Behind the Steel Curtain
A look at the latest first-round projections for Pittsburgh around the NFL media landscape...
In just over two months, NFL faithful will tune into the much-anticipated 2025 Draft from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The back-and-forth saga of predicting Pittsburgh’s first-round selection will inevitably continue until it is announced on April 24th. In the meantime, the media landscape remains split between a few key positions. The Steelers’ main needs lie at WR, DL, RB, and CB, positions that have primarily occupied projections for a month or so. With that being said, here are the latest of said projections across the NFL media.
Yes, free agents Russell Wilson or Justin Fields could be back. But the Steelers’ pedestrian offense has held them back from playoff success in recent seasons, and Dart had a prolific college career. Over the past two seasons, he has 7,633 passing yards, 51 touchdown throws and 11 interceptions. He’s a capable thrower to all levels of the field and has enough mobility to operate outside the pocket and on the run. Dart also took advantage of Senior Bowl week with a strong showing in front of Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin, who was on the field at each practice.
This projection represents a big rise up the board from where Dart currently ranks outside my top 32, but quarterbacks always have a chance to climb given positional value. Keep an eye on Dart here as we get closer to April.
No matter who is behind the center for the Steelers in 2025, the team needs help at wide receiver. Egbuka had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons at Ohio State, and while he primarily lined up in the slot, he has shown he can play outside, as well.
Pittsburgh can’t run it back with George Pickens and a cast of NPCs at wide receiver this season. Pickens, who is entering a contract year, went for 352 more yards than the Steelers’ WR2 and over 600 yards more than their WR3. That was despite missing three games. Egbuka’s ability to navigate the middle of the field and create easy completions is the perfect complement to Pickens’ splash play style.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need an offensive overhaul, and that goes for almost every position other than tight end. They will likely need a new quarterback, but their value is not right at this spot. The offensive line might also be the way to go here after the unit ranked 24th last season, but getting a reliable weapon for their new quarterback also has to be a priority for this team.
Luther Burden III does not fit the mold that we might expect from a dominant receiver, but he has all the tools to be an incredible weapon from...
