The Pittsburgh Steelers let RB Najee Harris walk in free agency, while signing RB Kenneth Gainwell to help complement Jaylen Warren. But in a deep running back draft class, the Steelers could, and are expected to, add to the room further with another back. If they don’t do so by the fourth-round, Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker believes it would be the worst case scenario for the Steelers in the draft.
“Najee Harris is no longer a Steeler, and Jaylen Warren (68.3 PFF rushing grade) has proven viable as a backup — but not a clear-cut starter. Meanwhile, new signing Kenneth Gainwell hasn’t even reached a 53.5 PFF rushing grade since 2022. Pittsburgh simply cannot go into 2025 with only Warren and Gainwell, needing at least a complementary back who can push for early-down work. That means general manager Omar Khan should absolutely take a back no later than the fourth round.”
The Steelers have shown plenty of interest in this running back class. Three of the nine players they’ve reportedly brought in for pre-draft visits have been running backs, and the team held formal meetings with at least eight running backs at the Combine. While it’s probably unlikely that a running back comes in the first round, a third-or-fourth-round pick would make sense.
I don’t necessarily think it’s a disaster or a worst-case scenario if the Steelers waited until the fifth round to take a back, given that it’s such a deep class and they could probably find someone who can still be productive. But the players they’ve met with and are bringing in for pre-draft visits project to be late Day 2 or early Day 3 picks, so that does seem to be the range where the Steelers are targeting a runner.
They’ve also been looking at players with similar prototypes, backs who can use their speed to get to the edge and could be early-down contributors. Gerry Dulac said that finding running backs who could get to the edge was a priority for the Steelers in their search for a rookie ball carrier, and with names like Bhayshul Tuten and Dylan Sampson coming in for pre-draft visits, speed and athleticism seems to be a priority for Pittsburgh.
With over a month until the draft, we’ll see if that’s the prototype of running back that the Steelers continue to scout and bring in for visits. Given their interest in the position, it would certainly be a surprise if the Steelers failed to draft a running back. It would also be a little surprising if that back wasn’t taken with one of the team’s first three picks.
