It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers need wide receiver help, and the desire to select the WR position high in the 2025 NFL Draft is only going to increase if the front office decides to trade George Pickens this offseason. Unfortunately, this isn't the deepest group of receivers in 2025 and several will be off the board by the time the Steelers are on the clock.
Early in the pre-draft process, there is one name many fans, media members, and draft analysts are connecting to Pittsburgh: Emeka Egbuka. The Ohio State product comes from a championship team and set receiving records for the Buckeyes.
Now it seems the Steelers could have a backup plan with the 21st overall pick.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team shared the latest NFL Draft consensus board, which takes the average rankings of Dane Brugler, Mel Kiper Jr., Scouts INC, and PFF. Egbuka has fallen outside of the top 25, but a new challenger has emerged in his place.
Matthew Golden, who was previously unranked by Brugler, Kiper, and Scouts INC, quickly jumped up to an average rank of 23.0 on the consensus board. This gives him a current overall ranking of the 21st-best player in the class. Ironically, that's exactly where the Pittsburgh Steelers are selecting in the first round.
Updated look at the top-25 of the expert consensus board.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 23, 2025
A lot of changes over the last two months. pic.twitter.com/boC7T0OBaN
Steelers could target Matthew Golden in the NFL Draft
Wide receivers are a hot commodity in the NFL. This is no secret. Most teams need 3-4 respectable wideouts to effectively run their offense. The Steelers had just one last year (Pickens)... and he was hardly reliable from game to game.
Unless Omar Khan and the front office fork up for a top-tier WR contract in free agency, we can assume this will be their biggest position of need entering the 2025 NFL Draft.
We also know wide receivers are highly coveted early in the NFL Draft. Last year, seven wideouts were selected in the first round. Four wide receivers were selected in the first round in 2023, six in 2022, four in 2021, and six in 2020. NFL teams know the value of the position.
If four wide receivers are selected before Pittsburgh is first on the clock this April, it's possible Matthew Golden could be the highest player on their board. Another scenario that could play out is the Steelers could get their choice between Golden and Emeka Egbuka. While many will still have Egbuka ranked higher, Golden could fit the bill with the skill set they are looking for.
Golden played his first two seasons for the Houston Cougars before transferring to the Texans for the 2024 season. His game shows shades of Jordan Addison—a player the Steelers were more than familiar with entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
We are still very early in the pre-draft process, but Matthew Golden is a name that will be heating up in connection with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He will be a candidate at pick 21 in the 2025 NFL Draft.