Thinking man’s guide to the Steelers draft

[SteelerDayTrader]

It’s amusing to see a lot of latecomers finally seeing the light about the wisdom of trading away the Steelers “stars” for draft capital

Welcome aboard

Sadly far too late to really make a franchise changing event happen fast but better late than never

Now that many of you are coming around I will let you debate/hash out trades for additional draft capital and I will focus on the best moves for the current picks


Some thoughts:

- This is a bad team from top to bottom. The only player currently worth a damn is Pickens and there is zero chance he is staying here unless the Steelers make him the highest paid WR in NFL history and that is not happening

- I’d listen to arguments saying there might be 5 or so other young guys on the team worth staying with but even those haven’t been in any way great heretofore

- The Steelers have 3 7ths. If at least one of those isn’t a QB you intend to showcase and trade later for better value the Steelers are even dumber than usual


- How should a bad team draft ?? Well first and foremost admit you’re bad and double up draft picks on at least 2 or 3 units. There isn’t any unit of strength on the team. There are plenty of available roster spots. This team historically drafts very poorly. The GM is an idiot. The owner is an idiot. The HC is an idiot. At the very least doubling up gives you a much better chance to get SOMETHING right with an outside chance of actually building a mismatch unit somewhere on the roster with some amount of alacrity

Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL Draft picks

Round 1, Pick 21
Omarion Hampton RB NC State
- This one should be easy. A perfect fit for what the Steelers want to do on offense and fills a huge need

Round 2, Pick 52
Alfred Collins DL Texas
- Big and strong enough to be a 3-4 force vs the run and offers some pass rush


Round 3, Pick 83
Rocket Sanders RB Arkansas
- I could be happy with several RBs later as long as they get Hampton early. The Steelers want to run most of the time. Might as well get the talent to be a force doing it.

Round 4, Pick 122
Trade down 5th 7th
KeAndre Lambert Smith WR Auburn
- Top end speed to stretch D. Will compete in all phases of the game


Round 5, Pick 157 (from LAR)
Nazir Stackhouse NT Georgia
- When Capehart returned to Clemson Stackhouse became my guy later in this draft. A dominant player vs the run with some ability beyond that as well. Very solid pick in the 5th

Round 7, Pick 223 (from NO)
Bru McCoy WR Tennessee
- Steelers type WR with potential to be more. Great pick in the 7th

Round 7, Pick 229 (from ATL)
DJ Uiagalelei Florida State
- A huge arm you don’t pass on late with multiple 7ths. Powerfully built with enough mobility that defenses must make some account for. A polarizing pick to some but again you don’t ignore that arm in the 7th. With a little luck the Steelers net a 5th and perhaps more with some decent showings

Round 7, Pick 242 (from WAS)
Tommy Mellott QB Montana State
- Less athletic Fields with more brains and football IQ. Solid journeyman backup and maybe a little more. Could easily see him bringing a 4th/5th if the Steelers play their cards right

7 from 4 trade down
Malik Carr TE Houston
- Well built TE who can do some blocking and threaten in the pass game. Floor is probably Friermuth with a 7th round pick


Where does that draft leave the Steelers ?

- Two 7ths that could easily become 6ths or better
- A cheap big bodied WR that checks almost every Steelers box and a speed guy to open things up underneath
- A RB unit that contends for the best in the NFL
- Two DL that could start immediately and play well
- A nice late round TE prospect

[bradshaw2ben]

I- The Steelers have 3 7ths. If at least one of those isn’t a QB you intend to showcase and trade later for better value the Steelers are even dumber than usual

It appears he Steelers only have 2 7ths. They were slated to trade a 6th to Washington and receive a 7th back as part of the William Jackson deal... but the picks were conditional and we never sent the 6th. Could be wrong about this but can't see how they have Washington's pick as listed, unless it was agreed because PIT was picking up Jackson's salary or something weird like that.

[bradshaw2ben]

Round 1, Pick 21
Omarion Hampton RB NC State

Hampton is like the new and improved version of James Conner, with the accompanying plusses and minuses.

If evasiveness in the open field were on a 1-5 scale, Conner and Hampton would be negative 2. They both see hole, hit hole and then just keep running until they run into something. In Hampton's case, it's often enough the EZ but it's weird that he doesn't even try to avoid defenders once he breaks contain. Conner was the exact same way. He'd take that dump off or handoff and make a really nice gain... and just run into someone at the end of it.

but, you have to admit, he's a very Steelers kind of back.

People say TreVeyon Henderson is, and that is also true. He's Willie Parker to a T, except for he's .15 slower in the 40, which could be an issue.

[cop1211]

Steelers sign:
CB Davis
CB Hobbs
DT Reed
WR Slayton

1.DE Harmon. Oregon
2.RB Judkins. Ohio State
3DT Phillips. Maryland
4.CB Riley. Louisville
5.S Reed. Penn State
6.none
7a.WR Fleming. Penn State
7b.OT Cox. Kentucky
7c.RB Thomas. Memphis

[SteelerDayTrader]

I- The Steelers have 3 7ths. If at least one of those isn’t a QB you intend to showcase and trade later for better value the Steelers are even dumber than usual

It appears he Steelers only have 2 7ths. They were slated to trade a 6th to Washington and receive a 7th back as part of the William Jackson deal... but the picks were conditional and we never sent the 6th. Could be wrong about this but can't see how they have Washington's pick as listed, unless it was agreed because PIT was picking up Jackson's salary or something weird like that.

I got the list from some reputable source ??
I think The Sporting News ??

[SteelerDayTrader]

Round 1, Pick 21
Omarion Hampton RB NC State

Hampton is like the new and improved version of James Conner, with the accompanying plusses and minuses.

If evasiveness in the open field were on a 1-5 scale, Conner and Hampton would be negative 2. They both see hole, hit hole and then just keep running until they run into something. In Hampton's case, it's often enough the EZ but it's weird that he doesn't even try to avoid defenders once he breaks contain. Conner was the exact same way. He'd take that dump off or handoff and make a really nice gain... and just run into someone at the end of it.

but, you have to admit, he's a very Steelers kind of back.

People say TreVeyon Henderson is, and that is also true. He's Willie Parker to a T, except for he's .15 slower in the 40, which could be an issue.

I admit you have a good eye for deeper issues

I just don’t see many available 1st round picks the Steelers will use well or have enough around them to use well

If the Steelers land Hampton and Sanders to team up with Warren I think that’s a unit that can be a mismatch unit even with the Steelers backwards approach to football

Are their shiftier guys than Hampton ?? Sure

I just don’t see any of them being able to avoid serious injuries pounding the rock for the Steelers

[SteelerDayTrader]

Just some other sources to consider on Steelers draft picks. IDK ??

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/pitt ... icks-2025/

https://www.prosportstransactions.com/f ... eelers.htm

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/story ... 249209007/

[tbsteel]

How I have our picks:

1st
2nd
3rd

4th (didn't go to the Bears as Fields played less than 51% of the snaps on offense)

5th (we initially had 2 5ths, with an extra 5th from the Dotson trade, but we traded a 5th for Mike Williams - don't know if we traded our original 5th or the 5th we got from the Rams)

No picks in the sixth round. Our original 6th round pick confers to the Bears. While we obtained an extra 6th from Houston for trading Kendrick Green, we owe the Rams a 6th for the Dotson trade (we traded Dotson, our '24 5th and our '25 6th to the Rams for their '24 4th and '25 5th). So altogether, no 6th this year.

7th
7th (we had 3 7ths after the Pickett trade, but lost one for the Preston Smith trade = 2 7ths).

So:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7

[bradshaw2ben]

Yes I think there is confusion about the William Jackson trade, where a conditional pick swap was announced—but the conditions were not met, so we kept the 6th and WAS kept their 7th.

[SteelerDayTrader]

If we do only have 2 7ths just delete one of the QB picks

I’m envisioning the 2026 draft as

Add 1st or 2nd DL to Collins Stackhouse and wave Benton and the DL is looking real good

Add a 1st or 2nd OL or DB

Add a 3rd or 4th WR OL

Add 5th RB

In 2 drafts

A powerful and imposing DL
An elite RB unit
An ascending DB unit

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Trade away all players and all draft choices, fill rosters with practice team scrubs at league minimum.

Loyal fans rooting for laundry will still fill the stadium and it will hardly dent the bottom line when they go 2-15.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Trade away all players and all draft choices, fill rosters with practice team scrubs at league minimum.

Loyal fans rooting for laundry will still fill the stadium and it will hardly dent the bottom line when they go 2-15.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……..

Go play in traffic