The Pittsburgh Steelers first round pick

Lots of Talent, lots of needs.

By Joey Priano

April 3, 2025 – The NFL Draft is approaching, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to do a deep dive into a franchise that has lots of question marks with the roster, is a popular team in the league, has a legendary head coach, and happens to be my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. 
The Pittsburgh Steelers have become very accustomed to picking outside of the top 10 (something that they have not done since 2000), so the difficulty of who to pick is something that they are used to. With the No. 21 overall pick this year, the Steelers have a very difficult choice in who they should draft. With options like Jaxson Dart, Matthew Golden, Walter Nolan, and many more, we will dive into each likely option for the Steelers, and the pros and cons of these top options.

To begin, we will talk about the player with the most eyes on him, who many Steelers fans want them to take, Jaxson Dart. The Quarterback out of Ole Miss is a flashy name and likable player, but even more than that, he is a Quarterback. The Steelers have not ranked in the top 10 in offensive points or yards since 2018, and the blame for that can often fall upon the Quarterback situation, which the Steelers have struggled to build up since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. In the final aging years of Roethlisberger, the offense was underperforming year after year. With their first round draft pick in 2022, the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett, with the hope that he would lead the Steelers to another Super Bowl and essentially replace Roethlisberger. This experiment failed miserably, and Pickett was off the team after two seasons, throwing for less than 2,500 yards in both and finishing with the same number of interceptions as he did touchdowns. Many analysts and fans alike have been looking deeply into a Quarterback like Dart, who has a talented arm with decent vision, fairly similar to how Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was as a project. With the new addition of former Ole Miss receiver DK Metcalf, the ties to Dart become even stronger, making this a very possible pick.

Another possibility for the Steelers at pick No. 21 is Texas Wide Receiver Matthew Golden. Golden shined this year at Texas, accumulating 987 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, averaging 17 yards per reception. Many assumed that after the DK Metcalf trade, the possibilities of a round one Wide Receiver were not going to happen yet again. However, I disagree with this. With George Pickens wanting a contract extension, and Metcalf getting paid, it would not be a surprise if the Steelers decided to move on from Pickens after this year, or possibly traded before the season begins. If Pittsburgh went with either one of those options, the door instantly opens back up for a Wide Receiver to match opposite of Metcalf, and Golden would make a phenomenal addition. In a double overtime playoff game against Arizona State, Golden finished with 7 receptions, 149 yards, and a touchdown in overtime. He impressed everyone with his above average route running and hands. However, those are not as impressive as his blazing 4.29 second 40-yard dash that he ran at the combine this year, and the fastest amongst all receivers in the class. A game changer like this would be a large improvement for Pittsburgh, who has lacked am impactful No. 2 receiver for quite some time. 

The last player I will look at is defensive tackle Walter Nolan. While some analysts have Nolan being selected before pick No. 21, if he fell in the draft the Steelers would have to consider their options, with him being a big improvement to that position group. The interior defensive line has been a strong suit of Pittsburgh defenses for decades, but with Cam Heyward entering his 15^th consecutive season, a replacement for him naturally starts to be a question mark. Nolan had the best season of his collegiate career last year at Ole Miss, finishing with 48 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. The former No. 1 overall high school recruit tested very well at the combine, weighing in at a scary 6’4’’, 296 pounds. A big body in the interior would significantly help Pittsburgh’s struggling run defense. His athleticism and twitchiness in the middle make him a solid draft choice for the Steelers if he reaches their pick in the draft.

While these three players are who I believe the Steelers should be pursuing in this year’s draft, there are other players in similar positions that I would not be surprised to see taken at similar positions. For Quarterback, although Dart seems like the best prospect at this spot, there is always a chance that Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders slips in the draft, and then that could be a large possibility. They also may value the athleticism and speed of a Quarterback like Jalen Milroe over the arm talent of Dart, which could lead them that way. The Wide Receiver depth is also strong, with options like Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State), Luther Burden (Missouri), or even Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) if he falls to the Steelers pick. Each receiver has different skill sets and traits that they would bring to any team, and Pittsburgh needs to decide what they value the most. As for alternatives to Nolan, the Steelers could consider guys like Kenneth Grant (Michigan), or Derrick Harmon (Oregon). Overall, the Steelers have plenty of good options for them in the first round of the draft this year, with lots of needs and lots of talent to fill those needs, and landing the right player could do big things for the city of Pittsburgh.