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Contributors of Behind The Steel Curtain rank the top 2025 NFL Draft prospects
The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, with pre-draft visits and college pro days in full swing as NFL teams look toward their futures. With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror and player evaluations making their way in, our team put together NFL draft big board rankings to help land on a consensus average ahead of the festivities in Green Bay, set for April 24-26.
Here’s a look at the first iteration of Behind The Steel Curtain’s Top-50 2025 NFL Draft Board, Including consensus player rankings, as well as the highest and lowest rankings inside the top-50 of BTSC’s consensus 2025 NFL Draft big board!
Note: BTSC’s top-50 big board is a cumulative rankings were compiled by contributors Ryland Bickley, Mike Nicastro, Ryan Parish and Kate Magdziuk. Any players that did not receive a single ranking inside the top-50 will be denoted with a “-” as their lowest ranking. For a better view, check out the draft board here on Google Sheets.
Name one 2025 NFL Draft prospect you’re higher on than others.
Ryland Bickley: Azareye’h Thomas’ tape in coverage is some of the best you’ll see this year, and if it wasn’t for his leaky run support I think he’d be a first-round lock. He’s always available mid- to late-Day 2 in simulators, but I think he could go as early as the late first. If not, he has the potential to be one of the most underrated players in this class, assuming he cleans up his tackling.
Mike Nicastro: The secret is out when it comes to Golden after he ran a blazing 4.29 in the forty-yard dash at the combine. He’s such a well-rounded wideout that his speed doesn’t even jump out on tape. He’s an above-average route runner with reliable hands, excels on contested catches, and has a knack for making the big play. He’s the top receiver on my board – ahead of Arizona’s Tetaroia McMillan.
Ryan Parish: I’ll use this space to highlight a player only I ranked: Tennessee defensive lineman Omar Norman-Lott. Every draft there is a handful of prospects you can’t help but fall for because of their relentless effort on tape. Norman-Lott is one of those for me. While he’s shorter than most DE (6’2), he’s got decent length (33 3/4” arms) and weight (291 pounds) to line up as a 5-tech or 3-tech. He’s one of the best penetrators in the draft and would be a welcome piece to any NFL defensive line.
Name one prospect you’re lower on.
Mike Nicastro: Every quarterback not named Ward, Sanders, or Dart. Make no bones about it; this is a bad quarterback class. But that doesn’t necessarily make it an outlier. Over the last four drafts, the only competent signal-caller drafted after the first round is Brock Purdy, who was the last overall pick in. Quarterbacks expected to go after Round 1 include Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ohio State’s Will Howard, and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord to name a few. I’d avoid all of them.
Ryland Bickley: I certainly don’t dislike TreVeyon Henderson as a prospect, but especially with the Steelers in mind, I don’t quite get all the hype. Yes, he has game-breaking speed. And yes, his physicality as a blocker is a joy to watch, but the power in his game is lacking. He also has a history of injuries and a part-time role in Ohio State’s backfield, with more of a one-cut style than a truly shifty, elusive skill set. I still have a second-round grade on Henderson, but I have my doubts as to whether or not he can be a reliable RB1 at the next level.
Ryan Parish: I’m much lower than consensus on wide receivers Luther Burden III and Tetairoa McMillan.Burden went into the 2024 season as the presumptive WR1 for many experts, and Tet McMillan wasn’t far behind. I was left wanting more from both.
Burden took a massive step back in production this season despite having the same quarterback and system he had during his breakout 2023 season. He didn’t look as consistently explosive after the catch, and while a 4.41 40-time is nothing to sneeze at, it doesn’t indicate the explosive, elite-level athleticism Burden has long been credited with. His limited route tree requires a focused offensive plan that rookies don’t always receive. As for McMillan, you can see the flashes of potential in his tape, but the hype has gotten a little overzealous for me. He is similar to Mike Evans and Drake London — common comparisons for him — in body size alone. Watch his tape and he lacks the same fire and attention to detail the other two sported as prospects.
Kate Magdziuk: Among the BTSC crew, I’m lowest on Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart. He had an absolutely fabulous performance at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and I’m not here to discount it. He ran a ridiculous 4.59-second 40-yard dash and posted a 40” vertical (the mean vert for EDGE defenders is 33.298 inches, for what it’s worth) at 6’5” and 267 pounds. The athleticism is off the charts. However, the lack of production profile is concerning for me for an EDGE defender, totaling just 4.5 sacks over three seasons at A&M. Among the 86 edge rushers with 300+ pass rush snaps, Stewart ranked 38th in the FBS with a 12.4% pass rush win rate.
2. What positions do you think are in play with the Steelers first pick?
Ryland Bickley: Defensive line all the way. But depending on how the board falls, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the team goes cornerback, wide receiver, or offensive line. And of course, quarterback remains a live option depending on who the team values/who drops in the first.
Mike Nicastro: Right now the ringleader for me is defensive line. It’s the only position of need the black and gold haven’t addressed in free agency. They released Larry Ogunjobi, which means Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton are currently the only two big men who can be counted on when it comes to reliable, above-average reps. Oregon’s Derrick Harmon and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant are two names to watch.
Ryan Parish: Even before the D.K. Metcalf trade, defensive line was my bet for the Steelers. Not only is this one of the strongest interior defensive line classes in years, but Steelers simply don’t target wide receiver or cornerback — two other glaring areas of need heading into the offseason — in the first round very often. While you can’t rule out a quarterback now, I hope the Steelers learned their lesson from the Kenny Pickett draft.I won’t rule out offensive line or running back either, but I would put those odds on the lower end.
Kate Magdziuk: I’m with consensus, here. Defensive line makes the most sense for Pittsburgh based on the needs they’d addressed in free agency and the fact that they traded away their second-round pick.
3. Are there any positions you think the Steelers should avoid with their first pick?
Mike Nicastro: Running back. If UNC RB Omarion Hampton is available, they should pass. Did we not learn anything after the Najee Harris pick? It’s not that I don’t think the team needs another back – but this is a deep class. There are prospects who represent great value that could last until the third round. Virginia Tech’s Bhayshal Tuten and UCF’s RJ Harvey are two of my favorites.
Ryland Bickley: I hate sounding like a broken record, but the Steelers have set themselves up to take a defensive lineman in Round 1, and any other position would be a massive risk.
Ryan Parish: The draft is a fluid process and I try not to speak in absolutes. While there are no positions I would entirely rule out, linebacker, quarterback, running back and wide receivers not named Matthew Golden are all picks I would avoid. There are simply not any quarterbacks I love in the Steelers’ range in the first round this year. Running back is a position I rarely find worthy of a first — though Jeanty and Hampton I could excuse — and the same goes for non-edge linebackers.