The Athletic’s NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler compiled his lone seven-round mock draft of the pre-draft cycle with the 2025 NFL Draft just over a week away. With smoke that Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders could fall in the draft, Brugler has him sliding, with his fall ending with the Steelers at No. 21 overall.
In addition to Sanders, Brugler has Pittsburgh taking Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson in the third round, Maryland DT Jordan Phillips in the fourth round, SMU EDGE Elijah Roberts in the fifth round, Florida WR Chimere Deke in the sixth round before wrapping up its draft with Washington LB Carson Bruener in the seventh round.
As for taking Sanders, Brugler believes the Steelers will have a “serviceable short-term option” which would allow them to take Sanders as a developmental quarterback.
“If Sanders indeed falls out of the top three, we’d then go on ‘Shedeur watch’ to see where he lands,” Brugler writes. “Presumably, the Steelers will have a serviceable short-term option, and Sanders would provide them more of a long-term answer.”
With the Steelers still pursuing free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, it’s conceivable that the Steelers could start Rodgers for a year before handing the reins over to Sanders. He came in for a pre-draft visit last week, and he reportedly has a fan in Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. If Sanders does wind up being on the board at No. 21 overall, he’s someone that will very likely be under consideration.
Sanders led Colorado to nine wins last season and is widely regarded as one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft. There are certainly some concerns about his long-term outlook and if he can be a good starter, but with Pittsburgh’s mess of a quarterback plan, Sanders could provide some much-needed stability and someone to consider long term.
In addition to Sanders, Brugler had the Steelers taking two other players who came in for pre-draft visits in Dylan Sampson and Elijah Roberts. Sampson is a speedster out of Tennessee who ran for an SEC-high 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024. He’s not the biggest back, measuring in at 5081 and 200 pounds at the Combine, where he didn’t do athletic testing, but he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and wound up with a 6.60 RAS score.
Roberts was primarily an EDGE for SMU, and he was one of the better players at the position at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl. A transfer from Miami (FL), Roberts racked up 17.5 sacks his last two seasons at SMU, with 10 sacks in 2023 and 7.5 in 2024. He would provide another pass-rushing option behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, and finding a fourth outside linebacker who can rush the passer is an underrated need for the Steelers.
Sandwiched between the Sampson and Roberts picks is Maryland’s Jordan Phillips, a potential high-upside selection in the fourth round. While waiting until the fourth round to select a defensive lineman is worrisome, Phillips has a ton of upside at just 20 years old. He won the Pat Tillman Award at the Shrine Bowl, an award that “is presented to a player who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service,” and he was a menace on the field.
A Tennessee transfer, Phillips eats up blocks on the interior, and he came in with good size at the Combine at 6015 and 312 pounds. His arm length at 31 1/2 inches was a bit short, but he would represent solid value in the fourth round and would be a good selection due to his ceiling if the Steelers really do wait until the fourth to select a defensive lineman.
Rounding out Pittsburgh’s draft was WR Chimere Dike in the sixth round and Washington LB Carson Bruener in the seventh round. Dike is a crisp route runner and can win downfield, and he impressed with a 4.34 40-yard dash at the Combine, as well as a 38.5″ vertical and 10’08” broad jump. A transfer from Wisconsin, Dike caught 42 balls for 783 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Bruener is the easiest connection to make for the Steelers in this draft given that his dad, Mark, is a scout for the team and a former Steeler himself. Bruener is a talented run stuffer who could come in and provide solid depth and special teams value for the Steelers right out of the gate.
In his scouting report, Josh Carney praised Bruener’s ability against the run as well as zone coverage ability but had concerns about his agility.
He would certainly be a flier worth taking in the seventh round, grabbing a player with bloodlines who is fundamentally strong with a good football IQ. If that happens Bruener could certainly find himself working into a role with the Steelers early in his career.
All in all, it’s a solid mock draft that addresses Pittsburgh’s main needs. Not taking a defensive lineman until the fourth round is a little bit of a concern, but I’m a big fan of Phillips as a player, although he won’t be the immediate difference-maker the team might need at the position. Regardless, it’s a draft that I’d be fairly happy about if it was to play out this way.
