The NFL regular season is fast approaching, and rosters will soon be finalized. Pittsburgh Steelers fans will know which rookies will be positioned to help Aaron Rodgers and company make good on what should be a promising season, and which ones will watch from elsewhere.
By all accounts, the Steelers had a solid draft class back in April. Most national attention will be paid to the lone skill player likely to make an impact, Iowa tailback Kaleb Johnson, but Yinzers know the secret sauce is in those two big defensive linemen: Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black.
Of course, every Steelers fan has high expectations for the rookies on the team. That’s why there’s so much hype around Johnson, Harmon, and Black in the first place. But let’s try to look at every spot on the scale of what could or should happen for each of the Steelers' draft picks this season.
It’s a simple exercise: for each player, I’ll hand out the best and worst case scenarios for their entire career, place a realistic scenario for their rookie season, and drop a prediction for their rookie campaign stat line.
Best, Worst and Realistic Cases for each Pittsburgh Steelers drafted rookie in 2025
DT, Derrick Harmon - Round 1, Pick 21
Best Case Scenario: He’s Cam Heyward, except he can rush the passer effectively from Day 1.
Worst Case Scenario: He’s Ziggy Hood, lacking the playmaking ability to make a difference and eventually fading away into obscurity.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: Derrick Harmon certainly looks the part already. He’ll have to surprise a bit in the pass-rushing department to really grab national attention, but he’s certainly suited to gradually become an important piece of the Steelers' defense. I expect his rookie season will be exciting, but with little national fanfare.
2025 Statline Prediction: 30 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2.5 sacks
RB, Kaleb Johnson - Round 3, Pick 83
Best Case Scenario: He’s the next great Steelers back whose stats are earned by his talent rather than his volume.
Worst Case Scenario: He’s Najee Harris with fewer touches, leading to a quicker exit from the franchise.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: Some of the hype around Kaleb Johnson died down after his preseason debut, but don’t jump off the train just yet, Steelers fans. Johnson has great vision, breakaway speed, and a better tendency to break tackles than he showcased in his first outing. He’ll be just fine.
2025 Statline Prediction: 140 touches, 600 yards rushing, 150 yards receiving, five total touchdowns
EDGE, Jack Sawyer - Round 4, Pick 123
Best Case Scenario: He adds some speed to his game and develops into a rotational pass rusher.
Worst Case Scenario: His ceiling is on special teams as he simply plays out a rookie contract, never to be heard from again.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: Jack Sawyer should be the No. 4 edge backer and play a healthy portion of special teams snaps in his rookie season. He’s surrounded by incredibly talented pass rushers, so he needs to soak up some knowledge and add to his skill set before he becomes a fixture in the defense. Hopefully, injuries don’t thrust him into situations he isn’t quite ready for yet.
2025 Statline Prediction: Plays in 15 games, records 8 tackles.
DT, Yahya Black - Round 5, Pick 164
Best Case Scenario: Cam Heyward retires in 2-3 years, Keeanu Benton shifts to defensive tackle, and Yahya Black becomes the best nose tackle in the NFL.
Worst Case Scenario: He’s showing his ceiling in his first training camp and proves to be just a block eater and not a playmaker.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: All signs indicate Black will be the fourth interior defensive lineman, which will give him plenty of snaps at all three positions this year. Still, production won’t be the key for him; executing technique will. He was still a fifth-rounder, so he’s got some baking to do in the development oven. But so far, he looks really good.
2025 Statline Prediction: 15 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1.0 sack
QB, Will Howard - Round 6, Pick 185
Best Case Scenario: He's Ohio State's version of Tom Brady.
Worst Case Scenario: He's just another sixth-round quarterback who can't crack a lineup without some chaos ahead of him on the depth chart.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: Will Howard would be lucky to make it back in time to play in the third preseason game after breaking a bone in his hand earlier in training camp. He really needed to play in those three games, especially if Skylar Thompson is going to go out and play as cleanly as he did in the season opener. Still, Howard was impressive enough and seemed to have won the third-string position, so those hoping for Howard to get a shot in the future shouldn't be too worried.
2025 Statline Projection: Makes the 53-man roster as QB3, doesn't get a helmet all season.
LB, Carson Bruener - Round 7, Pick 226
Best Case Scenario: He makes the roster and slowly develops into a rotational option.
Worst Case Scenario: He’s sent to the practice squad and sniped by some team like the Raiders.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: Bruener is in a tight race with Mark Robinson, who is not going down without a fight. Still, Bruener surely had some fans reminiscent of Tyler Matakevich with his No. 44 showing up around the ball with regularity in the preseason opener. If Bruener doesn’t make the 53, he’ll get invited to the practice squad, but that does open up the possibility for the worst-case scenario.
2025 Statline Prediction: He plays 8 games of special teams somewhere, records 8 tackles.
CB, Donte Kent - Round 7, Pick 229
Best Case Scenario: He lands on the practice squad and slowly develops into a potential special teams option.
Worst Case Scenario: He is cut outright after camp, and Steelers fans never hear from him again.
Realistic Rookie Season Scenario: The depth in the cornerback room is too much for Kent to overcome. He’s destined for the practice squad if he impresses the coaching staff enough. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much indication of that being the case.
2025 Statline Prediction: Kent does not see any NFL action in 2025.