Less than three weeks out from the 2025 NFL Draft, the great mystery of what the Pittsburgh Steelers will do in the first round remains just that — a mystery. That’s not to say there hasn’t been plenty of conjecture, however, and plenty of mock drafts to parse through in speculation. NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper of ESPN released his own final 2025 NFL Mock Draft on Tuesday, projecting the Steelers to draft Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

The 2025 class is deep on the defensive line — great timing for Pittsburgh, currently looking to shore up their future in the trenches alongside 2023 second-round pick Keeanu Benton. All-Pro DT Cameron Heyward, 35, is signed with the team through the 2026 season, but finding his heir-apparent would undoubtedly be ideal.

On the fit, Kiper noted, “Harmon is a constant headache for opponents. He had five sacks and 35 pressures as an interior pass rusher last season, and he took care of business in the run game with 11 stops and 10 tackles for loss. Keeanu Benton and Harmon would be a good pairing inside.”

Harmon measures in at just over 6-foot-4 1/2 and 313 pounds with 34 3/8” arms and 10 3/8” hands and ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. You can watch his on-field workout tape below:

Kiper elaborated further on his projection for the Steelers to go defense in Round 1. “I originally had Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart to Pittsburgh. He throws with accuracy and velocity, and he’d be a potential short- and long-term answer. We’re all still waiting to see what happens with Aaron Rodgers, so I’ll hold off on any quarterback moves for the Steelers until we know a little more.” The Steelers hosted Dart on a top-30 visit back on April 4. The team is also notably holding a top-30 visit with consensus QB2 in this class, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, set for Thursday, April 10.