The Pittsburgh Steelers need a true, No. 1 running back ahead of the 2025 season, especially after losing former first-round pick Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency.
While Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell project as an explosive pairing, the Steelers still need some significant help at the position.
One name that continues to generate quite a bit of buzz regarding the Black and Gold is Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson. The Steelers checked all the boxes with the Buckeyes star running back, hosting him for a pre-draft visit, attending Ohio State Pro Day, and holding a formal meeting with him at the NFL Combine.
With those boxes checked, Henderson has emerged as a dark-horse first-round candidate for the Black and Gold.
“My guess is Omar Khan would love to trade back if he has a dance partner, given that they don’t have a second-rounder after trading theirs for DK Metcalf. TreVeyon Henderson would be great in that offense, and I think there’s some love inside that building for him,” The Ringer’s Todd McShay wrote in response to a reader asking about running back, according to McShay’s blog. “That said, I’m not sure there will be many options to trade back in this first round. If the Steelers are sticking and picking, I think interior defensive line would be their top priority, followed by cornerback.
“With Mason Graham off the board in the top 10 and Derrick Harmon likely unavailable as well, you’d potentially be looking at Walter Nolen and Kenneth Grant as the top IDL candidates at 21. Will Johnson, who had great 2023 tape but struggled with injuries this past season, could also fall to them and represent good value at a position of need.”
While defensive line, quarterback and even defensive back — whether that’s safety or cornerback — get more buzz as the Steelers’ biggest needs, running back is right there. OC Arthur Smith likes to pound the rock, and a combination of Warren and Gainwell isn’t built to handle 25-30 touches a game and wear defenses down with the smashmouth style the Steelers want to play.
Henderson doesn’t exactly fit that workhorse mold, but at 5101, 202 pounds he checks a lot of the boxes the Steelers are looking for at the running back position.
He can take a touch to the house in the blink of an eye and clocked a 4.43 40-yard dash with a tremendous 10’8″ broad jump during the pre-draft process. He has a RAS of 9.45. He’s not just a speed back, either. He’s a great pass protector and has good hands out of the backfield.
If he were to be the Steelers’ first-round pick, it would make a lot of sense due to the pre-draft work they have done on running backs. But trading back from No. 21 overall would be the smart play for the Steelers and GM Omar Khan if Henderson is their target. Trade down, add another pick or two in the top 100, and grab Henderson down the board a bit.
But if they stay and pick, defensive line and even safety are the positions to watch, assuming the quarterbacks in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart aren’t available.
