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The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a train accelerating toward them in a dimly lit tunnel in the leadup to the 2025 NFL draft. The Steelers quarterback depth chart could flatten their hopes of ending their eight-year playoff win famine. With that in mind, selecting a signal-caller would be the ideal plan with the No. 21 overall pick. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans can go awry on draft day. That’s especially true considering the Steelers are facing an uphill battle in the AFC North against the likes of Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals.
However, this is a class scarce in quarterback nutrition, and Pittsburgh needs to find an edge elsewhere. Defense is where head coach Mike Tomlin's teams pride themselves on outclassing their opponents, and there are ample opportunities via the draft to help return them to glory on the defensive end next season. With that in mind, let's check out three sleeper prospects the Steelers should target in the upcoming draft.
Jahdae Barron, Cornerback, Texas
Cornerback isn’t a position the Steelers need to address in 2025. However, beyond 2025 they’ll be digging out of a hole here. Their offseason additions, Darius Slay and Brandin Echols, are 34 and 30 years old, respectively. Scouts have raved about Jahdae Barron’s instincts and ball skills. Barron, the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner from Texas football, broke up 11 passes and recorded five interceptions last season. Then, at the combine, he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash.
However, Barron’s age (24 years old) is holding him back from being considered alongside Will Johnson and Travis Hunter as a premier cornerback in the 2025 draft class. 24 makes Barron a spring chicken in the Steelers analog lineup. Barron is also lacking in length, but his ability to track the ball would be an exceptional addition to Pittsburgh’s turnover-heavy defense.
Derrick Harmon, Defensive Tackle, Oregon
The Steelers' defense prides itself on its ability to give opposing offenses an atomic wedgie around the line of scrimmage. That starts on the defensive front. However, Camron Heyward is set to enter his age 36 season, and even after a remarkable bounce-back All-Pro season in 2024, he isn't going to be around much longer.
Derrick Harmon, a 6-foot-4 311-pound interior disruptor from Oregon football, is a prospect who can move around the line in a 3-4 scheme. The Steelers waived Larry Ogunjobi earlier this offseason, which leaves them thin at the beefiest position in the league.
Unlike many of his defensive tackle contemporaries, Harmon excels at pressuring quarterbacks up the middle as opposed to plugging in rushing lanes. During Harmon’s lone season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State, he recorded 11 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, and logged five sacks. He also led all defensive tackles with 55 pressures, en route to being named a second-team All-American.
Kenneth Grant, Defensive Tackle, Michigan
Michigan’s junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is a 6-foot-4, 334-pound defensive equivalent of turkey stuffing. You rarely see nose tackles, but they enhance the product. Don’t look for highlights, the trenches are where ugly football gets played. The Steelers need a wide body they can park in the interior and terrorize opposing offensive lines. With the size of a wooly mammoth, Grant checks off those boxes.
Grant isn’t just any big body. He was No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freak List due to his agility and athleticism in a 330-340 pound-frame, and he played an integral role in the Wolverines' national championship run a year ago. In three years with Michigan, he recorded 69 tackles, 12 of which went for a loss, and 6.5 sacks. After getting run off the field by the Ravens in their Wild Card matchup, Pittsburgh needs to rejuvenate its interior defense. Grant may be the guy that can help them do just that.
