With veteran running back Najee Harris set to hit free agency and likely leave in March, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up to find his replacement, which will likely come through the 2025 NFL Draft.
At the NFL’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the Steelers are starting to stack some formal Combine meetings with big names at the running back position. On Monday, it was reported that the Steelers have a formal meeting scheduled with Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty.
Tuesday, The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler reports that the Steelers also have a formal meeting scheduled with Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II as well.
Gordon was a huge name at the running back position coming out of the 2023 season. That year for the Cowboys, Gordon found himself generating some Heisman Trophy buzz after rushing for 1,732 rushing yards, 330 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. He was expected to be a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2024, but his play fell off as the rest of Oklahoma State did as well.
Last season, Gordon rushed for just 880 yards and 13 touchdowns on 190 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. That was a precipitous drop-off from the season before, but with his size and production throughout his career, Gordon is a name to watch at running back, particularly for the Steelers on Day 2 or 3.
Gordon spoke with Steelers Depot at the Senior Bowl in Mobile in early February and stated he would love to carry on the tradition of the big-bodied running back in Pittsburgh, following the likes of Le’Veon Bell, James Conner and Najee Harris in recent years.
In his career at Oklahoma State, Gordon put himself in some elite company in program history. Gordon finished his time with the Cowboys with 537 carries for 2,920 yards and added 80 receptions for 585 yards and scored 40 total touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award in 2023 as the nation’s best running back and was a consensus All-American that season, too.
Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle had this to say about Gordon in his scouting report for the site:
“He can be an every-down, bell-cow running back, and I think his big-play ability will surprise some people at the next level. While not elite, he can really get up to a good speed if he finds room to run. The two biggest things I want to see improve in the NFL are his use of his hands as a weapon with stiff arms and his ability to pick up the blitz in pass protection. If he can do that, he should be one of the top few backs off the board in April.”
We’ll see if the formal Combine meeting translates to attendance at his Pro Day, or a pre-draft top 30 visit in the process, too.
