One year after adding just five undrafted free agents and not seeing a huge return on investment outside of one player, the Pittsburgh Steelers added seven players following the 2025 NFL Draft as undrafted free agents, and seemingly landed quite a few talents players overall in the mix.
Iowa safety Sebastian Castro, South Alabama FB/TE DJ Thomas-Jones, Memphis WR Roc Taylor, Indiana WR Ke’Shawn Williams, Minnesota-Duluth OT Aiden Williams, Pittsburgh K Ben Sauls and South Dakota TE JJ Galbreath round out the seven-player UDFA class for the Steelers.
For the first time in a long time, the UDFA class for the Steelers appears quite good on paper. A lot of talent, players at key positions of need, some recognizable names throughout the pre-draft process. The players the Steelers added as UDFAs all are worth watching and following throughout the offseason and into training camp as they battle for either a spot on the 53-man roster, or a practice squad spot, either in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
So, what UDFA has the best chance of making the Steelers’ 53-man roster this off-season, hoping to become the next Beanie Bishop Jr., Jaylen Warren, Mike Hilton, or James Pierre? I’m glad you asked.
Below, I rank the five UDFAs from 1 to 7 based on their best chances of grabbing a 53-man roster spot.
1. SEBASTIAN CASTRO, S, IOWA
The last time the Steelers’ defense took the field, they were gashed for 299 rushing yards in the Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, having no answer for Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson on the ground. They also didn’t have many answers through the air, either, as Jackson threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-21 passing.
When the Steelers tried to play heavy, Baltimore threw all over them. When the Steelers tried to roll with three safeties, the Ravens gashed them on the ground. They didn’t have any answers and didn’t have that safety that could play in the box or in the slot and allow the Steelers to survive in sub-package football.
Now, they’ve added Juan Thornhill as a free agent this offseason to pair with Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott, and Iowa safety Sebastian Castro brings that dual-threat ability at safety after a strong career at Iowa.
In 53 carrer games at Iowa, Castro had 163 career tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 4 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 14 passes defensed and five forced fumbles. He can play in the slot, in the box or in a deep safety role.
Testing numbers caused him to go undrafted, but he’s a smart football player that can fit into a number of roles. In a secondary that needs those types of players, he has a good shot at cracking the 53-man roster.
2. DJ THOMAS-JONES, FB/TE, SOUTH ALABAMA
When you receive the largest non-QB undrafted free agent signing bonus in Steelers’ history, your chances of making the 53-man roster have to be pretty high. That’s the case for South Alabama FB/TE DJ Thomas-Jones.
Coming out of South Alabama as a tight end but having the size of a fullback with great length, Thomas-Jones should remind Steelers fans of David Johnson from the 2010s. During his collegiate career which spanned seasons at Ole Miss and then South Alabama, Thomas-Jones finished with 74 receptions for 659 yards and 11 touchdowns, all but one reception of which came during his time at South Alabama.
According to Pro Football Focus, Thomas-Jones played 681 offensive snaps in 2024, 510 of those snaps coming as an in-line tight end, 97 snaps in the slot, and 20 snaps in the backfield. Typically, Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme likes to employ a FB, but the Steelers don’t have one on the roster and experimented with the likes of Connor Heyward and Ben Skowronek last season at the position.
Therefore, Thomas-Jones — should he shift to fullback — could have a real shot at earning a spot on the roster for the Steelers, assuming the can provide some special teams abilities in the process.
3. AIDEN WILLIAMS, OT, MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Offensive tackle has quietly been a need for the Steelers all offseason, especially after losing Dan Moore Jr. in free agency. Broderick Jones is set to flip back over to left tackle, and Troy Fautanu is slated to start at right tackle to open the season. Calvin Anderson returns as the swing tackle after signing a two-year contract late in free agency.
But on paper, that’s not a comforting top three at the position. That’s where Minnesota-Duluth’s Aiden Williams has a real opportunity in front of him.
Yes, he’s coming from a small school, but he had a strong week at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas, and it was a bit of a surprise he went undrafted, considering he posted a 9.35 Relative Athletic Score from Kent Lee Platte, grading out as one of the top 100 OTs since 1987 from an athletic standpoint.
He has good size at 6056, 315 pounds, tested well in the short shuttle (4.83 seconds) and the 3-cone (7.58 seconds), and played in 40 career games in college, splitting time between tackle and guard.
It’ll be interesting to see how he develops under offensive line coach Pat Meyer this offseason. He’s a very intriguing piece, and with a need for talent from a depth perspective in the trenches, he could force his way onto the roster.
4. JJ GALBREATH, TE, SOUTH DAKOTA
Arthur Smith loves his tight ends, and he might not find a more athletic one on his roster than South Dakota’s JJ Galbreath.
Galbreath had an 8.40 RAS from Platte, checking in under an elite number within the metric. He’s a bit undersized 6033, 231 pounds, but he’s quite an athlete that moves very well, clocking a 4.67 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical.
He played in 45 career games in college and finished his career with 93 receptions for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns, putting up impressive numbers. He does turn 24 years old in August though and is on the older side for a prospect, but he moves like a receiver and has the production to match, which could make him a matchup problem for defenses in the NFL.
Though he’s undersized, he has good effort as a blocker and can hold his own in-line when asked to, but he profiles best as that “move” TE, which could really benefit him in Pittsburgh, serving as potential depth behind Pat Freiermuth in that role. He’ll need to make plays throughout the offseason, training camp and the preseason to battle for a spot.
5. KE’SHAWN WILLIAMS, WR, INDIANA
Undersized at 5090, 188 pounds and not all that athletic, having tested at a 4.50 40-yard dash with a 39-inch vertical and a 10’1″ board jump, Indiana WR Ke’Shawn Williams was overlooked in the draft, even after having a productive four years at Wake Forest and then a steady season with the Hoosiers in 2024.
In Pittsburgh, he’s entering a deep receiver room, but with his work ethic, motor that runs hot snap after snap, a want-to as a blocker and a “my ball” mentality with the football in the air, Williams could be a sneaky player to watch in the summer at the receiver position.
Though he’s undersized, Williams is tough as nails and can play above the rim. He’s a good route runner, too, and has consistent hands in traffic to snatch the football out of the air to make plays. Williams also brings some special teams abilities to the table, too, as a kick and punt returner and a gunner on punts, which could help him stick around.
The odds are stacked against him in the receiver room, but his tape is rather intriguing, and the willingness to do whatever is asked of him could give him a leg up against his fellow UDFA WR.
6. ROC TAYLOR, WR, MEMPHIS
Memphis WR Roc Taylor has good size and length, and had a productive last two seasons in college with 60+ receptions in each season, but the lack of great long speed, struggles with route running and no real special teams abilities could make life difficult for the Memphis product when it comes to trying to earn a role on the roster for the Black and Gold.
Last season at Memphis, Taylor hauled in 66 passes for 950 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.4 yards per reception. His ability to make plays down the field should help him in Pittsburgh, where the downfield passing attack will be featured under Arthur Smith.
Taylor is going to need to tap into those abilities to create splash and draw attention, because outside of that he’s behind the 8-ball a bit when it comes to a guy like Williams, who has special teams abilities.
7. BEN SAULS, K, PITTSBURGH
It seems a bit unfair to rank Pittsburgh K Ben Sauls last in this ranking, because he’s a great talent and deserves a lot of respect. But when you’re being perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell, who is solidified into place with the Steelers, it’s hard to have much of a shot at making the roster, barring injury.
Sauls connected on 52-of-64 on field goals during his career at Pittsburgh, and went 122-of-124 on extra points, having one kick blocked. He was Mr. Consistent for the Panthers over the years, knows how to kick at Acrisure Stadium, and brings surprising power to the position despite a 5097, 182-pound frame.
He could become the latest kicker that that has worked behind Boswell and gone on to earn an NFL job elsewhere, like Matthew Wright.
