Bell: Final Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Mock Draft
Pittsburgh Steelers fans, we made it, and the 2025 NFL Draft weekend is here. My top-100 big board is finalized and all that’s left to do is predict which players are going to be headed to Pittsburgh in the coming days. Easy enough, right? Normally at this point in the process, we have a very good sense of the direction the team is leaning in because they’re pretty transparent with their interest in prospects. This years is much more difficult to forcast from my vantage point. It’s a below average class overall that lacks a ton of top-end talent and the landing spots for the quarterbacks could shake up the entire first round.
With that being said, the work must be done. As a reminder, this is a predictive Steelers mock draft. This is what I think the Steelers will do, not necessarily what I would do if I was in the war room. The goal of every draft is to come away feeling confident that you secured at least three starters. This haul below accomplishes that and just maybe solves the franchises biggest problem, both in the short-term and long-term.
Without further ado, here we go with Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft 3.0.
Round 1, Pick 21: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
I’ve wrote extensively about Sanders’ game, but more than anything else, I felt the need to expand on the most likely outcomes in round one. Oregon’s Derrick Harmon feels like such a Steelers defensive linemen and the value matches up in this slot; Michigan’s Kenneth Grant would also be under consideration. With very limited draft capital, Omar Khan and company will be open to moving back to secure an additional day two pick to fill out the roster. With all of that being said, if the Steelers have conviction on a potential franchise quarterback, those other options will likely take a backseat.
The late pre-draft visit and overall interest seems to indicate that the organization didn’t anticipate his stock falling the way it has since the NFL Combine. Sanders is experienced and intelligent with unflappable toughness, showcases precise accuracy to the first two levels of the field and he takes care of the football. While those are good building blocks, he’s going to need to morph into more of anticipatory thrower and surgical pocket passer in order to overcompensate for the lack of tools at his disposal. Over the years, Mike Tomlin’s affinity for vibrant personalities like this has been incredibly obvious.
Round 3, Pick 83: DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State
Taking a quarterback in round one of this class is scary for a lot of reasons but if that’s the direction that the Steelers go in, the silver lining is the depth along the defensive line. The Steelers brought in Farmer for a top-30 visit to the facility back in April. He comes equipped with an unbelievable wingspan (35-inch limbs) and there are times where he can fire off the ball, establish first contact with hands inside and completely rock opponents. Farmer loves the push-pull move to win engagements, has enough hops to shoot gaps and has very good upper body strength.
Farmer’s film was a bit disappointing to me because he often plays too tall and narrow, while also not having much of a pass rush plan at this stage. However, there are traits here for him to be a more productive starter at the next level with time and development. When you take a gander at the Steelers depth chart, there are more questions than answers on the defensive line. How much longer can Cam Heyward realistic keep this up? What’s the next step for Keeanu Benton? After that, it’s mostly filled with depth pieces that are better suited in limited roles. I don’t think Farmer is ready to start from day one but is someone that can be in the rotation early and then hopefully take on more of a workload as his rookie season progresses.
Round 4, Pick 123: RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Jaylen Warren is back in the fold for 2025 after signing his restricted free agent tender but the Steelers are very clearly looking for another back to the add to the mix. Let’s take a step back and think about what Pittsburgh should be looking for: experience running outside zone and explosive play capabilities. That’s Bhayshul Tuten in a nutshell. He’s got blurry speed, loose hips for quick cuts and absorbs contact fairly well for his diminutive build. For a team that aspires to be a run-first offense, they need to find a back that actually excels at running their most commonly called concepts.
At 5-foot-9, 206 pounds, Is Tuten likely to become a 20 carry per game back at the next level? Nope. Is the insanely high fumble rate extremely troublesome? Absolutely. But this is a legit home run threat that could rip off multiple 50-yard scores as a rookie and I wouldn’t blink an eye. In 2023, Tuten averaged nearly 30 yards per return while taking two of those to the house and inserting him into that role as a rookie seems like a no brainer given the Steelers troubles in that area last year. Pittsburgh has shown interest and I think they may even feel inclined to move up a bit to make this pairing happen.
Round 5, Pick 156: CB Justin Walley, Minnesota
One of my final scouting reports of the 2025 cycle and his tape was so impressive that he landed at No. 90 on my big board. Just based on consensus, it doesn’t seem like he’s slated to come off the board until day three and if that’s the case, Pittsburgh should be feening for his services. Walley checks a ton of boxes for this position: versatility, functional athleticism and toughness. He’s a bit grabby at the top of routes, but this is a dude that played through a partially torn MCL in 2024, yet was still flying downhill to throw his body around. Pittsburgh brought him in for a pre-draft visit and if he lands in the steel city, I believe that he’ll outplay this projection by a good margin.
Round 6, Pick 186: WR Bru McCoy, Tennessee
Even after the DK Metcalf trade, the Steelers could still use another receiver but with limited picks at their disposal, they may have to wait a while to do just that. McCoy is a player that makes some sense as an Arthur Smith-style receiver off measurables alone: standing over 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 209 pounds. McCoy is a physical receiver with a lot of experience playing on the ball against press coverage, is a tough customer to bring down after the catch and is capable of winning vertically with adequate build-up speed. A former five-star recruit, he’s an older receiver with a lengthy injury history that is definitely concerning but I think he can be a really useful run blocker and that’s something this room is missing right now.
Round 7, Pick 229: S R.J. Mickens, Clemson
It wouldn’t feel like a Steelers predictive mock draft without choosing someone with NFL bloodlines. Mickens father Ray played ten seasons in the league and passed down his defensive back skills to his son. As you’d expect he’s a pretty solid athlete with good instincts and impressive ball skills (seven career interceptions and at least one more that was overturned). He’s been a known commodity on campus for quite some time with almost 2,200 career snaps but I see his role in the NFL revolving around him being a box safety and potential tight end defender. He’ll need to make an impact on special teams this summer, too.
Bell: Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Mock Draft 2.0
Bell: Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Mock Draft 1.0