The Pittsburgh Steelers have made their first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, sticking and picking Oregon DL Derrick Harmon as their first-round choice. As things stand this morning, the team has one selection on Day 2 of the drafts, Rounds 2-3, slotting in at No. 83 overall in the third round. So who are options the Steelers could consider with the pick? Based on the Harmon selection and their other pre-draft moves, here are some possibilities.
This list will assume reasonable possibilities in the third round and not projecting a trade up into the second.
Will Howard/QB Ohio State
Bypassing quarterback in Round 1, the Steelers still figure to select a passer at some point in the draft. Some insiders believe Pittsburgh could move up but even still, selecting one of the “big three” remaining in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Louisville’s Tyler Shough will be tough to accomplish.
Howard is a more probable option. Perhaps he could be had in the fourth round, but No. 83 isn’t too much of a stretch. Profiling like more of an old-school pocket passer, Howard bring size and leadership after leading Ohio State to a national title. With plus touch, accuracy, and experience in NFL-like systems at Kansas State and Ohio State that put plenty on his plate, Pittsburgh could have interest.
Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith attended Howard’s Pro Day and it wouldn’t be shocking if he was their choice with one of their next two selections. The Steelers love a winner and Howard won in college.
Kyle McCord/QB Syracuse
If not Howard, McCord is another possibility. Pittsburgh’s interest in him wasn’t known until late in the process when the Steelers brought him in for a visit, one of four quarterbacks to do so (Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders, and Tyler Shough the others).
With a good arm and highly productive 2024 season at Syracuse after transferring from Ohio State, reports indicate NFL teams are higher on him than draftniks. He’s battled-tested with a short-term memory to bounce back from down moments and could be the pick at No. 83.
Dylan Sampson/RB Tennessee
Running back has a strong chance to be addressed in the third or fourth round. Sampson hits all the right notes as a speedy and productive running back who dominated the SEC, leading the conference in carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns. His 2024 season finished with 258 attempts, 1,491 yards (5.8 YPC), and 22 scores.
Not even 21, he’s one of the youngest players in the draft. At 5-8, 200 pounds, he’s undersized but the Steelers are focusing on big-play backs than the workhorse ones they’ve typically selected. Plus, Pittsburgh will love his character as one of the “cleanest” prospects off the field in the class. Sampson was one of nine running backs to come in for a pre-draft visit.
Bhayshul Tuten/RB Virginia Tech
Tuten is a speedy back who burned a 4.32 40 at the NFL Combine. He also brings a Steelers connection, cousins with former Pittsburgh back Isaac Redman and coached by him growing up. But Tuten brings plenty of on-field value. Transferring from North Carolina A&T to Virginia Tech for 2023, he rushed for over 2,000 yards. In 2024, he averaged a scorching 6.3 yards per carry with 17 total scores (15 rushing, two receiving). Fumbles are his biggest concern, eight of them his past two years.
At 5092, 206 pounds, he played in a zone-heavy scheme in college that would match and suit the Steelers’ outside zone-based system. Some will debate if he’s truly worth a third-round selection or better suited for the fourth. Either round fits him well as Pittsburgh searches for a running game capable of ripping off big plays. Tuten came to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit, too, making these dots exceedingly easy to connect.
RJ Harvey/RB UCF
Harvey offers a similar general skill set as Sampson and Tuten. Short but compact at 5080, 205 pounds, Harvey ran a 4.40-flat at the Combine. His game speed indicates he’s a tick slower than that, but he shined brightest in our explosive run rate study, leading all running backs in runs of 10- and 20-plus yards by wide margins.
A former quarterback, Harvey rushed for at least 1,400 yards in each of his final two seasons at UCF. In 2024, he carried the ball 232 times for 1,577 yards (6.8 YPC) and 22 rushing scores. He made an impact as a receiver, finding the end zone three times through the air. On tape, he shows good contact balance and open-field ability.
Drafting Harvey would scratch the itch of a big-play runner to boost Pittsburgh’s stagnant ground game. Just as Sampson and Tuten did, Harvey stopped by for a pre-draft visit.
At the risk of adding even more running backs on this list, Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and Kansas State’s DJ Giddens are two others to consider. Judkins lacks the big-play ability the others listed above possess but has size and pedigree and showed more burst in 2023 at Ole Miss before bulking up after transferring to Ohio State. Giddens is a laterally quick runner with plus production. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson is also a possibility though he may not make it to No. 83.
Jaylin Noel/WR Iowa State
Though George Pickens remains a Steeler, the Steelers have done homework on Day 2 receivers. Noel is one of two Cyclones expected to be drafted today though teammate Jayden Higgins is likely to hear his name called first. While Noel is undersized at 5-10, 194 pounds, he blazed a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His jumps were just as impressive (41.5-inch vertical, 11’2″ broad) with a 6.82 three cone. Together, it produced a 9.75 RAS.
Noel broke out for a career-year in 2024, catching 80 passes for 1,194 yards, and eight touchdowns. He notched five 100-yard games in 2024, including a 167-yard, two-touchdown showing against Kansas.
Known for his downfield speed and dynamic ability, Noel is a home run hitter who would fit the Steelers’ offseason mission of adding playmakers. Pittsburgh brought him in for a visit.
Savion Williams/WR TCU
Often compared to Cordarrelle Patterson and Deebo Samuel, Williams is one of the biggest chess pieces in the draft. In 2024, he recorded nearly as many rushes (51) as he did receptions (60). Williams totaled 933 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns, six rushing and six passing.
At a listed 6037, 222 pounds, he ran 4.48 at the NFL Combine.
Adding Williams would offer versatility and flexibility to the Steelers’ offense. Pittsburgh would have to work to find a cohesive plan to get him on the field and the football, but he would be another playmaker who could wear a variety of hats and roles as a rookie. He came in for a pre-draft visit. Williams’ Horned Frogs teammate Jack Bech, also a wide receiver, is another name worth mentioning.
Charles Grant/OT William & Mary
To throw a curveball, Grant hasn’t been mentioned much and could be off the board by No. 83. But he’s athletic with good tape and fits the Steelers’ zone-heavy scheme. At 311 pounds, he’s on the lighter end but has good length and a frame to add weight. A three-year starter at left tackle, he could stay there in the NFL or possibly kick inside to guard.
Pittsburgh enters 2025 with Broderick Jones a starter at left tackle but there’s no guarantee he succeeds in what’s become a make-or-break season. Grant could provide quality insurance and even if Jones thrives, Grant could potentially kick inside to replace left guard Isaac Seumalo in 2026. Seumalo is entering the last year of his contract.
And for Grant, attending Mike Tomlin’s alma mater can’t hurt, either.
Jamaree Caldwell/NT Oregon
Pittsburgh’s added one Oregon defensive lineman. Why not two? At 340 pounds, Caldwell is an even bigger prospect who played next to Derrick Harmon for the Ducks. Like Harmon, Caldwell transferred in for the 2024 season after a strong 2023 campaign with Houston. He failed to record a sack but clogged the middle and is athletic relative to his size and his position.
Adding Caldwell would show a true commitment to beefing up the Steelers’ defensive line and run defense. Our NFL comp to him was B.J. Raji. Caldwell was on Pittsburgh’s list of 30 pre-draft visitors.
Xavier Watts/S Notre Dame & Andrew Mukuba/S Texas
Throwing a couple more defensive players on the list. It felt and still feels like Watts could be off the board by No. 83 but after just one safety was selected in the first round, Malaki Starks by Baltimore at No. 27, perhaps the entire group slides. South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori figures to be the next safety selected. A slow-ish 4.59 40-time could also ding Watts.
Watts didn’t come in for a visit, but Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin attended his Pro Day with Austin putting Watts through his positional drills.
Mukuba is another possibility. A ball-hawking center fielder, he could become a strong backup for Minkah Fitzpatrick and dime package player who would allow Fitzpatrick more freedom in obvious passing situations. Pittsburgh likes playmaking defensive backs and Mukuba intercepted five passes in 2024.
