Bell: Ranking Steelers Top Ten Players Entering 2025
With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to kick off their OTA’s in a couple days, most of their roster (aside from the quarterback) is set in place. This is an organization in the midst of a transition year, but with playoff hopes still intact. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at the strongest parts of the entire operation and which players will be depended on the most if the team is successful in maximizing their potential.
One exercise that I like to do each year is rank the Steelers top ten players entering the season, taking into account what transpired last fall and projecting how these guys will build on that moving forward. Who rose up the rankings? Which players slid down just a tad? This year featured a couple youngsters that vaulted their way onto their list with impressive stretches last season. Without further ado, here we go!
10) EDGE Nick Herbig
2024 Ranking: NR
The combination of impressive efficiency metrics and high-end flashes is enough to warrant Herbig’s inclusion on this list despite not being a full-time starter. In his second season, he led the team in pressure rate at 17.6%, with half of his hurries coming in three seconds or less. The lightning-quick get-off, blurry change of direction, and natural bend make for tantalizing upside as he continues to improve in the run defense department.
9) TE Pat Freiermuth
2024 Ranking: NR
Even while operating within what was a highly volatile passing attack, Freiermuth ranked fourth among qualifying tight ends in EPA/target (.37) last season. Good things typically happen for the Steelers offense when the Penn State product is involved, but lackluster quarterback play has been to his detriment. So long as his blocking continues to improve, his contract should be viewed as a solid investment.
8) CB Joey Porter Jr.
2024 Ranking: 5th
Since being thrust into the starting lineup, Porter’s been given the often daunting task of shadowing the opposing team’s best player on an island. His ability to press at the line of scrimmage and use his length to constrict space along the boundary is a real calling card for him as a man coverage specialist. His physical brand of football has resulted in him being the NFL’s most penalized defender, drawing 15 flags in 2024, but there’s significant potential present.
7) EDGE Alex Highsmith
2024 Ranking: 3rd
Unfortunately, Highsmith was bitten by the injury bug in 2024, but his 16.0% pressure rate showcases his pass rushing prowess. It’s fair to say that he’s due for some positive sack regression and his ability to drop in coverage remains underrated. At this point, he’s probably maxed out as a strong sidekick pass rusher, which is still incredibly valuable and worth paying a premium for in today’s quarterback-driven league.
6) ILB Patrick Queen
2024 Ranking: 6th
After a slow start upon his arrival to the Steel City, Queen provided real stretches of some of the best off-ball backer play that the team has seen since the Ryan Shazier injury. His sideline-to-sideline range is legit, and his improvement as a coverage defender was evident on film, with him showing the ability to execute difficult assignments that few guys can. If the Steelers can get him flowing downhill more consistently, more impact plays should be on the horizon.
5) WR DK Metcalf
2024 Ranking: NR
Metcalf’s game isn’t quite as complete as other WR1s around the league; his ability to tilt the coverage is notable, while also generating explosive plays on par with the game’s best. He destroys press coverage with ease, doing most of his damage on the vertical plane with in-breakers mixed in. After the Steelers paid a pretty penny to acquire him, the 6-foot-4 physical specimen will be the undisputed number one option in their passing attack.
4) S Minkah Fitzpatrick
2024 Ranking: 2nd
Fitzpatrick is arguably the single most difficult player to rank for an exercise like this because on many reps, he’s lined up off the screen from the broadcast angle. On one hand, he’s transformed into one of the most reliable open-field tacklers in the game and creates a bunch of turndowns that don’t reflect in his box score numbers. On the other hand, he hasn’t generated enough splash plays lately. In order to justify his $24.5M cap hit in 2026, the ball production needs to return to form.
3) C Zach Frazier
2024 Ranking: NR
A soon-to-be sophomore center landing at this spot on the list says less about the health of the Steelers roster and more about how impressive Frazier was during his first professional season. The former Mountaineer is a leverage monster with outstanding sustain and finishing skills in the run game, with only minimal lapses in pass protection on stunts and twists. It’s not a reach to predict that he’ll be among the league’s best pivot men for the next decade.
2) DT Cam Heyward
2024 Ranking: 7th
They say that Father Time remains undefeated, but Heyward certainly isn’t going down without a fight. His pass-rushing effectiveness last season was thanks to his dominant bull rush, and his run defense remained quantifiably elite, leading the NFL with 37 run stops. Pittsburgh must show a sense of urgency and take advantage of whatever he has left to give in the twilight of his career. A franchise legend in his own right, he deserves one last shot at a ring.
1) EDGE T.J. Watt
2024 Ranking: 1st
For the last half decade or so, the Steelers have been heavily reliant on Watt’s superhuman playmaking in timely moments, effectively making him the heartbeat of the entire team. In 2024, he became the first player in franchise history to join the 100-sack club and is now only 6.5 behind his brother J.J. ‘s career total. Opposing offenses remain committed to lobbing excessive amounts of attention in his direction, which allows his peers better opportunities. His underlying metrics of the second half of the season were concerning, but it’s still premature to predict a significant fall-off at age 31.