner who wants to move up to make that happen. And it might not be possible in this particular draft because of the lack of true star power.

If the Steelers stick at 21 and Sanders isn’t available, Harmon should be the pick, with two other defensive linemen, Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen of Mississippi being fallback options.

• This will mark the fifth time since the NFL merger that the Steelers have picked 21st in the draft. Their previous picks at that spot were wide receiver Lynn Swann in 1974, linebacker Robin Cole in 1977, defensive tackle Gabe Rivera in 1983 and tight end Eric Green in 1990.

Swann is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, while Cole was a longtime starter. Green’s time in Pittsburgh isn’t looked on fondly, but he did spend five seasons with the Steelers, making the Pro Bowl in each of his final two.

The Steelers selected Rivera, a promising defensive tackle, instead of taking quarterback Dan Marino. He then saw his career cut short in his rookie season after being paralyzed in an automobile accident.

• The last time the Steelers traded a second-round pick for a player, as they did this year for wide receiver DK Metcalf, it worked out pretty well.

The Steelers sent a second-round pick, along with a future fourth, to the Rams in 1996 for running back Jerome Bettis and a third-round pick.

Bettis, like Swann, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.