Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan spearheaded arguably the most eventful offseason in recent memory by adding a plethora of veterans into the fold to compliment his recent draft class. Despite receiving an extension earlier this offseason, ESPN isn’t impressed by the youth accumulated during his tenure. The network’s Aaron Schatz ranked each NFL team’s collection of under-25 talent, with the team finishing 27th, down from 20th just last season.
Most of their optimism centers around the state of the offensive line, with both Zach Frazier and Broderick Jones being labeled as blue-chip contributors.
“Any look at young talent for the Steelers has to be focused on the offensive line. Frazier was already one of the best centers in the NFL as a rookie last season, and he turns 24 on Aug. 29. Jones, in his third NFL season, is 24 years old. Right tackle Troy Fautanu, last year’s first-round pick who was injured for most of the season, turns 25 in October, so he still counts for our list,” Schatz wrote.
He also highlighted a couple of starting defensive linemen, Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon, as players of note. Nick Herbig and Kaleb Johnson received shoutouts as well.
Nick Herbig was one of two players to get a sack at the expense of Chargers Pro Bowl LT Rashawn Slater last season. https://t.co/ClbQw7lusV pic.twitter.com/mGTzyn2LvR
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) May 22, 2025
When combing through the list, the AFC North as a whole was not graded very highly in this exercise, with the Ravens leading the way at 15th, the Bengals coming in at 25th, and the Browns bringing up the rear at 29th. Most of the teams that sit near the top have young quarterbacks that are either already flourishing or flushed with potential. Knowing that Pittsburgh has accumulated a good chunk of draft capital to presumably snag a signal caller in next year’s class, that would be an easy way for them to skyrocket in the 2026 iteration of this article.
Head coach Mike Tomlin is very open about the expected growth of players throughout their rookie deals, and while the Steelers 2023 draft class has offered quality returns overall to date, they could really use one of those players to transform into a legitimate difference maker or star player. Smart money would say that Fautanu has the best chance to reach those heights, and the fact that he plays a premier position certainly helps.
A boost along the defensive line would also be rather significant, especially knowing that Cam Heyward can only outrun Father Time for so long. If Benton and/or Harmon could give their pass rush a jolt a year after finishing middle of the pack in both pressure rate (16th) and sack percentage (18th), that would be pretty massive.
The Steelers feel pretty undervalued here, but the development of these youngsters will be an interesting storyline to follow throughout the regular season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: [ESPN Skeptical of Young Talent...
