2025 NFL Draft Steelers Analysis
Eight Players to Watch for Steelers at 2025 Senior Bowl

The 2025 Senior Bowl has arrived and the Pittsburgh Steelers will surely have all hands on deck to get their eyes on the next group of talent in this years draft pool. Last season, they selected multiple prospects that played in this event.
So, it should not be a surprise if one or more of these guys end up in the black and gold. The good news? There are plenty of impressive players that can help fill voids on their current roster. With that being said, let’s talk about some up-and-comers that should demand their attention.
QB Jalen Milroe (Alabama)
Milroe is one of the best athletes regardless of position in this entire draft class but he’s also one of the polarizing prospects in this cycle. He’s physically gifted with a howitzer for an arm and devastating athleticism, offering tantalizing traits to work with. But the finer parts of quarterbacking at the highest level are all works in progress for Milroe, including his work navigating the pocket and throwing accurate darts with anticipation.
Right now, his film is full of peaks and valleys but if he can put together a few days of consistent work with his arm, his stock could skyrocket. With his rare tools and high character marks, no one has more to gain (or lose) this week in Mobile.
Steelers president Art Rooney II said on Monday that the team will likely be active at quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, and with the first two prospects on the board likely going in the top five, that process starts with Milroe.
QB Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
The first thing you need to know about Jaxson Dart is that he’s one tough son of a gun that’s willing to stare down the barrel of oncoming traffic to deliver a throw or lower his shoulder on a would-be tackler at the goal line. In Lane Kiffin’s offense, he toggles between point-and-shoot facilitator and wily scrambler who can make magic happen outside of structure. It’s difficult to project just how his game will translate to the next level going from a space-friendly offense to more of a traditional pro-style attack. But the Senior Bowl will give us our first real glimpse of what that could theoretically look like. In a draft class without many (any?) sure things are the games most important position, perhaps Dart can vault into early round consideration.

WR Jalen Royals (Utah State)
Just prior to having his 2024 season cut short with an injury, Royals was en fuego, amassing four straight games of over 100 yards with five touchdowns to boot. When working vertically, he’s shown the ability to track the football well and play bigger than his measurements would indicate. Where he truly excels is with the football in his hands; this is a natural runner with a compact build, good speed and penchant for bursting through arm tackles. He’s constructed very similarly to San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel, who himself used this event to spring load his draft stock. A good week in 1v1 drills at the Senior Bowl to further put his route running skills on display would help Royals do the same.
RB Devin Neal (Kansas)
Neal cemented his legacy at Kansas with three straight 1,000 yard rushing campaigns before leaving the Jayhawks program as their career leader in virtually every rushing statistic possible. The 5-foot-10 slasher has outstanding vision, understands how to set up blocks and can string joystick-like cuts together in seamless succession. Neal could make himself some money this week at the Senior Bowl by showing he’s more of a receiving threat than his college system showcased. He’s not the most explosive back in the class but his one-cut ability could make him an attractive mid-round option for Arthur Smith’s outside zone heavy scheme.

IDL Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
After transferring schools this past season, Nolen started to transform into the type of player that we all envisioned him becoming after being the top ranked prospect coming out of high school. Still just 21-years old, he possesses an intriguing combination of first step explosiveness off the rock and a power profile that jolts blockers backwards when he plays with the appropriate pad level. One thing that pops on film is that he plays with tremendous effort in an attempt to cause as much disruption as possible on an every down basis. Nolen is still fairly raw and far from a finished product but there’s a lot of potential here if he’s truly dedicated to honing in on his craft. The Steelers seem to be making defensive line a priority in this draft class for the first time in a long time.
IDL Deone Walker (Kentucky)
Walker’s 6-foot-7, 340 pounds build with 34.5-inch levers makes him one of the most impressive physical specimens that you’ll ever come across. He’s surprisingly agile for his size and already has a go-to pass rush move at his disposal: a violent club-swim/rip combo that is effective due to his heavy hands. After a rather uninspiring season, Walker entered the draft early anyways leaving his projection a complete mystery at the moment. The pass rush profile has promise but in order for him to develop into more of a factor against the run, he’s got to figure out a way to lower his pad level to avoid getting easily displaced. This is a very unique prospect that the league and the Steelers are probably still trying to figure out exactly what they should do with in the draft.
CB Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State)
Thomas isn’t just the most slept on cornerback, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s the most underrated player in this entire draft class, but it feels like the masses are starting to catch on. Pat Surtain Sr.’s latest protege has excellent size, with the long arms to contest throwing windows that the Steelers like and the fluidity of a much smaller cover man on the boundary.
The Seminoles defense tasked him with playing on an island regularly and because of his patience and route anticipation, he was rarely tested this past season. With that experience in his back pocket, the 1v1 drills this week will feel like just another day at the office. Thomas is one of the youngest players in the class — another one of the Steelers’ favorite traits — and will have a chance to prove his ball skills at the Senior Bowl, knowing opposing quarterbacks will have to target him in practice.
CB Trey Amos (Ole Miss)
Speaking of press corners on the boundary, you won’t find any more experience than Trey Amos who notched nearly 2,500 career defensive snaps through his college journey. Amos is sticky in coverage and highly instinctual with ample physicality to be depended regardless of assignment. His ball production saw a huge uptick this past year, finishing with an impressive 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. The only real question is whether his change of direction ability is good enough to stick with some of the shiftier receivers that he’ll see at the next level. But outside of that, his film shows a player that’s capable of starting relatively early on during his rookie contract.