With the dust still settling on the 2025 NFL Draft, football fans of every team will spend the coming days glued to their phones and computer screens as they grind highlight film and brush up on the players their favorite team drafted. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a flood of talent joining the roster after the draft, and fans should be pleased.
After addressing a major need along the defensive line with Oregon's Derrick Harmon, the Steelers set their sights on running back before finding a few value picks on Day 2. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be thrilled with the Steelers' 2025 draft results.
There were several players entering a prime position to succeed before the NFL Draft came raining in on their parade. Meanwhile, others within Pittsburgh's organization should be sending the front office thank-you cards for their efforts. Because of their decisions in the draft, the Steelers just sent unmistakable messages to these three players already on the team.
These players will be impacted by the Pittsburgh Steelers' draft decisions
Jaylen Warren, Running back
Just when it looked like Jaylen Warren might get a chance to carve out a lion's share of the touches from the backfield in 2025, the unexpected happened. We knew that Pittsburgh was going to draft a running back at some point, but nobody thought Iowa standout Kaleb Johnson—Dane Brugler's 44th overall player— would still be on the board with the No. 83 pick in the third round. And the Steelers couldn't help but draft him.
This may have dampened the spirits of Warren, who was finally itching to get out of the shadow of Najee Harris (who joined the Chargers in free agency). Warren signed his restricted free agent tender just before the draft, so he's in a contract year and will be looking to earn his first massive payday.
However, Johnson's presence sends a message to Warren that the pressure is on. If the rookie outplays the veteran—or if Warren can't stay healthy this year—the Steelers could allow Warren to walk away in free agency next offseason. Iron sharpens iron, and this should be a fun tandem in the backfield, but Warren's career outlook just got a lot murkier after this pick.
Mason Rudolph, Quarterback
Mason Rudolph just had to make it a few more days before Aaron Rodgers became the only threat to his position on the Steelers' depth chart. The veteran quarterback and 2018 third-round draft pick by the Steelers turns 30 years old this offseason, but doesn't have much to show for it.
With only Skylar Thompson to compete with on the roster, there was a world in which Rudolph ended up being the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh in 2025. However, the tea leaves point to Rodgers inking a deal with Pittsburgh at some point. What makes things worse is that he'll now have a rookie quarterback in Will Howard breathing down his neck.
Howard doesn't lack confidence, and the former Ohio State championship quarterback will fight tooth and nail to work his way up the depth chart. Despite Rudolph's experience and history with the team, he could be on a short leash. After signing a two-year contract, Rudolph could find himself demoted to the third-string QB again by the start of the 2026 season, as it feels almost certain that Pittsburgh will take a quarterback high in the draft next year.
Keeanu Benton, Defensive tackle
Though Mason Rudolph and Jaylen Warren may not be fond of the Steelers' draft results, Pittsburgh's front office sent a much more positive message to Keenau Benton: you're not going to be alone when Cam Heyward retires.
Heyward, 36, could be entering the final season of his NFL career, and outside of Heyward, Benton was the only interior defender who showed signs of life last season. Leaving him by himself to swallow up double teams wouldn't have been wise, and the Steelers didn't allow that to happen.
Pittsburgh made a first-round investment in the trenches with Derrick Harmon. But the Oregon standout won't threaten Benton's job; quite the contrary. He's going to make Benton's job easier. Another uber-talented player that must be accounted for on the interior defensive line means teams will start taking the focus off Benton.
Because of this, the third-year defensive tackle could finally start putting up sack numbers. With a possible contract extension coming as early as next offseason, Keeanu Benton is going to love the Derrick Harmon pick.