By request from some of our Steelers Depot readers, we’re checking out which 2025 NFL Draft prospects have the strongest and most notable bloodlines. Football truly in their DNA. And there’s few teams who love bloodlines more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, using premium picks on the likes of Cameron Heyward, Terrell Edmunds, Devin Bush, T.J. Watt, and Maurkice Pouncey over the past 15 years.
It doesn’t guarantee these players will succeed but are interesting notes on a prospect’s background. These will be ordered by positions with a loose listing of the most notable names at the top of each group.
I’m sure there’s dozens more to add to this list so feel free to list others in the comments below.
Shedeur Sanders/QB Colorado
An obvious inclusion here. Son of Deion Sanders, Shedeur has the highest-profile background of any prospect in the 2025 class. It makes him polarizing but he certainly won’t be surprised by anything the NFL process throws his way. He’s someone used to the media spotlight with all the positives and negatives it brings.
Sanders’ brother Shilo is also part of the 2025 draft class. He’s likely to go undrafted but will be in a camp this summer. He also has a sister who plays college basketball, transferring from Colorado to Alabama A&M for the 2024 season.
Jaxson Dart/QB Ole Miss
Dart comes from a football family. His father, Brandon, played safety for Utah in the mid-to-late 1990s. An impact player, one of the biggest moments of his career came in 1995, picking this pass off against Oregon to make a house call 97 yards the other way (and you better believe we found the clip).
Injuries prevented Brandon Dart from having a potential NFL career.
According to Dane Brugler’s draft guide, an amazing resource I leaned on for this article, Dart has a younger brother playing wide receiver in high school, too.
Payton Thorne/QB Auburn
Talk about being a coach’s son. Per Brugler, Thorne’s grandfather coached football for decades, first in high school before spending more than 10 years at North Central, a D-III school. After his grandpa stepped aside in 2014, Thorne’s father took over as head coach and held the position from 2015-2021. In 2022, his dad became the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan, though he lasted just one year in the position after the head coach was fired.
Thorne is unlikely to be drafted but is a safe bet to sign as an undrafted free agent. Perhaps as Pittsburgh’s No. 4 quarterback.
Brett Gabbert/QB Miami (OH)
Gabbert is far from being the top quarterback in this year’s draft, but he’s attached with an interesting bloodline note. He’s the younger brother of former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert. Blaine didn’t meet expectations, but he carved out a long NFL career and the two nearly overlapped, Gabbert playing through the 2023 season.
Brett won’t be drafted and may not even sign a contract post-draft, a possible rookie minicamp invite after battling college injuries. But he was healthy in 2024 and in 2021, led the MAC with 26 touchdown passes. Gabbert came 16 yards and five touchdowns shy from breaking Ben Roethlisberger’s school records.
Bhayshul Tuten/RB Virginia Tech
Here’s an interesting one. A playmaking back the Steelers brought in for a visit, his cousin and youth football coach is Isaac Redman. The former Steelers undrafted back who became a fan favorite, best remembered for his touchdown catch to beat the Ravens in 2010 (a play he wasn’t even supposed to be on the field for).
Tuten’s parents also have athletic backgrounds. While neither player football, both were accomplished sprinters. No wonder he ran a 4.32 at the Combine. Certainly a name to watch come the third, fourth rounds of the draft.
Trevor Etienne/RB Georgia
Another Etienne is about to hit the NFL. Younger brother of Travis Etienne, a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 (taken one pick after Pittsburgh selected Najee Harris), Trevor isn’t as big and won’t be selected as early. A Florida transfer, Etienne had a strong Combine workout and is solid out of the backfield. In a deep class, he could wait to hear his name called but will be taken no later than Day Three.
Mason Taylor/TE LSU
His father is Hall of Famer pass rusher Jason Taylor, a Pittsburgh native who spent most of his career with the Miami Dolphins. Talk about growing up in a locker room. A brother and sister also play college sports. Though not an athletic bloodline, Taylor’s aunt is also well-known. That’s FOX Sports analyst Joy Taylor.
Mason Taylor is expected to be a Day 2 pick, potentially the third tight end off the board.
Tru Edwards/WR La Tech
He’s hardly the most well-known prospect but to keep things connected to Pittsburgh and make you feel very, very old, Tru Edwards is the son of former Steelers first-round pick Troy Edwards. Attending the same school where his father dominated (Troy’s 405 single game receiving yards remain an FBS record), Edwards wasn’t quite as prolific but still enjoyed a strong career.
After beginning his career at Hawaii, Edwards broke out in 2024. He led Conference USA with 84 receptions for 986 yards and six touchdowns. His best performance came in an early-season contest against NC State, going for 148 yards highlighted by a 71-yard touchdown.
Measuring in at a shade under 6’2 and 198 pounds, Tru had a strong Pro Day workout. He ran a 4.57 40 but impressed most with his jumps, 39.5 inches in the vert and 10’7″ in the broad with 18 reps on the bench. With nearly 10-inch hands, he’ll be in a camp. Joining Pittsburgh wouldn’t be surprising.
Josh Simmons/OT Ohio State
There’s a Steelers connections here, too. His uncle is Pittsburgh-famous FB Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala, best known for his game-winning score in the team’s comeback bid against the Cleveland Browns in the 2002 AFC Wild Card game (and Chris Berman’s legendary nicknames).
It’s not Simmons’ only athletic bloodline. His father is a former second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers who hit 10 home runs for the club in 1985. A half-brother also played professional baseball and is currently the Phoenix Suns’ head S&C coach.
Jack Nelson/OT Wisconsin
Before Jack started along the Badgers’ offensive line, his father Todd did the same. A starting guard in the mid-to-late 80s, he was even Paul Chryst’s roommate. Chryst would go on to become the Pitt Panthers’ head coach from 2012-2014 before spending years at Wisconsin and in 2024, an assistant at Texas.
Nelson is expected to be drafted in the mid rounds with guard/tackle flexibility.
Aeneas Peebles/DT Virginia Tech
Several dots worth connecting here. None are bigger than his grandfather being Doug Wilkerson, a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro guard for the San Diego Chargers throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s.
Peebles’ father was a stud lineman at App State and briefly played in the Arena League before becoming a coach and coaching up his son. His mother was a star softball player at Cal State Long Beach, playing professionally before becoming a head coach at NC Central. Per Brugler, a half-brother also payed college football at West Carolina.
At barely more than six foot tall, a lack of size hurts Peebles’ projection but he’s explosive and productive with 16 tackles for a loss the last two seasons combined. He ran a sub five-second 40 at the Combine and is likely to be drafted in the fourth round.
Jack Sawyer EDGE /Ohio State
Though unlikely to be on the Steelers’ radar, Sawyer’s bloodlines are among the draft’s strongest. Per Brugler’s draft guide, his father was a star high school wrestler before becoming a linebacker at Findlay in Ohio (the same town where Ben Roethlisberger grew up). His mother was an All-American high school basketball player who started at Bowling Green in the early-mid 90s and went on to coach high school basketball while raising the Sawyer family.
Bringing even closer ties to Pittsburgh, Sawyer’s grandfather played in the minor leagues for the Pirates, though I wasn’t able to find much information about his career.
Still, the Sawyers have done it all and teams will like the background on him.
Carson Bruener/LB Washington
Locally, few have ties like Carson Bruener. Pittsburgh will have the easiest time scouting his background given that his father works for the organization. Mark Bruener played tight end and now serves as an area scout for the organization, primarily working out west near his home in Washington.
Carson Bruener has enjoyed a strong pre-draft process and will likely be selected on Day 3. Though the Steelers don’t have an obvious need at inside linebacker, it wouldn’t be a shock if he was their pick in say, the sixth round.
Azareye’h Thomas/CB Florida State
Another prospect Pittsburgh’s brought in for a pre-draft visit, Thomas’ older brother, Juanyeh, is currently in the NFL. A safety for the Dallas Cowboys, the younger Thomas has talked to his brother about what to expect in the pre-draft process. Juanyeh went undrafted but Azareye’h will be at worst a top-100 selection, a slow 4.60 4o time being the issue that may weigh him down. Beyond that, his tape and upside are excellent.
Thomas has another older brother who played WR at Florida A&M before transferring to Georgia Tech for 2021, serving as the team’s punt returner. While not “bloodlines,” he was coached by former Pro Bowl corner Patrick Surtain Sr. at Florida State, the Seminoles’ secondary coach. NFL coaches will love that.
Jordan Clark/DB Notre Dame
An obvious one here to Steelers’ fans. He is the son of Ryan Clark, the former Pittsburgh safety turned ESPN analyst. Ryan didn’t begin his career with the Steelers but it’s where he’s best remembered, an excellent free agent pickup who became the ideal complement to Troy Polamalu. Clark topped historically good Steelers defense and helped put another Lombardi in the franchise’s trophy case.
Jordan Clark is a late Day 3/UDFA prospect. Brugler projects him to go undrafted as his No. 46 cornerback.
Gabriel Taylor/DB Rice
An underrated name, Gabriel Taylor is the younger brother of the late Sean Taylor. The All-Pro safety for the Washington Redskins tragically shot and killed in his home in 2007. The two have the same father, though not the same mother, but Sean’s story has been an inspiration to Gabriel, who regularly watches his highlights. He’s publicly said his dream is to be drafted by Washington and wear Sean’s No. 21 (Gabriel wore No. 26 at Rice, the digits Sean wore at Miami FL).
Gabriel isn’t as big or physically gifted like Sean but is an aggressive and playmaking slot corner/safety. Our scouting report was impressed by his tape, and he has a chance to stick at the NFL level as a nickel.
