Davison's 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Recap

The 2025 NFL Draft is over, and there are seven new players who have been selected to don the black and gold. The Steelers had picks in every round except the second, which they traded away to bring in D.K. Metcalf, and they gained an additional seventh round pick during the draft after trading with Kansas City and Philadelphia (they had previously traded away their own seventh-rounder to Green Bay). Without further ado, let's get into the picks.

21st Overall: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

Harmon plays similarly to a former Steeler, Stephon Tuitt, so his selection shouldn't come as a surprise. Tuitt retired in 2021 after dealing with both a knee injury and the death of his younger brother, and since then, the Steelers have tried and failed to fill that position on the defensive line.

Harmon played at 350 pounds at Michigan State, but after transferring to Oregon, he slimmed down to 310 pounds and played farther outside. However, in Pittsburgh, he should regain some of that weight to play more of a standard defensive tackle role, especially considering that the Steelers’ other starting interior lineman, Cameron Heyward, is just under 290 pounds.

As long as he has a good training camp, Harmon should be a day-one starter for this Steelers squad, and with the Steelers' fifth-round pick Yahya Black (more on him later) playing nose tackle on running downs, Harmon won't need to play nose or line up so far inside that the interior linemen overpower him. I like the pick as long as the Steelers utilize him correctly. He could be a long-term option for when Heyward eventually retires.

83rd Overall: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

Johnson fills in as the Najee Harris replacement. Harris, a first-round pick in 2021 from Alabama, left in free agency to join the Chargers, and while Jaylen Warren has long been considered one of the best backup running backs in the NFL and will likely be the starter this year, he isn't someone who is going to feast at the goal line.

That's where Johnson comes in. Johnson is a bruising running back who is heavy and tough to bring down, and he is big enough to be able to get past defensive linemen on the goal line. That's not to say that Warren isn't able to do that, but he relies much more on his speed and elusiveness than his strength. Johnson might not get many carries, but he will get enough in the red zone to justify his selection. Had I been the General Manager, Omar Khan, I would have looked at a quarterback (Jalen Milroe) with this pick, but Johnson is a good player and fills a need.

123rd Overall: Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio St.

Sawyer is an edge rusher out of Ohio St., and while he doesn't fill an immediate need, he is a very good player and can fill in as a rotational edge rusher or interior defensive end when the defense is in a 3-4 formation. This pick is moreso for the future, as he will likely be the replacement for T.J. Watt when he retires or moves on from the organization.

Watt is a power rusher who relies on being able to overpower offensive tackles, and Sawyer fills a similar role. With Alex Highsmith, a player who relies more on his speed and rushing moves (spin and half-spin moves specifically) to beat offensive linemen, on the other side, the Steelers don't need a second power rushing edge. What they do need, however, is an edge rusher for when Watt is off the field for a few plays, and one who can eventually take over for him. Similarly to Johnson, Sawyer is a good player, but he doesn't fill the biggest need the team had at that point.

164th Overall: Yahya Black, DT, Iowa

Black is a prototypical nose tackle if there ever was one, and it is a position the Steelers have been missing for years. Recently, the team has tried to make up for their lack of one by stacking their linebacking core, but teams have still been able to run on the team like no tomorrow (to no fault of players like Patrick Queen).

There is only so much you can do as a defense to stop the run without a stout defensive line, and the Steelers have realized that. With the picks of Black and Harmon, as well as recent first round picks like Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu on the offensive line, the Steelers have shown that they are trying to get back to being a team who thrives by being able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Whether it will work remains to be seen, but I have to give credit to the team for at least trying to reset their identity.

185th Overall: Will Howard, QB, Ohio St.

Finally, the quarterback pick that Steelers fans were waiting for. Personally, I am on the record as having wanted either Jalen Milroe in the third round or Kyle McCord in the fourth or fifth round, but he was picked just four picks before the Steelers got Howard. 

Howard is a player who can elevate a team, but he won’t be able to do it on his own. Given how the Steelers are trying to get back to how they were in the 2000s, I don't think it is a bad idea. Howard has a somewhat similar play style to a young Ben Roethlisberger, as he doesn't throw many picks but also doesn't throw many dangerous balls, instead preferring to throw short, quick passes in order to give his receivers a chance to make defenders miss.

Now, I am not saying that Howard will become as good as Roethlisberger was. However, with some mentoring by Aaron Rodgers (who is all but confirmed to be a Steeler with the team's lack of an early quarterback selection), Howard could turn out to be a solid quarterback. Even if he doesn't, the team didn't spend much capital on him, so taking another quarterback within the next few years wouldn't hurt the team as much as missing on the Kenny Pickett pick did.

226th Overall: Carson Bruener, LB, Washington

Bruener will replace Elandon Roberts and will fight with second-year linebacker Payton Wilson for the second linebacker spot after Patrick Queen, but even if he doesn't win, he should see a decent amount of usage when the Steelers play 4-3 personnel. Of course, there is no guarantee that he plays a lot, but given how important it will be for the team to offset their weak secondary, the front lines in the defense will see a ton of usage.

Bruener was at his best when he was running downhill at Washington, so even if he only comes in on running downs and occasionally plays as a quarterback spy against teams like the Ravens and Jets (who signed Justin Fields in the offseason), he will still be a valuable pick in the seventh round.

229th Overall: Donte Kent, CB, Central Michigan

Given the recent news that 2024 sixth round pick Ryan Watts has been forced to medically retire, a cornerback pick was almost guaranteed at some point in the later rounds. In recent years, the Steelers have been known to have one or two good corners, one good safety, and then the rest of their depth in the secondary has come from late round picks. 

Kent fits that mold, as he is a corner who can play at almost every secondary position, and he isn't afraid to tackle in the open field. Kent could easily end up making the team as a nickel/dime specialist, and at that point, the pick would be justified, even if he doesn't make a massive impact.

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