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The new Steelers safety joined Behind The Steel Curtain for a sit down.
The Pittsburgh Steelers added several undrafted free agents following the 2025 NFL Draft, the most notable of which was Iowa safety Sebastian Castro. The former All-American and All-Big Ten selection joined Behind The Steel Curtain for a sit-down to discuss his journey from Oak Lawn, Illinois, to Iowa, and ultimately landing with the Steelers.
Q: You grew up in the Midwest, right?
A: Yeah, I grew up in Oak Lawn in Illinois. A little bit outside of Chicago. I actually went to the same high school that Dwyane Wade went to. So they have some history of athletes and whatnot. They took their sports seriously at the high school I went to, but I started playing sports when I was a little kid. I played all the sports. Basketball, football, soccer, whatever it was, or sometimes you would find some roller blades and play roller hockey, whatever we could find, that’s how I kind of grew up playing sports and whatnot. And really,y it was because my older brother, I had one older brother that I would just follow around. He’s got four years on me. So I would just follow him around and do whatever he did. I grew up with my grandparents and my mom as well. I had five aunts in the house. So it was a busy house. Oak Lawn was unique because the people were very diverse. Different races and backgrounds. It’s kind of like a locker room. There are a lot of personalities, people from different backgrounds.
Q: When did football become the main focus in terms of sports?
A: I wouldn’t even say I chose it because I was better at football. I loved basketball, too. That’s why I was stuck for a second because I loved playing basketball, but I knew growing up I wasn’t very tall, I wasn’t going to get very tall. So even though I wanted to be an NBA player at one time, I knew football was the best route for me.
Q: When did you get your first offer?
A: My sophomore year in high school. It was to Syracuse. I remember when I got the offer and then it became a thing where the confidence went up.
Q: What made Iowa stand out among every other school?
A: Iowa stuck out because it felt familiar. I grew up in a very traditional house, and I felt from Iowa’s standpoint, they had a lot of stability. Coach Ferrance had been there for 20+ years when I got my offer, the defensive coordinator had been there a long time. There was just a lot of stability. Tradition and stability. And they’ve proven time and time again that kids that go to Iowa become professionals. Not just in the NFL sense, but helping boys become men. And I made the decision to go there pretty early on in my junior year.
Q: What does the success of your former teammates like Cooper DeJean and Riley Moss succeeding at the NFL do for your confidence entering the league yourself?
A: Yeah, you just named off two names, but there are plenty of others that I’ve played with, grinded with that have succeeded at the NFL level. When you see their success, it’s like ‘Hey, if they can do it, why can’t I?’ It’s still football at the end of the day. The talent is greater, of course, but it’s still football. And when you see guys making the same kind of plays they made in college and starting – not just making the roster, but starting – it makes me believe in myself more as a player.
Q: Take me through the process after the draft. When did the calls start coming in, and why was Pittsburgh the place you decided you wanted to be?
A: As the draft was coming to an end on Day Three, my agent called me and told me that the Saints had interest. But we didn’t accept the offer right away, we were going to wait. He called me back like five minutes later and said the Steelers were interested. And I was already interested in the Steelers because my college teammate, Logan Lee, had already been there for a year. So I was already familiar with the Steelers and how they did things. My agent already knew that was a great decision, and he asked if I was interested, and of course I was interested. This was the perfect spot.
Q: How much of a comfort is it knowing that you have former teammates Kaleb Johnson, Yahya Black and Logan Lee with you?
A: Yeah definitely. Coming into the building and seeing familiar faces, knowing how these guys work and knowing how they fit in the Steelers culture is definitely comforting.
Q: What’s your first impression of Mike Tomlin?
A: That he’s a solid dude. At the Senior Bowl I saw him and I was like ‘Oh man, that’s Mike Tomlin.’ And obviously growing up, watching football, you know who Mike Tomlin is, so I introduced myself and shook his hand. I’m still learning more about him but everyone has said nothing but good things about him.
Q: How was your first mini-camp experience during rookie camp?
A: Getting adjusted to the playbook, even though we didn’t run that many plays during rookie mini-camp, just trying to be urgent and learn as much as you can. Understanding that listening is a skill and it’s different in the NFL. You have to learn fast. It was a three-day process and you have to adjust quickly. I remember my first day just thinking, ‘This is my first practice as an NFL player.’ So that was incredibly humbling just looking back over the years. Everything I worked for got me here.
Q: What are the fans getting in you as a player?
A: A competitor. I’m not a guy who likes the attention or talks a lot, but I love the game. I love playing against the best competition, and we’re playing for a championship.