Should We Cross One of Top DTs Off Steelers Draft Board?
It looks like at least one of the three potential first-round picks for the Pittsburgh Steelers at defensive tackle will not be making a pre-draft visit to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
After Monday’s three pre-draft visitors, 27 of the maximum of 30 non-exempt players have already been through the doors of the Steelers practice facility. Another two — UCF RB R.J. Harvey and Toledo DL Darius Alexander — have been reported as visitors, but have not yet made their way to Pittsburgh.
That leaves just one visit left, and several potential Steelers first-round draft picks that have not made the trek, most notably at defensive tackle.
There are three defensive tackles that are expected to taken in the latter part of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft: Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen and Derrick Harmon. So far, only one of those three has come for a visit — Harmon — and it seems impossible that all three will.
The Steelers scouted Nolen at the 2025 Senior Bowl and had a formal meeting with Grant at the 2025 NFL Combine, but head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan were not at the pro days of either player.
There was a report that Tomlin and Khan got to Ann Arbor the night before the Michigan pro day before they were recalled to meet with Aaron Rodgers, but it’s unclear who they may have met with. Of course, the Steelers still haven’t signed a quarterback, leaving a gigantic space on the RotoGrinder NFL optimizer.
The Steelers brass was expected to go to Ole Miss, but with Nolen not working out, assistant general manager Andy Weidl went instead.
It has happened in the past that players that have visits scheduled end up not making them, so it’s not over until it’s over, but if Grant and/or Nolen don’t end up coming to Pittsburgh, should we cross them off the Steelers board for the No. 21 overall pick?
It’s hard to say. We only have two years of data to go on when it comes to drafts run by Omar Khan and Andy Weidl, and while there’s more data to work with when it comes to head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are clearly operating differently with Khan and Weidl running the draft.
It used to be that the key metric was having Tomlin or Kevin Colbert at the pro day of their first-round pick. That happened nearly every year of that partnership, but the Steelers did not go to the Washington pro day last year. Instead, it’s been the pre-draft visits that have been more telling.
In 2023, the Steelers brought first-round pick Broderick Jones, second-round picks Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton and third-round pick Darnell Washington in for pre-draft visits.
Last year, first-round pick Troy Fautanu, second-rounder Zach Frazier, third-rounder Payton Wilson, fourth-rounder Mason McCormick and sixth-rounder Logan Lee all came on visits.
So that’s both first-round picks, all three second-round picks and two of three third-round picks over the last two classes that came on a pre-draft visit. While it’s a small sample, it’s a significant one: it seems overwhelmingly likely that the Steelers will draft their first two picks — they don’t have a second-rounder this year — from the list of 30 players that have visited.
STEELERS INTEREST IN POTENTIAL FIRST-ROUND PICKS IN 2025 NFL DRAFT
| Player | Bowl Game | NFL Combine | Pro Day | Pre-Draft Visit |
| Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders |  |  | ||
| Texas A&M OLB Shemar Stewart |  | | ||
| Texas CB Jahdae Barron |  | |||
| Texas WR Matthew Golden |  | | | |
| Georgia S Malaki Starks | | |||
| Michigan DT Kenneth Grant | | |  | |
| North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton | | | ||
| South Carolina SS Nick Emmanwori |  | | ||
| Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart | | | | |
| Oregon DT Derrick Harmon | | | ||
| Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen | | |||
| Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka | | | ||
| Missouri WR Luther Burden | | |||
| Ole Miss CB Trey Amos | | | | |
| Alabama QB Jalen Milroe | | |
Players ranked by position on NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. Interviewed by the Steelers at the 2025 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Interviewed by the Steelers at the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas. Formal interview with the Steelers at the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Top 30 or exempt pre-draft visit to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in attendance at pro day. Steelers coordinator in attendance at pro day (but not Tomlin). Steelers position coach or position-focused scout in attendance at pro day.
