The 2025 NFL draft is finally almost here. The Pittsburgh Steelers have several needs they should address, but with limited draft capital, it might be tough to hit everything. There’s been a lot of buzz around the Steelers drafting a quarterback. However, running back is also a hole on their roster. The Steelers brought several running backs in for top 30 visits, including Texas’ Jaydon Blue. Recently, Blue spoke about his thoughts on Mike Tomlin.
“Coach Tomlin, very, very good guy, someone I can relate to,” Blue said in a recent article by Aaron Wilson on Click2Houston. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him…. Besides the visit, talked to him at the Pro Day, talked to him before the Pro Day. He’s really similar to me. He’s laid back. He likes to have a lot of fun.”
Throughout the pre-draft process, the Steelers have shown a lot of interest in Blue. Here, he confirms that, revealing he’s had many conversations with Tomlin. It sounds like the Steelers coach left a good impression on Blue.
Blue isn’t the typical running back that the Steelers show interest in—usually, Tomlin and company target big, powerful, bruising backs. Najee Harris and James Conner are good examples. In contrast, Blue is a smaller player who wins mostly with speed. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash.
Blue doesn’t necessarily project as a bell-cow running back. In college, he served in more of a complementary role, only posting 134 carries for 730 yards last year. He is a home run threat and would be a dangerous weapon if used right, but he might not be what the Steelers need at running back.
With Harris leaving, Jaylen Warren is currently slated to be at the top of the Steelers’ running back depth chart. Kennth Gainwell and Cordarrelle Patterson are behind him. None of them projects best as lead backs. Warren has been at his best as a change-of-pace player, coming in as relief for a number-one running back. Gainwell is more of a receiving threat, while Patterson is mostly a special-teams player.
Therefore, Blue might be redundant if the Steelers draft him. His speed would help him stand slightly apart from those players, but they cover many of his other skills. He’s a good player, and the Steelers could use his big-play ability, but they might be better off with a more diverse skillset in their backfield.
At the moment, it seems like Blue is likely to be selected on Day 3 of the draft. If the Steelers don’t draft a running back in the first three rounds, Blue might be a good late-round option. Although he wouldn’t exactly replace Harris, he could inject some life into the Steelers’ backfield. Perhaps going running-back-by-committee would work for the Steelers.
