There's an increasingly consistent theme with the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent mock drafts. After trading a second-round pick to acquire Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf, the focus has shifted to the interior defensive line. Pittsburgh needs to start grooming Cameron Heyward's eventual replacement, and outside of Keeanu Benton, there's no interior defender to build around.
If it's not a defensive tackle mocked to the Steelers, it's typically because a draft expert thinks this franchise could take a shot on a quarterback. But ESPN's latest mock draft has Pittsburgh going in a different direction.
On Tuesday, Mike Tannenbaum of ESPN released his first-round NFL mock draft. With the 21st overall pick, Tannenbaum has the Pittsburgh Steelers turning their card in for Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart.
"Pittsburgh has two great edge rushers in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and the toolsy Stewart could learn alongside them while giving the Steelers another option in the rotation," Tannenbaum wrote. "This is a classic 'traits over production' pick. Stewart had 1.5 sacks last season."
Stewart is one of the most interesting prospects set to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. The explosive pass rusher registered a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score, thanks to a remarkable combination of size, speed, and explosion. Stewart ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while posting a 40-inch vertical and a 10'11'' broad jump.
While Stewart would be an exciting pick, selecting an edge rusher feels like overkill. However, the Steelers could have a different plan for an exceptionally rare prospect.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could turn Shemar Stewart into a versatile NFL defensive lineman
At the NFL Combine, Stewart measured in at 6'5'' and 267 pounds. This body type suggests he would serve best as a base edge in the NFL, suited for a 4-3 defensive front.
But there's more to Stewart that meets the eye.
If you go back a month earlier to the 2025 Senior Bowl, Stewart weighed in at 281 pounds and looked impressive in one-on-one drills. Moreover, Stewart's college listed weight was 290 pounds. This suggests that the athletic defender cut weight early in the offseason—specifically at the Combine—in order to post the best testing numbers possible.
This also suggests that getting Stewart back up to 290 or even 300 pounds is well within the realm of possibility. At 6'5'' with 34 1/4'' arms and a massive 83 1/2'' wingspan, Stewart has more than enough room to grow into his frame. In comparison, Cam Heyward entered the NFL from Ohio State at 6'5'' and 294 pounds with 34 1/4'' arms.
Could Stewart be Heyward's eventual replacement? Perhaps. But it's his remarkable versatility that could attract the Steelers to him in Round 1.
Stewart already plays with remarkable strength and is a better run defender than a pass rusher. He can two-gap and hold up at the point of attack while easily stacking and shedding blocks to make plays at the line of scrimmage. For the Steelers, Stewart could play 3-4 base edge rusher, 5-technique, 4i, and 3-tech on the defensive line.
Most fans would be left scratching their heads if the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Shemar Stewart at pick 21 in the NFL Draft, but this seemingly off-the-wall pick makes perfect sense the more you dive into the prospect.