Few in the NFL Draft business are better than NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Writing up over 400 prospect scouting reports each year, he’s finalized the class of 2025. Just as important as his notes are his projections on where prospects are expected to go. Citing league sources to slot each player, there’s a handful of potential future Pittsburgh Steelers prospects worth mentioning.
Using his draft guide linked above, here’s the most notable. We’ll break them down by position.
Quarterback
Jaxson Dart/Ole Miss: Rounds 1-2
Tyler Shough/Louisville: Rounds 2-3
Jalen Milroe/Alabama: Rounds 2-3
Quinn Ewers/Texas: Round 3
Quarterback gets hard to predict past the top two names and even nailing down Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock is tough, though the New Orleans Saints may have even more incentive to draft him at No. 9. Shough is interesting as a potential Round Two pick. Could he be the third or fourth quarterback off the board?
Milroe reportedly has a draft invite which suggests he’ll exceed Zierlein’s projection. Could Pittsburgh end up with Quinn Ewers as their Day Two quarterback?
Running Back
Omarion Hampton/North Carolina: Round 1
TreVeyon Henderson/Ohio State: Round 2
Kaleb Johnson/Iowa: Rounds 2-3
Ollie Gordon II/Oklahoma State: Round 5
Hampton was only Zierlein’s No. 4 running back behind Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (projected to go in Rounds 2-3). Johnson could be an option at No. 83 while buzz on Henderson picks up with other draft analysts believing he could go late Day One. Gordon is a fallback option on Day Three.
Wide Receiver
Emeka Egbuka/Ohio State: Round 1
Jayden Higgins/Iowa State: Round 2
Jaylin Noel/Iowa State: Round 3
Savion Williams/TCU: Rounds 3-4
Dont’e Thornton/Tennessee: Round 4
Pittsburgh might love Jayden Higgins but acquiring him without a trade sounds tough to do. They may settle for his teammate Noel in the third round instead, though the two prospects are very different. Williams continues to feel like a realistic target while Thornton is matching what we’ve discussed before. Someone will jump at his traits and upside earlier than some expect, especially in a down receiver class.
Defensive Line
Derrick Harmon/Oregon: Round 1
Kenneth Grant/Michigan: Round 1
Joshua Farmer/Florida State: Round 3
Jamaree Caldwell/Oregon: Round 4
No surprises on Harmon or Grant, though Zierlein’s report was a bit sour on Grant’s overall game. Farmer in Round Three is logical while Caldwell, the other Oregon d-line prospect, could be a good value pick early Day Three.
Cornerback
Trey Amos/Ole Miss: Round 2
Darien Porter/Iowa State: Round 3
Pittsburgh brought in Amos for a pre-draft visit but might not be in a position to land him. Porter fits the “Avatar’ type of cornerbacks the Steelers have recently been drafting but it’s doubtful he escapes the Top 100.
Safety
Nick Emmanwori/South Carolina: Round 1
Emmanwori is one of the top safeties in the draft and probably won’t escape the Top 32. A sleeper selection for Pittsburgh at No. 21, it still shouldn’t be a shock if Pittsburgh selected a safety earlier than expected. They’ve done homework on all the top prospects, including bringing Emmanwori in for a pre-draft visit.
