With the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl less than a week away, it’s nearly draft season, and with ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. dropping his first mock draft on Monday, two days after the College Football Playoff Championship game, it’s time to start thinking about who could be future Steelers. Kiper picked a name that’s been connected to Pittsburgh often in the early mock-draft cycle, pairing the Steelers with Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka.
Egbuka was thought to be one of the top receivers in last year’s draft class, but he stayed in school to chase a national championship, and he got his ring with Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame on Monday. His six catches for 64 yards in that game put him over 1,000 yards on the season, as he finished 2024 with 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns. It’s the second season Egbuka had over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, as he totaled 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 receptions as a sophomore in 2022.
Wide receiver is a clear need for the Steelers, especially so with George Pickens’ future with the team up in the air. The Steelers likely need to add multiple receivers this offseason, and Egbuka is one of the best available in the draft. Kiper writes that the Steelers’ offense won’t go anywhere without more reliable pass catchers.
“The last time the Steelers took a receiver in Round 1 was 2006, when they drafted Santonio Holmes at No. 25. But unless things drastically change in free agency, Pittsburgh has to break that streak. There aren’t enough reliable pass catchers in this offense. The Steelers don’t have a surefire WR2 behind George Pickens, and the offense isn’t going to improve until they do something there, no matter the QB,” Kiper wrote.
He also writes that Egbuka would “eat up targets” in Pittsburgh’s offense.
In this mock, Egbuka is the third true receiver off the board, behind Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan (sixth overall to the Las Vegas Raiders) and Missouri’s Luther Burden III (12th overall to the Dallas Cowboys). WR/CB Travis Hunter went No. 2 overall to the Cleveland Browns.
Egbuka’s route-running ability is one of his standout traits, and he’s someone who could operate on the outside in Pittsburgh with good size, listed at 6-1 and 205 pounds. The Steelers need to upgrade at receiver, and while cornerback and defensive line are other needs the team could address in the first round, with the offense’s failures down the stretch and its lack of receiver production all season, Emeka Egbuka is a name that will be linked to Pittsburgh frequently throughout the draft process.
