For the final time of the 2025 NFL Draft, a list of prospects the Pittsburgh Steelers could consider on Day Three, Rounds 4-7. This is the part of the draft when the board really opens up and predictions become even more difficult. But based on team interest and positional need, here’s who fits.
Quarterback
Quinn Ewers/Texas
I won’t re-write the explanations I penned on Ohio State’s Will Howard and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord who appeared on the Day Two list. But both remain in contention while Shedeur Sanders can’t be crossed off either even during his draft free fall.
Ewers is another name to consider. Injuries were a problem throughout his career but he was once thought of as a future top selection. While he might lack top-end talent, he helped turn around Texas’ program into a contender. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan attended the Longhorns’ Pro Day. I’m not convinced the Steelers would select him over Howard and McCord but he’s a fallback option in say, the fifth round if the others are off the board.
Wide Receiver
Dont’e Thornton/Tennessee
A true height/weight/speed prospect at 6045, 205 pounds, Thornton was a boom-or-bust player throughout his college career. Light on volume with just 65 career receptions, Thornton found the end zone ten times and averaged over 20-yards per reception throughout his career.
First committing to Oregon, Thornton transferred to Tennessee for his final two seasons. In 2024, he caught 26 passes for a whopping 661 yards (25.4 yards per catch) with six touchdowns. In three games, Thornton caught exactly three passes for at least 100-yards.
A downfield threat with 4.3 speed that translates on tape, Thornton repeatedly won on slants, glance routes, and go-balls. He displays a rare second gear mid-route while showing to be a willing and competent blocker in the run game. His game is raw and his route tree wasn’t well-rounded but there’s big-time potential if Pittsburgh wants to take the chance. Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanini, who coached at Tennessee years ago, attended his Pro Day.
Elic Ayomanor/Stanford
A name I didn’t expect to be around, Ayomanor tumbled out of the top two days. A checkered injury history might be a driving reason for that. But he presents as lower-risk Day Three value, a big-play receiver with good acceleration throughout his route. He’s also the best blocker in this year’s class with energy and intensity that’ll endear itself well to someone like OC Arthur Smith.
Pittsburgh hasn’t shown much visible interest in him but Day Three is the most unpredictable making names like Ayomanor “surprises” worth mentioning.
Andrew Armstrong/Arkansas
My bias might be showing but Armstrong is one of my favorite Day Three targets. Big with strong and reliable hands and more fluidity in his hips and routes than expected, he quietly led the SEC in receptions and receiving yards although he only found the end zone once in 2024.
Armstrong mentioned the Steelers as a team showing interest in him during his Pro Day. That could mean nothing, all teams do their homework on prospects, but if Armstrong was the pick in the sixth round, it would present solid value. I compared him to Jakobi Meyers.
Tight End
Jackson Hawes/Georgia Tech
Hawes is regarded as one of the better blockers in the class even if it sometimes comes through via effort more than ideal technique. Pittsburgh has several tight ends on the roster but backups Connor Heyward and Donald Parham aren’t known for their blocking and the Steelers could be in trouble if Darnell Washington was lost for an extended period of time.
Formationally, Hawes is versatile and played on special teams during his time at Yale before transferring up to Georgia Tech for his final collegiate season.
Gavin Bartholomew/Pittsburgh
A local pre-draft visitor the team is highly familiar with, he burst on scene as a freshman in 2021. Linking up with ex-Steelers QB Kenny Pickett, Barholomew couldn’t capture the magic of that first year but uneven quarterback play hampered him throughout his time with the team.
Still, he’s an above-average athlete who caught a career-high 38 receptions in 2024 while finding the end zone four times. There could be Round Seven appeal.
Defensive Line
J.J. Pegues/Ole Miss
A unique prospect, Pegues did more than play just defense in college. He was also used as a short-yardage fullback and ballcarrier, rushing for seven touchdowns for the Rebels in 2024. Defensively, he recorded an impressive 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
His athleticism didn’t shine through during the pre-draft, running a 5.15 40 with a 27.5-inch vertical. At his Pro Day, he reportedly ran an underwhelming 4.89 second short shuttle and 7.77 three cone.
Still, he’s an intriguing and disruptive player and double-dip candidate. Pittsburgh also brought him in for a pre-draft visit.
Yahya Black/NT Iowa
If Pittsburgh is searching for a nose tackle-type after drafting a defensive end in Harmon, Black could be their target. At 6056, 336 pounds with 35-inch arms, Black had a solid and consistently productive career. At Iowa, he recorded 34 tackles (seven for a loss) with one sack.
Adding Black gives Pittsburgh a different type of presence at nose tackle compared to Keeanu Benton and Montravius Adams. Like Pegues, he also came in for a visit, one of eight defensive linemen brought in by the team.
Joshua Farmer/Florida State
Farmer remains on the board as a run-stuffing defensive lineman. Capable of playing nose tackle and defensive end, he could have additional appeal if the Steelers view him playing in the middle. Double-dipping with only six selections is difficult but Farmer has length and a good anchor whose best game might be ahead of him. Farmer was also one of the team’s 30 pre-draft visitors.
EDGE Rusher
Antwaun Powell-Ryland/Virginia Tech
A twitched-up and highly-productive pass rusher, Powell-Ryland was unblockable during his final season in Blacksburg. He finished with 19 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, and three forced fumble. A nose for the football, he’s a sawed-off player with sub-31 inch arms but it makes him an ideal stand-up candidate in a Steelers-esque system.
Pittsburgh’s chance on an atypically-built Nick Herbig paid off and the team could make the same case for Powell-Ryland, who brings a thicker and more stout frame than Herbig did coming out of Wisconsin.
Que Robinson/Alabama
At the least, Pittsburgh is getting a quality special teamer. Highly experienced and cutting his teeth running down kicks and punts, Robinson broke out in 2024 to tally seven tackles for loss and four sacks. He’s well-proportioned at 6042, 243 pounds with 33 1/2-inch arms, he has the build of a Steelers’ edge rusher and brings SEC pedigree.
Fadil Diggs/Syracuse
We’ve barely discussed Diggs this pre-draft cycle and the Steelers’ light interest in the Orange’s Pro Day suggested Diggs wasn’t on the radar. But Pittsburgh can throw curveballs and not every pick comes off our tidy shortlist of prospects.
Diggs has plus size at 6043, 257 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms, impressing at the NFL Combine with a 4.57 40 and 1.60 ten-yard split. A high school wide receiver and linebacker who once had a 1,000-yard season, Diggs was productive in 2024 with 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. We gave him a fourth-round grade.
Inside Linebacker
Carson Bruener/Washington
Easy dots to connect. Son of former Steelers’ tight end and current team area scout Mark Bruener, Bruener is a clean and easy projection. A downhill mentality with extensive special teams background and a strong 4.58 40-time, inside linebacker isn’t a need but adding Bruener adds depth and competition and raises the floor of the room.
Pittsburgh usually carries five inside linebackers on the roster. Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Malik Harrison are locks. The other two spots are open. Mark Robinson’s name shouldn’t be written in pen while Cole Holcomb is an unknown, not playing a down since November of 2023 due to a severe knee injury.
Cornerback
Jordan Clark/Notre Dame
Matching Pittsburgh to a Day Three cornerback is difficult and I sense the position isn’t high on the team’s list after signing Darius Slay and Brandin Echols in free agency. The minimal work the team did on the position involved players off the board: Trey Amos, Azareye’h Thomas, and even Justin Walley were all selected on Day Two.
Like Bruener, a long explanation isn’t required. Clark is the son of former Steelers’ safety Ryan Clark and Pittsburgh probably knows Jordan as well as any team. But Jordan isn’t just getting by on name alone. Transferring from Arizona State to Notre Dame for 2024, he recorded 37 tackles, broke up five passes, and intercepted one for the Fighting Irish. Our scouting report gave him a draftable grade.
Safety
S Donovan McMillon/Pitt
McMillon stepped across the hall for his pre-draft visit with the Steelers. A Pittsburgh native and top-recruit, he began his career at Florida before transferring back home and linking up with the Panthers. A two-year starter, he was a tackling machine with over 100 of them in 2023 and 2024.
McMillon profiles as a reliable and strong tackler who plays the run effectively and throws his weight around. Man coverage isn’t his strong suit but he can immediately make an impact on special teams and serve as depth with DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, and Miles Killebrew on expiring deals.
Below is a list of potential undrafted free agents, though it’s obviously possible some of these players will get drafted. And many will sign elsewhere. But here’s me clearing out my notebook of names.
Hunter Wohler/Wisconsin + Craig Woodson/Cal + Dan Jackson/Georgia
Lumping threee more safeties together. Wohler is one of my “guys” who may lack top-end speed but is strong in every other aspect of his game. Toughness, tackling, man coverage, leadership, football IQ, and experience, he checks the boxes. Pittsburgh loves drafting Wisconsin defenders because of their clean projection.
Woodson spent six years at Cal in part due to a mid-career knee injury that wiped out one season. He’s versatile and productive with nine pass breakups in his final season with the Golden Bears. Woodson was recruited to Cal by Gerald Alexander, then the program’s DBs coach. Alexander now serves the same role for Pittsburgh, making an easy connection and offering the team extra insight.
Jackson is a hair-on-fire former walk-on who will be a decade-long NFL special teamer. Easy guy to root for, fun tape to watch. A high-floor selection with one of the Steelers’ final two picks.
Finally, smart pure dart throws as undrafted free agent possibilities.
Undrafted Free Agents
Garrett Greene/QB-WR West Virginia
Ja’Quinden Jackson/RB Arkansas
Treshaun Ward/RB Boston College
Jaquez Stuart/RB-RET Toledo
Konata Mumpfield/WR Pittsburgh
Bru McCoy/WR Tennessee
Aiden Williams/OL Minnesota-Duluth
Jack Conley/OL Boston College
Sean Martin/DE West Virginia
Rovell Carter/DE Ouachita Baptist
Payton Page/DL Clemson
Nate Matlack/EDGE Pitt
Bam Martin-Scott/ILB South Carolina
Adam Bock/ILB South Dakota State
Kevin Knowles II/CB Florida State
Jordan Oladokun/CB Bowling Green
