The Steelers have yet to outright waive any draft pick made under GM Omar Khan, but that will change soon. They have only parted with one draft pick so far, and that was due to injury. But by the time the 2025 regular season begins, we might be parting with a small handful of names.
By my estimate, there are four Steelers draft picks under Khan facing heavy pressure for their roster spots. Of the four, two are rookies, specifically their two seventh-round picks. CB Donte Kent impressed in camp early, but he has since missed time due to injury.
While the Steelers hadn’t released any of Khan’s picks before, they kept two on the Reserve/Injured List last year. DB Ryan Watts was one, and he has since retired due to his injuries. His draft classmate, DL Logan Lee, also spent 2024 on IR, but he may be on the practice squad in 2025. Let’s review each of the four draft picks in question and gauge their chances of making the 53-man roster.
CB Cory Trice Jr.:
A talented but oft-injured cornerback, Trice is on the sidelines yet again. Omar Khan rolled the dice on him in the seventh round in 2023, and at the time, it seemed smart. He clearly has talent above his draft level, but he has been unable to stay on the field. It is his lack of availability that has put his roster spot in jeopardy. The Steelers invested in cornerback this offseason with Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Brandin Echols, and Trice lacks versatility.
DL Logan Lee:
The Steelers and Khan signed two defensive linemen in free agency, then drafted two more. With that kind of turnover, Logan Lee was always going to be in for a tough road. After playing just a handful of snaps in the Steelers’ first preseason game, he is likely on the outside looking in. It doesn’t help that Yahya Black is looking like the real deal.
CB Donte Kent:
Kent made Khan and the Steelers look smart with his early work in training camp. Since then, however, he has been sidelined due to injury, and he missed the first preseason game. Although he shed a walking boot, it is unclear when he will be back on the practice field. At this point, he seems destined for no better than a practice squad spot.
ILB Carson Bruener:
While everyone wrote in Carson Bruener as Mark Robinson’s replacement, Robinson has had other notions. Of the four named here, though, Bruener probably has the best chance of making the 53-man roster. He has the clearest path, via special teams, and he did record two special teams tackles in the first preseason game.
It’s worth noting that even in the worst-case scenario, the Steelers will still have retained 16 of Omar Khan’s first 21 draft selections through three years. And one of those would be Watts, who might still be here—instead of Chuck Clark—if not due to health.
When the regular season begins, the Steelers project to start nine Khan draft picks on offense and defense. Several others—Darnell Washington, Nick Herbig, Kaleb Johnson, Jack Sawyer, and Yahya Black—could see significant roles on Sundays as well. All in all, it’s certainly not a bad run. But he soon won’t be batting 1.000 anymore.
