Steelers Now
Pro Football Focus believes the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the best position groups in the NFL.
There aren’t many people who believe the Pittsburgh Steelers have a talented enough roster to be true Super Bowl contenders in 2025. However, Pro Football Focus still thinks that they have one of the best position groups in the NFL.
“Pittsburgh’s defensive line is the NFL’s gold standard,” PFF’s Zoltán Buday writes. “Led by edge defender T.J. Watt and interior defender Cameron Heyward, the Steelers’ defensive line continues to be the best in the NFL. Two Pittsburgh players were among the 30 highest-graded interior defenders, and three ranked in the top 20 among edge defenders last season. Heyward’s 90.1 PFF overall grade ranked second at his position, while Watt’s 91.7 mark was the third highest among edge defenders.”
The Steelers group of veteran defensive linemen did impress last season. Heyward played some of the best football of his NFL career at age 35, registering 71 tackles, eight sacks and 11 passes defensed.
Watt, on the other hand, had the least-productive full season of his NFL career and still proved to be a difference maker while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
Fellow outside linebackers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig also combined for another 67 tackles, 11.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last season.
Pittsburgh then opted to further strengthen the unit by selecting defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Many believe Harmon would have been a top 10 pick after recording 45 tackles, five sacks and a pair of forced and recovered fumbles at Oregon in 2024. But his MRI at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine pushed him down draft boards as it showed a partially torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum.
He and the Steelers have consistently dismissed any worries regarding the issue since.
“Nothing’s wrong with my shoulder,” Harmon said. “I’m 100 percent healthy, ready to go.”
If that remains true, Pittsburgh’s defensive line can maintain its dominance while getting some much-needed youth in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Pittsburgh Steelers Position Group Named ‘Gold Standard’ of NFL
