INDIANAPOLIS – It was the fourth and final day of player interviews at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Today was dedicated to the big uglies along the offensive line in the interview room, and yesterday’s group of interviewees including the running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks were on the field for workouts.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have invested a lot in the offensive line over the last few years, but it’s not a finished product by any means. It wouldn’t be all that surprising for them to add another piece in the trenches as they build from the inside out.
As our crew heads home, this will be the final “Five Steelers Takeaways” post, but we have countless interviews that will trickle out over the course of the next month or more.
Here are five Steelers takeaways on day four of the combine from myself, Joe Clark and Jonathan Heitritter. We hope you enjoyed our coverage this year! We appreciate everybody following along, engaging in the comments, and on X. We couldn’t do it without you.
If Speed Kills, Then This Draft Class Is Deadly
The Steelers could use more speed on both sides of the ball. They took a step in the right direction with guys like Donte Jackson and Patrick Queen on defense last year, but Jackson may not be back for 2025 and they need to get young speedsters on both sides of the ball.
Multiple Steelers insiders have floated the idea of the Steelers looking to find a speedster running back that can get the edge and generate more explosive plays. There were 10 running backs that ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash or faster. That includes four that ran a 4.40 or faster:
– UCF RJ Harvey: 4.40
– SMU Brashard Smith: 4.39
– Texas Jaydon Blue: 4.38
– Virginia Tech Bhayshul Tuten: 4.32
They met with the vast majority of that top 10 list at either the combine or the Senior Bowl last month.
The WR group also had plenty of speed. Of the top 10, the most interesting to me were Texas WR Matthew Golden at 4.29 seconds and Jaylin Noel with 4.39 seconds. The Steelers have met with both of them between the combine and the Senior Bowl. Elic Ayomanor also posted a solid time of 4.44. At his size, that will absolutely work.
This also came after a very fast DB group on day three. There’s tons of speed in this draft class.
– Ross McCorkle
For a full list of live combine results, check out our tracker.
Quarterback Class Barely Tested
This is nothing really new at the combine in recent years, but the quarterback class barely tested in any of the drills. Props to Brady Cook, Seth Henigan, and Tyler Shough for at least running the 40 and doing some of the jumps.
Shough is an intriguing QB in this class. He looked pretty good in Mobile, but he is also one of the oldest QB prospects to come out of college in quite some time and carries an injury history.
Most prospects say this, but he told the media that he is the best QB in the class. Some analysts have gone as far as to say he might be the best QB outside of Cam Ward in this class.
I would have liked to see this supposedly weak QB draft class compete a little more. Ward and Shedeur Sanders, I understand. The rest should absolutely be doing everything they can to stand out. I was a little disappointed that Jaxson Dart, Dillon Gabriel, Jalen Milroe, Will Howard, Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord did not participate in many of the drills.
Many of them threw, but I wanted to see them compete in all areas!
The Steelers could be in the market for a quarterback in the middle rounds, so I was hoping to see more. We will have to wait until the pro days to see some of their numbers.
– Ross McCorkle
Limited Offensive Line Interest
It came as a surprise on Saturday morning that not many offensive linemen had met with the Pittsburgh Steelers. William & Mary OT Charles Grant held a formal with Pittsburgh, but no one else that we talked to had done so. While the Steelers have invested a first-round pick in the offensive line each of the last two years and likely aren’t looking to add a starter through the draft, it’s a room that could use some depth.
It’s worth noting that a few prospects said they were having informal meetings later in the day, although they were unsure who they would meet with. But the lack of formals that we learned of was my biggest takeaway from the day, especially with some buzz that the Steelers could target the offensive line early in the draft.
The lack of formals threw a little bit of cold water on that buzz, and it’ll be interesting to see from here how the Steelers address the position this offseason.
– Joe Clark
Ideal Wide Receiver Measurements
The Pittsburgh Steelers could target a receiver early in the draft, and a few players the team has met with passed the eye test in a few ways. Texas’ Matthew Golden was the biggest winner, measuring in at 5110 and 191 pounds, and then leading all receivers with a 4.29 40-yard dash. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka didn’t run, but he measured in at 6007 and 202 pounds.
With players being listed bigger/smaller than they actually are sometimes, it’s good to see the verified measurements on some of these guys come in and look the part and have the measurements that the Steelers are looking for.
It was also a strong day for Elic Ayomanor, who ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, as well as Tory Horton, who ran a 4.41. Horton measured in at 6024 and 196 pounds, while Ayomanor came in at 6016 and 206 pounds. Both of them had formal meetings with Pittsburgh as well, and could be options on Day 2, although Ayomanor has had some Day 1 buzz.
Regardless, it was good that there weren’t any surprises when it came to the measurements of some of Pittsburgh’s potential top targets.
– Joe Clark
Running Backs Show Out
The Steelers showed genuine interest in the running back position yesterday during interviews, having at least eight formal interviews with the group. When the group hit the turf in Lucas Oil Stadium, they didn’t disappoint. They lived up to the hype.
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten took home the gold in the 40-yard dash, running an official 4.32 40. He also was first in the vertical jump with a 40.5″ leap. Texas RB Jadon Blue took second in the 40 with a 4.38 while SMU RB Brashard Smith also ran under 4.4 with a 4.39.
The top backs overall tested very well. Ohio State RBs Tre’Veyon Henderson (4.43) and Quinshon Judkins (4.48) both were under 4.5 while Judkins took first in the broad jump (11’0”) and Henderson third (10’3”). North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton ran a 4.46 official time and also jumped 38.0” in the vert and 10’10” in the broad.
The deep RB class was absolutely as advertised.
– Jonathan Heitritter
