You don't have to look long and hard to find the greatest positional group on the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's what you can expect practically every year. This franchise has always invested heavily in the defensive trenches, and its investments have paid off. The defensive line is the engine that makes Mike Tomlin's team run.
T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward have assembled Hall of Fame-level resumes over the years, while Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and Keeanu Benton have proven to be good football players. In addition to the talent already on hand, the Steelers used their 2025 first-round pick on Oregon's Derrick Harmon.
So where does this unit rank among the best defensive lines in the NFL?
On Wednesday, Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 defensive lines in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. Buday has the Pittsburgh Steelers No. 1 on the list.
"Led by edge defender T.J. Watt and interior defender Cameron Heyward, the Steelers' defensive line continues to be the best in the NFL," Buday wrote. "Two Pittsburgh players were among the 30 highest-graded interior defenders, and three ranked in the top 20 among edge defenders last season. Heyward’s 90.1 PFF overall grade ranked second at his position, while Watt’s 91.7 mark was the third highest among edge defenders. The Steelers even selected interior defender Derrick Harmon with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, further bolstering an elite unit."
It's not hard to see where PFF is coming from. Before going quiet late in the 2024 season, Watt was the frontrunner to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Meanwhile, Heyward earned glowing remarks for his incredible ability to hold up against the run.
PFF has the Steelers edging out the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 2) and the New York Giants (No. 3) for the best defensive line in the league ahead of training camp.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive line could be everything advertised (and more)
Even considering the fact that T.J. Watt had some of his worst performances late in the 2024 season and knowing that Cam Heyward turned 36 years old this offseason, Pro Football Focus believes the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best defensive front in the NFL. But this group could be even better than PFF anticipates.
Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith weren't even mentioned in PFF's blurb. Herbig is still just 23 years old and coming off a second NFL season in which he earned a 91.5 pass rush grade—good for 4th in the league among all qualifying edge rushers. Meanwhile, Highsmith earned the 8th overall grade among edge rushers last year from PFF, beating out players like Trey Hendrickson, Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter.
Now, Derrick Harmon is added to the mix, and he should give the team an immediate upgrade over the underwhelming Larry Ogunjobi, who was released by the team and signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason. Harmon led all interior defenders in pressures during the 2024 college football season. He will slide in right between Watt and Keeanu Benton in Pittsburgh's base defense.
Oh, and maybe the biggest factor is that Watt will be out for blood this year. The All-Pro edge rusher is going to do everything in his power to silence critics after letting a second DPOY award slip through his grasp last season.
We don't want to overhype the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive line, but their top six players really are that talented. If they can stay healthy, they could be even better than advertised this year.