The Pittsburgh Steelers have had just two picks through the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Oregon DL Derrick Harmon at No. 21 overall and Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson at No. 83 overall. Saturday will be a busy day for the Steelers with Day 3 of the NFL Draft kicking off, as the team has four selections, one in each of the final four rounds. Pro Football Focus released a Day 3 mock draft, and it sees the Steelers heavily focus on defense, grabbing three defensive players and QB Kyle McCord.
Despite drafting Harmon, PFF believes the Steelers will nab another defensive lineman in the fourth round. They have the team selecting Florida DL Cam’Ron Jackson with their fourth-round pick at No. 123 overall. Jackson projects as a true nose tackle in the NFL, and if the Steelers do double-dip along the defensive line, it wouldn’t be a surprise if their second pick wound up being someone more capable of holding those responsibilities.
“Jackson’s massive 6-foot-6 and 328-pound frame is designed to clog the A-gaps and free up linebackers to make tackles. He’s earned at least a 76.0 run-defense grade across the past three seasons. Teams searching for a late-round run stopper should be interested in Jackson, even if he is likely to be just an early-down player.”
The Steelers go back to the well on defense in the fifth round, taking North Carolina EDGE Kaimon Rucker. Rucker measured in 6010 and 254 pounds with 32 5/8″ arms at the NFL Combine and put up 27 reps on the bench press. At North Carolina, Rucker had 22 sacks over five seasons, and PFF believes he’d be a good pass-rush specialist in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense.
In the sixth round, the Steelers finally grabbed their quarterback, taking Syracuse QB Kyle McCord, who falls a bit with multiple quarterback options available on Day 3. McCord led the nation in passing yards in 2024 en route to setting a new ACC record, and he was also the best quarterback at the East-West Shrine Bowl. However, he also led all Power Four quarterbacks in turnover-worthy plays in 2024, so there’s a boom or bust element to his game. But he represents good value in the sixth round, and was also a pre-draft visitor for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh’s draft wrapped up with the selection of Navy S Rayuan Lane III. PFF praised Lane for his aggressive mindset, but cautioned that it can get him in trouble and cause him to miss assignments. Lane participated in the Senior Bowl and received an invite to the NFL Combine, where he measured in at 5107 and 200 pounds and ran a 4.57 40-yard dash. He finished his career at Navy with seven interceptions, including four in 2023, and he also forced eight fumbles in his career, including three in 2024.
Lane could be worth taking a flyer on for additional safety depth in the seventh round.
All in all, it’s a pretty solid draft for the Steelers. With only six picks, the Steelers have to maximize their value. After making two good picks in the first three rounds, the team further addresses their defensive line need, gets some pass-rush help, adds a quarterback to the room, and a safety with a lot of potential. The only knock may be that the Steelers didn’t take a wide receiver, but PFF gave them a solid haul that I think most would be pretty happy with if this is how things played out later today.
