The Steelers went into the 2025 offseason looking to improve their physicality and depth after they wore down at the end of the 2024 season.
With the 2025 NFL Draft concluding Saturday, that process is now largely complete.
The Steelers added seven players in the seven-round draft they feel will help in terms of the physical nature of their play.
In the first round on Thursday night, they selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. They didn't have a second-round pick, having sent that to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the package they used to acquire 6-foot-4, 235-pound wide receiver DK Metcalf. But in the third round Friday night, they selected Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 224-pound running back.
Saturday, they finished off their draft by taking Ohio State's 6-foot-4, 260-pound outside linebacker Jack Sawyer in the fourth round. In the fifth round, they added massive Iowa defensive tackle Yahya Black (6-6, 336 pounds), before taking Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (6-4, 236) in the sixth round after making a trade to move back with Kansas City and acquire a second seventh-round pick.
Sawyer and Howard were both key members of Ohio State's national championship team in 2024.
With the additional seventh-round pick they acquired from Kansas City, they selected linebacker Carson Bruener of Washington, the son of longtime Steelers tight end and scout Mark Bruener, then used their final pick in the draft to take Central Michigan cornerback Donte Kent.
"It goes beyond the defensive front," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "We wanted to retool physicality in all areas, and included in that discussion is the use of the second-round pick to acquire DK Metcalf. Although he's a receiver, I think he fits the bill in terms of physicality and size, and so that definitely was an agenda of ours this weekend."
The Steelers allowed an uncharacteristic 299 rushing yards to the Ravens in their playoff loss in Baltimore to end last season, and that was a situation that stung a franchise built on winning those kind of physical battles.
Just as important, was acquiring players who had been in winning programs and were key parts of those efforts.
"I remember when I got this job, I talked about what it means to be a Steeler," said general manager Omar Khan, who just finished overseeing his third draft with the team. "And, you know, I could be up here for three days talking about it. I think when you're in this for as long as we are, you just sort of know, and that's why the process of getting out there and getting to know the guys is so important to us.
"We spend a lot of time meeting with guys, and it goes more than just about who they are as a player. It's who they are as a person, too. And you know, we get in on the road and bringing them here and the combine, you just sort of know when you're in this. I mean, you just sort of know you get a feel for those guys. And you know, there's, there's times we leave these dinners or these meetings and we're like, 'I'm not sure.' But there's sometimes when you're like, That guy, he's one of us. You just sort of know."
The Steelers feel like they added players who fit that mold throughout this draft.
The team determined who those players were and felt comfortable enough with the process to not need to move up to acquire the players it desired both in free agency and now the draft.
They feel like they've improved the roster ways that will help not only get into the playoffs in 2025, but to go deep into them, perhaps even to a Super Bowl.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
"When you start the process, you hope that it's going to work out perfectly for you, the way you want it, (sometimes) it just doesn't happen," Khan said. "You know, there's a lot of variables that cause you to have to adjust. And you have to be flexible, and you have to be light on your feet. And that's sort of how that process goes.
"You know, you'd love to get X, Y and Z, and sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. And you know, the way it worked out this year, it really worked good for us. When we had the opportunity to trade for DK, we were all in on that. We felt it was important, just excited to have him here. It just, just sort of happens that way."
The draft was a continuation of that.
The Steelers not only get this incoming rookie class in 2025, they also will see four of their 2024 draft picks – offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, wide receiver Roman Wilson, defensive lineman Logan Lee and safety Ryan Watts – added to the equation, as well. All four missed all or most of their rookie seasons with injuries.
That group is almost like having four additional picks in this draft, one the Steelers feel helps set them up well for 2025.
"I can't say enough about how the draft went for us," Khan said. "(I) really feel like we're a better football team today than we were before the draft started on Thursday. We filled several needs. The term that was used a couple days ago was Steelers DNA. And I think when you get to know these guys, you'll realize that these guys have Steelers DNA. I'm excited. I can't say enough, and I just want to send a quick shout out to everybody that was involved, from our scouts, our coaches and the support staff here, because there's a lot goes into this, and things went really well for us this weekend, and that's a credit to them, and everything they do for us."
