The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, and there are a number of directions the Pittsburgh Steelers can go with their six picks in the draft. On Sunday, Mel Kiper Jr. put out a list of his favorite prospects at every position, and a few players that the Steelers could target were among Kiper\u2019s favorites. RB Dylan Sampson, who visited Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit, was named his favorite running back. WR Savion Williams, who also visited Pittsburgh ahead of the draft, was listed as Kiper\u2019s favorite wide receiver prospect.<\/p>\n
While those were the only two pre-draft visitors on Kiper\u2019s list, there are other connections. The Steelers sent assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams to William & Mary\u2019s Pro Day to see OT Charles Grant, with whom the team also had a formal meeting at the 2025 NFL Combine. Grant was listed as Kiper\u2019s favorite offensive tackle, while CB Upton Stout, who met with the Steelers at the Combine, was Kiper\u2019s favorite corner.<\/p>\n
Finally, S Andrew Mukuba, whom the Steelers saw at Texas\u2019 Pro Day and met with ahead of that event, was Kiper\u2019s favorite safety in the class.<\/p>\n
At some point throughout the process, the Steelers meet with almost every player in the draft, be it at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, Pro Days, or through pre-draft visits. But it\u2019s notable when the team has multiple touchpoints with a player, like they did with Sampson, hosting him for a pre-draft visit after an informal meeting at the Combine. The team also sent wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and area scout Jared Highberger to Tennessee\u2019s Pro Day.<\/p>\n
Kiper praised Sampson\u2019s ability to be a home run hitter out of the backfield, with 12 explosive runs last season, but also gave credit to his ability to score from the goal line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see burst and conviction on the tape \u2014 he sees the hole, commits, and explodes through the gap. At 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, Sampson runs with fierceness and contact balance, with 820 of his yards coming after first contact. Those traits are also useful at the goal line, where he can power in for six points. Inside 3 yards, he scored on eight of his 11 carries last season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiper writes that Sampson could be a \u201creally good third-or-fourth-round pick.\u201d<\/p>\n
He compared Williams to current Steelers RB Cordarrelle Patterson, as he has the versatility to line up out wide or in the backfield. As for Grant, Kiper admits he needs time to develop but believes he has the traits necessary to succeed in the NFL.<\/p>\n
The Steelers could certainly take a swing on a mid-round offensive tackle, and that\u2019s where Grant is projected to land.<\/p>\n
Obviously, it\u2019s no guarantee the Steelers wind up with any of the players on Kiper\u2019s list. But it\u2019s notable that the team has shown continued interest in multiple players that Kiper likes, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see the haul the Steelers ultimately come up with later this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, and there are a number of directions the Pittsburgh Steelers can go with their six picks in the draft…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n