Outside of the East-West Shrine practices, Senior Bowl Week is the first big offseason event football fans can sink their teeth into. Some of the best players from around the nation gather in one place where they put their skills to the test in one-on-one battles and team drills. Unsurprisingly, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought their brass to this event.
The Steelers have no shortage of needs ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, but many fans assume their focus will either be at wide receiver or the interior defensive line in Round 1. Outside of George Pickens, Pittsburgh had no competent and consistent wideout to turn to during the 2024 season, and the lack of play-making ability led to a stagnant offense.
What's even more egregious was Pittsburgh's run defense during the final stretch of the season—particularly in the playoffs. The Steelers allowed 299 rushing yards to Derrick Henry and the Ravens in the Wild Card round, which led to an early exit from the postseason.
You can bet that Art Rooney II and the front office will want to fix both of these issues early in the draft, but early signs from Senior Bowl Week suggest Pittsburgh's first-round pick will not be one of the participants on hand in Mobile, Alabama.
Steelers won't take a Senior Bowl player in Round 1
There is no shortage of NFL talent on hand in Mobile, but when you look at Pittsburgh's biggest needs and dissect the players participating, it doesn't look like the Steelers' first-round pick will be one of the players the team is scouting at the 2025 Senior Bowl.
Let's start with the wide receiver position. Some of the best receiver prospects at the Senior Bowl are players who won't be worthy of being selected with the 21st overall pick in the draft. Guys like Jayden Higgins and Jack Bech are good football players, but shouldn't go this high in the NFL Draft.
The same can be said about players like Miami's Xavier Restrepo and Oregon's Tez Johnson, who not only project as Day 2 wide receivers, but also don't fit the size profile the Steelers will be looking for (both players measured in under 5'9 1/2'').
On the defensive line, there's more promise. However, very few DL prospects at the Senior Bowl check enough boxes to be a first-round pick by the Steelers. South Carolina's T.J. Sanders is a talented player having a great week, but at 284 pounds, he's likely too light in the pants for the Steelers to take in Round 1.
Meanwhile, Kentucky's Deone Walker goes above and beyond when it comes to fitting the size profile (6'7 1/4'', 340 pounds, 34 5/8'' arms), but he's tremendously raw and has a long way to go as a run defender. Tennessee's Omarr Norman-Lott is a good football player who had a strong practice to open the week, but he's an early Day 2 prospect.
Of all the players on hands in Mobile, Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolan looks the most like a potential first-round pick of the Steelers, but I've been told of character concerns with Nolan that could knock him out of the first round. After dealing with George Pickens all season, this is the last thing Pittsburgh would want.
If the Steelers were willing to go in an unlikely direction and take a cornerback in the first round, there are a few Senior Bowl standouts who fit the bill in terms of what they are looking for (Darien Porter, Azareye'h Thomas, and Maxwell Hairston). But even these players are likely to be early Day 2 draft selections.
When looking at the prospects who could be available, it's unlikely their top pick is on hand in Mobile. At wide receiver, the Steelers are likely to target players like Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka or Texas' Matthew Golden. At defensive tackle, Pittsburgh's most likely options would be run-stoppers like Michigan's Kenneth Grant or Ohio State's Tyleik Williams, and at cornerback, the Steelers would likely go after Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison or East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr. in Round 1.
Don't be surprised if Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan draft several players from the Senior Bowl after getting a great look at the talent pool, but their first-round pick is highly unlikely to be a Senior Bowl participant this year based on team needs and where the talent will fall in the 2025 NFL Draft.