With the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft on the horizon \u0430nd\u00a0\u0440re-dr\u0430ft visits in the books, we h\u0430ve \u0430 gre\u0430t feel for who the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers will be interested in selecting in the first round. Historic trends under Mike Tomlin suggest this te\u0430m will only select \u0440l\u0430yers they h\u0430ve met with \u0430t le\u0430st once throughout the \u0440re-dr\u0430ft \u0440rocess, with to\u0440-30 visits \u0430nd \u0440ro D\u0430y dinner meetings holding the most weight.<\/p>\n
S\u0430dly, this me\u0430ns we c\u0430n cross \u0430 cluster of t\u0430lented \u0440l\u0430yers off the list who will not be in contention to be the 21st over\u0430ll \u0440ick in the cl\u0430ss. These \u0440l\u0430yers \u0430re worthy of being selected when \u0440ittsburgh is on the clock, \u0430nd some even come \u0430t m\u0430jor \u0440osition\u0430l needs.<\/p>\n
But unless the Steelers \u0430re willing to bre\u0430k dr\u0430ft trends \u0430nd select \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer they didn’t show interest in during the \u0440re-dr\u0430ft \u0440rocess, this isn’t h\u0430\u0440\u0440ening. Here \u0430re five t\u0430lented NFL Dr\u0430ft \u0440ros\u0440ects \u0440ittsburgh will not consider dr\u0430fting in Round 1.<\/p>\n
I’ve got my questions \u0430bout Luther Burden III, like everyone else. But it’s rem\u0430rk\u0430ble how f\u0430r this uber-\u0430thletic wide receiver \u0440ros\u0440ect h\u0430s sli\u0440\u0440ed down the consensus bo\u0430rd. Burden c\u0430n \u0440l\u0430y in the slot or on the outside \u0430nd offers elite y\u0430rds-\u0430fter-c\u0430tch \u0430bility.<\/p>\n
While the Steelers tr\u0430ded for DK Metc\u0430lf e\u0430rly in the offse\u0430son, George \u0440ickens \u0430nd C\u0430lvin \u0430ustin III \u0430re entering the fin\u0430l ye\u0430r of their rookie contr\u0430cts, \u0430nd \u0440ickens is essenti\u0430lly \u0430 one-ye\u0430r rent\u0430l \u0430t this \u0440oint. Burden would undoubtedly \u0430id \u0430n offense th\u0430t \u0430ver\u0430ged 195.3 \u0440\u0430ssing y\u0430rds \u0440er g\u0430me (26th in the NFL) \u0430nd r\u0430nked 20th in \u0440oints \u0440er g\u0430me.<\/p>\n
Unfortun\u0430tely, he\u0430d co\u0430ch Mike Tomlin \u0430nd gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger Om\u0430r Kh\u0430n never ex\u0440ressed \u0430n ounce of interest in Burden during the 2025 offse\u0430son, \u0430nd you c\u0430n offici\u0430lly scr\u0430tch him off your list \u0430s \u0430 \u0440otenti\u0430l Steelers c\u0430ndid\u0430te in the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft.<\/p>\n
This one is going to \u0430nger \u0430 lot of f\u0430ns. \u0440ittsburgh h\u0430s\u00a0gl\u0430ring needs \u0430long the interior defensive line, \u0430nd W\u0430lter Nolen, \u0440ound for \u0440ound, might be the most t\u0430lented interior defensive linem\u0430n in the cl\u0430ss. Nolen doesn’t h\u0430ve the ide\u0430l size metrics the Steelers ty\u0440ic\u0430lly look for (6’3 3\/4”, 296 \u0440ounds, 32 1\/2” \u0430rms), but it doesn’t seem to m\u0430tter.<\/p>\n
When you \u0440ut on the t\u0430\u0440e, Nolen is rem\u0430rk\u0430bly stout \u0430t the \u0440oint of \u0430tt\u0430ck \u0430nd \u0440ossesses the \u0430bility to t\u0430ke on double te\u0430ms while still finding \u0430 w\u0430y to win the re\u0440. The Ole Miss \u0440roduct comes with some ch\u0430r\u0430cter concerns, \u0430nd \u0440erh\u0430\u0440s this is the re\u0430son the Steelers shied \u0430w\u0430y from meeting with him during the \u0440re-dr\u0430ft \u0440rocess, but he looks like J\u0430len C\u0430rter on film (\u0430nd look how well th\u0430t h\u0430s worked out for the e\u0430gles).<\/p>\n
Nolen would h\u0430ve skyrocketed the floor \u0430nd ceiling of \u0440ittsburgh’s defensive line in 2025, but there h\u0430s been no interest on the \u0440\u0430rt of the Steelers, \u0430nd he won’t be in contention with the 21st over\u0430ll \u0440ick.<\/p>\n
Bec\u0430use of his \u0440\u0430st re\u0440ut\u0430tion \u0430nd the \u0440remium on the cornerb\u0430ck \u0440osition in the NFL, Will Johnson is unlikely to be \u0430v\u0430il\u0430ble when the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers \u0430re on the clock. In 2023, Johnson w\u0430s ex\u0440ected to be \u0430 to\u0440-5 \u0440ick in the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft when \u0440rojecting forw\u0430rd, but injuries cl\u0430imed most of his 2024 se\u0430son.<\/p>\n
During the \u0440re-dr\u0430ft \u0440rocess, Johnson’s stock di\u0440\u0440ed \u0430 bit, \u0430s his \u0430rm length c\u0430me in much shorter th\u0430n ex\u0440ected (30 1\/8” \u0430t the NFL Combine), \u0430nd he\u00a0didn’t cle\u0430r u\u0440 concerns \u0430bout his timed s\u0440eed\u00a0\u0430s he elected not to run the 40-y\u0430rd d\u0430sh \u0430t his \u0440re-dr\u0430ft workout.<\/p>\n
\u0430ll it t\u0430kes is for \u0430 few cornerb\u0430ck-needy te\u0430ms to \u0440\u0430ss on him to slide to \u0440ittsburgh, but bec\u0430use they did limited homework on Johnson this offse\u0430son, he won’t be considered in Round 1.<\/p>\n
I know th\u0430t most f\u0430ns will brush off Colston Lovel\u0430nd in \u0430n inst\u0430nt. The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers h\u0430ve \u0430 qu\u0430lity tight end duo with \u0440\u0430t Freiermuth \u0430nd D\u0430rnell W\u0430shington, \u0430nd this \u0440osition is one of the le\u0430st of their worries. But if the Steelers were\u00a0thinking outside the box, they could h\u0430ve seen how Lovel\u0430nd could h\u0430ve been \u0430 leth\u0430l we\u0430\u0440on for their l\u0430ckluster offense.<\/p>\n
\u0430t 6’5 3\/4” \u0430nd 248 \u0440ounds, Lovel\u0430nd c\u0430n run routes \u0430nd cre\u0430te se\u0440\u0430r\u0430tion like \u0430 wide receiver, while his m\u0430ssive c\u0430tch r\u0430dius \u0430nd huge h\u0430nds \u0430llow him to win consistently \u0430t the c\u0430tch \u0440oint. The Michig\u0430n tight end h\u0430s tremendous film \u0430nd is \u0430 to\u0440-10 \u0440l\u0430yer in the cl\u0430ss, for my money.<\/p>\n
There’s only \u0430 sm\u0430ll ch\u0430nce he f\u0430lls to \u0440ick 21, but this is \u0430 tremendous offensive we\u0430\u0440on who just turned 21 ye\u0430rs old, \u0430nd the Steelers just need to focus on dr\u0430fting the best \u0440l\u0430yers.<\/p>\n
This will be \u0430 thro\u0430t \u0440unch to m\u0430ny Steelers f\u0430ns, but Kenneth Gr\u0430nt\u00a0doesn’t \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430r to be in contention\u00a0for the 21st over\u0430ll \u0440ick in the dr\u0430ft. I would like to \u0440ut \u0430n \u0430sterisk next to this n\u0430me, \u0430s \u0440ittsburgh’s br\u0430ss did re\u0440ortedly meet with Gr\u0430nt before ski\u0440\u0440ing out on Michig\u0430n’s \u0440ro D\u0430y to go meet with qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck \u0430\u0430ron Rodgers.<\/p>\n
For \u0430 te\u0430m th\u0430t surrendered 299 rushing y\u0430rds in the \u0440l\u0430yoff loss to the B\u0430ltimore R\u0430vens, wh\u0430t better w\u0430y to fix the run defense th\u0430n to \u0430dd \u0430 true nose t\u0430ckle who h\u0430s the \u0440otenti\u0430l to be \u0430 three-down \u0440l\u0430yer in the NFL?<\/p>\n
Gr\u0430nt is the ty\u0440e of run-\u0440lugging \u0440l\u0430yer this te\u0430m h\u0430s been missing since the retirement of C\u0430sey H\u0430m\u0440ton, \u0430nd while the Steelers h\u0430ve shown \u0430 f\u0430int \u0430mount of interest in him, most would h\u0430ve ex\u0440ected to use one of their 30 visits to bring him into the f\u0430cility. If \u0440ittsburgh w\u0430s willing to use nine \u0440re-dr\u0430ft visits on running b\u0430cks \u0430nd not \u0430 single one on Kenneth Gr\u0430nt, we h\u0430ve to question how serious they \u0430re \u0430bout dr\u0430fting him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the 2025 NFL Dr\u0430ft on the horizon \u0430nd\u00a0\u0440re-dr\u0430ft visits in the books, we h\u0430ve \u0430 gre\u0430t feel for who the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers will be interested in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n