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The 2025 NFL Draft is only a few days away, which leads Steelers Nation into a nail-biting frenzy as to which players the team will select throughout the three-day event. Of course, I’m no different! I’ve been agonizing over the last few months as to what the team needs are versus the players they’d like to add.
This mock draft has the same rules applied to it as my first a few days ago. To summarize, I attempt to keep the mock draft as realistic as I can within an established set of rules. (That means no trades!) Also, I only allow myself to take a player that’s consistently available. With that said, I allowed a little leeway with this draft based on a few biases I have toward positions of need versus the best player available.
Even when trying to be realistic, remember this is an entertaining exercise that will likely miss the mark. No onward to my predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL Draft!
First Round (21): Omarion Hampton, RB – North Carolina
Could it be a quarterback? That’s what a lot of the highest rated casinos believe the Steelers will pick, but I think it’s a smokescreen for their true plans. This year’s quarterback class is thought of as a down year, with Miami’s Cam Ward in his own tier and likely being picked first overall by the Tennessee Titans. After Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is believed to be the next-best passer with Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart also invited to the green room on Thursday night, hoping for his name to be announced in the first round as well.
If anyone’s learned their lesson from taking Kenny Pickett in the same spot in 2022, it’s the Steelers. Granted, their next franchise quarterback will likely come from the NFL Draft, but this isn’t the year to take a flyer on one. Defensive line and running back are the other glaring needs for Pittsburgh. Both positions are considered to be deep this year, but the issue is that the Steelers won’t have another selection until the third round, so which do you prioritize?
Taking a running back in the first round feels rich for a team turning to poverty, but there’s no mistaking the swing – and miss – with a quarterback would be dire as they need help in other areas. While I’ve run drafts where the Steelers can land Michigan’s Kenneth Grant or Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, I’m led to the best available player on the board who can play on day one and potentially be a star: Omarion Hampton.
Should Hampton slip by by the Denver Broncos at pick 20 I feel he’s the best bet for Pittsburgh long-term. Hampton would not only replace but upgrade Najee Harris, who signed with the Chargers this offseason. If anything, I’d love to trade back and gain an extra pick to snag one of these plays in round two, but remember, that’s against my rules.
That’s okay, because Hampton can be a three-down back who helps support whoever the quarterback is. He’s physical, and offers more as a pass blocker or catcher than Harris did. The Steelers have Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, two seasoned NFL veterans to split carries in the backfield, but both are tied to the team one one-year deals at best: and each has health and ball security issues that makes them far from reliable for a 17-game season.
With 38 games at UNC, Hampton amassed 3,565 rushing yards with 36 rushing touchdowns and added 635 receiving yards with 4 touchdowns on 38 receptions. Ball protection is no problem, as Hampton has no credited fumbles to his name over his last three seasons with the Tarheels. He feels like the best bet to step in and contribute on the field right away.
Also considered: TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State)
Third Round (83): Darius Alexander, DL – Toledo
I still believe the quarterbacks the Steelers are looking at will be around with pick 123 in the fourth round. So, I now have my eyes set on an interior defensive lineman, which becomes a position of need after running back is settled.
What the Steelers don’t have is a lot of depth on a line that got gashed by Derrick Henry, twice, during a five-game losing streak. They must plan on facing Henry up to three times this year, but they also need to begin planning for life after Cameron Heyward, who turns 36 in May.
The good news is, Heyward isn’t going anywhere just yet. With a draft deep with defensive linemen one will fall down to 83 to the Steelers. By this point, I suspect that at least three or four quarterbacks are taken, and that the remaining passers will be available 40 picks from now. Besides, it’s unlikely a third round quarterback will be a Week 1 starter in Pittsburgh anyway.
My reasoning for passing on d-line in the first round pick is that player won’t see the field right away. With a healthy Heyward and Keeanu Benton, the next available lineman may be lucky to play half of the defensive snaps, especially in their first season. That will help groom Heyward’s successor for future seasons as they ease into more playing time.
Enter Alexander, a nice fit to play inside in the Steelers 3-4 scheme. Listed as 6’4″ 305 lbs., Alexander could fit anywhere along the defensive front. He fits the Steelers long-standing tradition of finding players in smaller conferences such as the MAC and is a five-year collegiate player with a whopping 58 games played. That also means he’s an older player getting his start in the NFL, which I believe will cause him to drop into the Steelers lap at 83.
Let other teams make that mistake: a mature adult is precisely what this defense needs as they snag one of the standouts from the Senior Bowl.
Also considered: Joshua Farmer (DL, Florida State)
Fourth Round (123): Will Howard, QB (Ohio State)
By this point Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe should be long gone. That’s why I went with Alexander in round three, with the hopes of cashing in on any number of passers still around in round four.
A day three target doesn’t indicate a future starter, but stranger things have happened in the NFL. Even if this pick were to turn into a longer term backup, there’s nothing wrong with that. A reliable backup that can win games is also coveted in a league that sees teams regularly go 2-3 players deep on their quarterback depth charts. (See also: Mason Rudolph.)
In my other mock I soundly went with Ohio State’s Will Howard. I believe he has the same size and toughness as Ben Roethlisberger. I don’t think there’s enough separation between Howard and Dart to merit using a higher pick on Dart. And I don’t think that Milroe or Texas’ Quinn Ewers are in the same category as Howard, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, or Syracuse’s Kyle McCord. Shough and McCord have big arms but also carry injury or turnover concerns that Howard hasn’t had.
Howard’s experience will be a big factor having appeared in 50 games over a five-year collegiate career. That experience includes winning the National Championship in the first expanded College Football Playoff. He also has nearly 9,800 yards passing, including 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns last season with the Buckeyes.
Those factors will at least give Howard some consideration to compete for a backup spot, albeit that time may not come until 2026, should the Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers.
Also considered: Kyle McCord (QB, Syracuse), Tyler Shough (QB, Louisville)
Joe Kuzma’s 4-round 2025 Steelers mock draft: First round running back? appeared first on Steel City Underground.