Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers value their big guys. Cam Heyward, 37, has long led the team’s defensive front, which is one of its deepest position groups entering this upcoming season, in large part because of an emphasis on drafting defensive linemen.
General manager Omar Khan took Derrick Harmon in the first round two drafts ago, but in a recent 2027 NFL Draft mock-up put together by NFL Draft on SI’s Justin Melo, the Steelers went back to the well at interior defensive line with the No. 10 overall choice.
“One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most notable pending free agents is defensive tackle Keeanu Benton,” Melo wrote last week. “If they decide against re-signing him, Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles is one we believe could establish himself as a high draft pick this coming college campaign. Echoles recorded five sacks and should improve in 2026.”
Echoles was the third front-seven defender taken off the board, after South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart (No. 4, Cleveland) and Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons (No. 7, New Orleans). With the No. 11 overall pick, the New York Giants plucked Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone, a former consensus five-star recruit and a 2026 Walter Camp Preseason FBS All-American second-teamer.
Echoles, who’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds on the Rebels’ team website, was tabbed as an All-SEC first-teamer by the Associated Press last season after registering 68 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and five passes defended.
If you’re looking for another reason to buy into Echoles, he’s rated as a 92 overall on EA’s College Football 27. Only Stone (94), Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington (93), Texas Tech’s A.J. Holmes Jr. (92) and Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker (92) are ranked as high on the video game.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Follow Trenches Blueprint in Recent 2027 NFL Draft Mock-Up
