The Pittsburgh Steelers made one thing clear during the 2025 NFL Draft: they are intent on getting better in the trenches.
Pittsburgh used their first-round pick on Derrick Harmon, a defensive lineman out of Oregon. They added to the defensive line once again with Jack Sawyer in the fourth round and then doubled back on the interior in the fifth round, taking Yahya Black.
Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo thinks that was part of a concerted effort.
“I thought they stuck to their plan,” Fittipaldo said of the Steelers Wednesday via 93.7 The Fan. “Omar [Khan] and Andy [Weidl]’s theme through their first three drafts has been building through the trenches. If you paid attention to the clues, you kind of knew what direction they were gonna go. So I think they put some of those d-lineman on notice. I think there’s gonna be great competition in training camp.”
Building through the trenches, as Fittipaldo describes it, is exactly what the Steelers have done through the draft under Omar Khan. In 2023, they traded up to draft OT Broderick Jones in the first round. The next round, they took DL Keeanu Benton. The following year, the Steelers triple-dipped on their offensive line. They took OT Troy Fautanu in the first, C Zach Frazier in the second, and G Mason McCormick in the fourth. This year, there were the aforementioned three front-seven selections in the first five rounds.
Now, the defensive line is somewhat crowded. Cam Heyward, Benton, Harmon and Black should all be part of the rotation on the inside. Heyward hasn’t played over 75 percent of all defensive snaps since 2021, and as he continues to age that number seems like it will remain there. Thus, there should be some more room for playing time for some of the younger guys.
On the edge, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig will all get their opportunities. Jack Sawyer, who the Steelers were happy to land in the fourth round, will be in in that rotation as well.
All things considered, the Steelers’ draft choices create a tough situation for some. They include Isaiah Loudermilk, Logan Lee, Jeremiah Moon, DeMarvin Leal, and even Daniel Ekuale, who was just brought in this offseason.
There are only 53 spots on the Week 1 roster. The defensive line also has a lot of new faces. We’ll see how things shake out, but some familiar names might find themselves out of luck come September.
