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A look at the latest first-round projections for Pittsburgh around the NFL media landscape…
One week closer to the 2025 NFL Draft means it is time to check the updated first-round projections for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The immediate thought for most seems to continuously be the Steelers selecting a wide receiver at pick No. 21. However, the possibilities are endless with this draft class, and there could be some surprises still on the board when the Steelers choose. Without further adieu, let us look at this week’s projections around the media landscape.
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Jack Markowski, Sports Illustrated
In his lone year at Texas after transferring from Houston, the 21-year-old logged 576 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season. He subsequently posted a career-high 162 yards in the SEC Championship Game before finishing with 249 yards over three College Football Playoff contests.
A standout route runner and fluid athlete who’s plenty versatile, Golden may be the missing piece for Pittsburgh’s offense.
Bryce Lazenby, Sporting News
With the 21st pick, I have the Steelers opting to upgrade the wide receivers room. This isn’t an especially deep quarterback class, so there’s no need to reach here when there are other talented players.
Matthew Golden transferred to Texas after spending two seasons at Houston. The speedy wide receiver fit in well in the SEC, catching 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.
Golden explodes off the line of scrimmage and is a polished route runner. The receiver doesn’t have the biggest frame but is still often successful in jump ball situations. Golden could thrive opposite George Pickens and give whoever is playing quarterback another reliable option.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire
The Steelers had their pick of wide receivers with Emaka Egbuka and Matthew Golden on the board. We don’t think the Steelers could go wrong with their but we opted for Egbuka for his elite blocking.
Matt Miller, ESPN
Egbuka does it all as a slant-route king. He is a heck of a punt returner and one of the best blocking wide receivers, too. He doesn’t flash elite speed or size at 6-foot and 203 pounds, but he’s a smart route runner with solid hands (a drop rate of just 2.8%) and an all-out effort on every snap. He caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns this past season.
The Steelers need to start thinking about rebuilding their wide receiver room if George Pickens doesn’t return after his rookie deal expires before the 2026 season. And regardless of Pickens’ future, the team could use a true No. 2 receiver right now. Pairing Egbuka with Pickens and 2024 rookie Roman Wilson would be a good start.
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Eric Edholm, NFL.com
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.
Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
Josh Liskiewitz, PFF
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.
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Chris Halicke, DK Sports Pittsburgh
Nolen was among the standouts at the Senior Bowl. Despite being a projected second-round pick by some draft sites, everything I heard about Nolen throughout the week is that he’s a first-rounder. Might be the second-best defensive tackle in this class behind Michigan’s Mason Graham.
The Steelers are prioritizing defensive line in this draft. And, based on my conversations with those involved with the team, I expect that focus to continue during the Combine. I wouldn’t rule out Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at 21st overall if he’s available. However, in this particular mock, Egbuka didn’t fall past the Bengals at No. 17, which makes sense if Tee Higgins doesn’t re-sign there. Thus, I took Nolen here as the best player available.
Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Kyle Crabbs, The 33rd Team
The Steelers have a stout nucleus in place on defense. Between TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Patrick Queen, Keeanu Benton, Joey Porter Jr., and Alex Highsmith, the Steelers are going to be a tough draw annually on defense. But a second cornerback looms as a need and Pittsburgh would likely love the style of play that Jahdae Barron brings to the field. He feels like a Steeler.