Steelers draft Day 2: Top 5 players at positions of need

Home » Post Shortcodes » Steelers draft Day 2: Top 5 players at positions of need

Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and at No. 21 overall, the Steelers selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. The move provides an instant boost to the interior of the Pittsburgh defense, but lots of roster needs, and draft picks, remain unfilled.

Ahead of Day 2, we’ve compiled the top remaining players at each of the Steelers’ primary positions of need. Stick around to the end for thoughts on the team’s strategy through the remainder of the draft, as well as a full list of which Pittsburgh pre-draft visitors are still on the board.

Top 5 remaining players at each position of need

Cornerback

Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Trey Amos, Ole Miss

Will Johnson, Michigan
Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State

Jacob Parrish, Kansas State

RB: A lot of good cornerbacks fell out of Round 1, meaning a starting-caliber talent could get pushed into the Steelers’ range on Day 2 at either the boundary or the slot. This is a roster need for the Steelers that’s slid under the radar somewhat, but it’s a position that could be “best player available” when Pittsburgh is on the clock. Amos and Johnson are both first-round talents.

While a lot of these names will get swept up early in the second round, Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, one of the best press-man cover corners in the class, could fall to the third round due to testing concerns. And health red flags with a lot of these corners mean there’s not a lot of stable draft stock at this position — Pittsburgh could reap the benefits.

Honorable mentions: Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame), Darian Porter (Iowa State)

Wide receiver

Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Luther Burden III, Missouri
Tre Harris, Ole Miss
Tory Horton, Colorado State

RP: The Steelers brought both of the Iowa State receivers in for visits and they happen to be the top two players left on our board. Jayden Higgins is a tall, slender, power slot with outside versatility, strong hands, and an excellent release package against press. Jaylin Noel is almost the exact opposite. A speed threat with a nasty (complimentary) route running, Noel just moves differently than many of the receivers left on the board. Luther Burden III is a divisive player who, a year ago, many thought would be the first receiver taken. I’ve been out on Burden as a prospect, but I’d still be shocked if he falls out of the second round.

Tre Harris is an acrobatic and tough X-receiver that shines in the vertical passing game. Tory Horton is a fluid mover with height and the ability to play all three receiver roles. Both have parts of their game that are reminiscent of George Pickens. That could make them a bit redundant for the Steelers in 2025 — assuming Pickens is still on the roster — but could also serve as an eventual replacement.

Honorable mentions: Jack Bech (TCU), Jalen Royals (Utah State), Kyle Williams (Washington State), Savion Williams (TCU)

Quarterback

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Will Howard, Ohio State

RB: The Steelers chose not to try for their next franchise quarterback in this year’s draft class by going with a defensive lineman in the first round, but they’re still expected to circle back to the passers later in the process — possibly as early as Day 2. If that’s the case, betting on a traits-heavy talent like Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough would be the way to go now that the pressure of the first-round label is out of the way.

Kyle McCord and Will Howard look like valuable backups at this point, and don’t underrate Shedeur Sanders too much. He fell out of the first round for good reason, but if he continues to slide he could provide good value to whoever scoops him up.

Safety

Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Nick Emmanwori, Illinois
Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Andrew Mukuba, Texas
Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Jonas Sanker, Virginia

RP: Usually, only blue-chip safeties are drafted on Day 1. With only Malaki Starks off the board — and headed to Baltimore, dang it — there are several talented names still on the board. Nick Emmanwori had the best athletic testing of any safety ever, but his game is not quite caught up. His traits are intriguing enough that he should be the next one off the board.

Kevin Winston Jr. is a violent hitter, but coming off a partial ACL tear, he could slide into the second half of Day 2. Andrew Mukuba is an undersized safety (5’11, 186 pounds) who can cover from the slot or play the “robber” role. Xavier Watts is the most versatile and complete in coverage of the remaining prospects, but his tackling ability leaves much to be desired. Jonas Sanker is a three-year starter with plus leadership, long arms, able to deliver crushing blows and a knack for jumping routes.

Running back

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Damien Martinez, Miami
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State

RB: TreVeyon Henderson is a legitimate home run hitter with surprising physicality. Kaleb Johnson is a big back who fits perfectly in the Steelers’ zone running scheme. Sampson is a productive, do-it-all talent disguised as a speedy scat back, while Martinez and Judkins are varying degrees of bruisers who bring a bit more wiggle to the table than expected.

Even if the top five players above don’t make it to the Steelers’ pick in the third round, they will still have plenty of talented, high-upside options available. That’s the beauty of this incredibly deep running back class.

Honorable mentions: D.J. Giddens (Kansas State), Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech), Devin Neal, (Kansas)

Defensive line

Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Alfred Collins, Texas
T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
Darius Alexander, Toledo
Joshua Farmer, Florida State
Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee

RP: Alfred Collins is an absolute behemoth of a man, standing 6’6 and 332 pounds with 34 5/8” long arms. Collins plays nose and is a textbook 2-gapper, but is still developing as a pass rusher. T.J. Sanders played all along the line at South Carolina as the leader of that group. He has fairly similar stats to Steelers’ first-round pick Derrick Harmon — finishing his college career with 2 more sacks and 6 more QB hits on 180 fewer pass rush attempts. Sanders is also solid against the run, with 2-gapping ability.

Darius Alexander is a pass rush specialist with length and heavy hands. He’s best suited as a rotational pass rusher until he can improve against the run. Joshua Farmer’s 35” arms are some of the longest in the class and he’s flashed his ability to penetrate the line. He needs to refine his technique and work on his consistency with his pad level. Omarr Norman-Lott is another situational pass rusher at this point in his development, but he’s got a lethal first step and a series of pass rush moves.

Honorable mentions: Shemar Turner (Texas A&M), C.J. West (Indiana), Jamaree Caldwell (Oregon), J.J. Pegues (Ole Miss), Ty Robinson (Nebraska)

What should the Steelers’ strategy on Day 2 be?

Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images

RB: The Steelers filled their biggest non-quarterback need by drafting a defensive tackle in the first round. You don’t intentionally draft franchise passers after the first 32 picks, so now the Steelers should simply focus on the best player available at their remaining positions of need. Pretty simple, right?

Day 2 is the sweet spot of this draft; there’s not a ton of parity between the early Round 2 and late Round 3 talents. Pittsburgh has every reason to stay patient and even entertain the idea to trade back a few spots if the opportunity arises.

While defensive back and wide receiver are two positions that could use some immediate depth and will almost certainly need starting upgrades next season, neither need is urgent. Both could be great selections on Friday, but it’s not imperative.

Running back is still a decently big need, but it’s a loaded class meaning the Steelers can still wait until a later round to address it. Besides, they don’t need a bell cow, just a talented 1B to Jaylen Warren’s 1A (or vice versa).

Similarly, the Steelers’ need at defensive line is now greatly mitigated thanks to the Harmon pick. A nose tackle selection would be awesome at some point, but that can definitely wait until Day 3.

Beyond that, Day 2 quarterbacks are historically the closest thing to guaranteed failure in the draft. The worst thing you can do is reach. Milroe and Shough are defensible upside picks in this range, but quarterback can probably wait until Day 3 as well.

In short, while the Steelers don’t have a Super Bowl-ready roster at the moment, they’ve set themselves up well ahead of Day 2 of the draft. Offensive line could be an option here as well even if the Steelers have shown next to no interest in the position this draft cycle.

The Day 2 strategy is painfully simple: As long as Pittsburgh drafts from the top of their board, they’ll be OK.

RP: Ryland’s evaluation is spot on. This was a draft with a lot of players who project to be solid starters or rotational pieces, but lacked in star appeal. Luckily for the Steelers, most of the positions that have a depth of talent in this class are at positions of need for the team.

I will quibble a bit with Bickley’s mention of trading back from 83, however. While I don’t think a team should ever be closed off to the idea, the Steelers will still see a heavy talent drain between now and pick 83. Running back and cornerback both seem like positions primed for a run in Round 2, and with a shallower-than-usual wide receiver class, things could be pretty picked over by Round 3. If they have anyone they still think would be a value in that range, they should just take them.

Theoretically, they could alleviate some of that pressure by acquiring another Day 2 pick in a trade of George Pickens, but we shouldn’t count our chickens until they’ve hatched. Finding a dance partner that would be willing to meet that price for Pickens might not be as easy as your mock draft simulator had you believe.

As for what strategy they should use, it’s a total cop-out, but I agree with Bickley that the Steelers need to see how the board shakes out. They can’t be married to the idea of drafting a specific position in a specific round. I would suspect running back, corner, and safety to be at the top of their board at 83.

I expect Henderson to be long gone by then, and perhaps Kaleb Johnson too. There's also a world where all five of our best backs available are gone when Pittsburgh is back on the clock. In that event, the Steelers could still take D.J. Giddens or Bhayshul Tuten, but that feels a little rich considering there could be higher graded talent at other positions.

Cornerback feel like a group ripe for looting in Round 2, so many of our top remaining picks could be long gone by pick 83. If Thomas or Parrish are available, the Steelers could seek to bolster their secondary. The same could be said at the safety position after a Pittsburgh did it's homework on the class. Emmanwori should go in the second, and but I believe the rest of our list should be available.

However, if there is a quarterback or wide receiver they really like, I could see them going that direction as well. I’m less inclined to think that they’ll double-dip on the defensive line in the third round after the Harmon pick, but we can’t rule it out entirely.

The track record on Day 2 picks at quartetbacks isn’t one to get you riled up, but there’s been enough success I wouldn’t blame the Steelers if a Milroe or Shough slip to the third round and entice them. Tomlin and the Steelers once drafted Mason Rudolph in the third round, and both Milroe and Shough have physical traits Rudolph has only dreamt of. With no guarantee from Aaron Rodgers made publicly, the Steelers might be more comfortable selecting a quarterback with flaws at a cheaper price.

And while it would be stunning to see the Steelers go back-to-back with defensive lineman, the sheer amount of interior line talent could entice them to double dip. I wouldn't consider this as likely, but they did bring Joshua Farmer in for a visit, so we can't rule it out entirely.