Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers need a lot of help. There are plenty of uncertainties, but three positions the team have plenty of questions surrounding are quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive line. In a three round mock draft from Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, he has the Steelers hitting all those notes.
In the first round Valentino has the Steelers bolstering their wide receiver room with Texas Longhorns’ WR Matthew Golden.
“Matthew Golden’s quick rise is attributed to his speed and his growing ability to make catches on vertical routes, positioning him well for a first-round draft pick,” wrote Valentino. “While the Pittsburgh Steelers might consider Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe due to their quarterback situation, it seems more likely they will either bring back Justin Fields or pursue a veteran quarterback while improving the surrounding team. If George Pickens returns, Golden would fit seamlessly into the WR2 position, ahead of Roman Wilson, who excels in the slot.”
Golden is a three-year collegiate athlete who spent his first two seasons with the Houston Cougars before transferring to Texas for his junior year. At Texas in 2024, he amassed 58 receptions for 987 yards, and nine touchdowns. In his two years at Houston, Golden tallied 76 catches for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Golden is six-foot tall and weighs 195 pounds. He wouldn’t be considered “big” for the wide receiver position, but that isn’t a knock on him at all. In Jim Hester’s scouting report on Golden for Steelers Depot he praised his ability to make “above the rim” catches and his ability to beat press coverage and create separation.
Pittsburgh’s wide receivers not named George Pickens struggled with those aspects of their game last season, so adding someone who can do both would be huge for the offense and whoever is playing quarterback. When Pickens was out the offense took a huge hit and part of that was because the Steelers had no other wide receiver capable of taking over a game. Golden could be that player and would be a great compliment to Pickens.
In the second round Valentino has the Steelers drafting Toledo Rocket DT Darius Alexander. Alexander played five seasons for Toledo where he accumulated 127 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, 13 pass break ups, one fumble recovery, and an interception which he returned 58 yards for a touchdown.
pic.twitter.com/tuMkQGO3qa
Darius Alexander just out here making plays. If you know, you know – top 40 guy (an I said that prior to Mobile)— Dom C (@DC_NYJets) February 11, 2025
Alexander stands at 6035 and weighs 304 pounds so he could be a nice addition to the Steelers defensive line that is emphasizing stopping the run. In Alex Kozora’s scouting report, he noted that Alexander could play across the defensive line, has great length and had active hands which allowed to him to be effective in the passing game even without causing pressure, something both defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton are good at.
In the third round of his mock draft, Valentino has the Steelers selecting Ohio State quarterback Will Howard. Howard led the Buckeyes to a national championship this year where he completed 17-of-21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame to win the College Football Playoff and win the MVP award for the game.
Howard isn’t touted as a can’t miss prospect, but he did have an impressive-fifth year with Ohio State where he threw 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds which gives him the height to see over his offensive lineman. In Alex Kozora’s scoring report on Howard he emphasized Howard’s touch on deep balls and read defenses, but did note that his arm-strength on passes across the middle of the field can be a bit shaky.
This Steelers’ mock draft hits a bunch of needs and gives them a potential quarterback for the future. Overall, I am a fan of the mock draft, minus Howard. I’m not sold on the quarterbacks in this draft class and would rather Pittsburgh bring back Justin Fields and wait a year to draft a quarterback. If the Steelers do draft Howard it may lead them to not looking at quarterbacks next year in what is supposed to be a better draft class.
Golden would be a great addition to a wide receiver room which is in dire need of talent. Pittsburgh needs a route runner on the outside and he can provide that. With Pickens entering a contract year Golden also has potential to be the team’s WR1 in a couple of seasons so it is important the Steelers to draft a wide reliever in round one or two.
Pittsburgh going defensive line with Alexander in round two makes sense as well and I wouldn’t be mad with that. Heyward is aging and through two seasons Benton hasn’t shown that he deserves a second contract yet. Pittsburgh was dominated in the run game against the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the season and in the playoffs so amassing more talent on the defensive line is critical. Alexander has talent and can play anywhere on the defensive line which is a big plus.
