Safety isn't one of the positions that the Pittsburgh Steelers need immediate help at. The starting duo of Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott is set in stone for 2025, and they added Juan Thornhill as quality depth in free agency.
Despite a strong room, the Steelers have shown interest in the top safeties in the 2025 NFL draft. They sent their defensive back coaches to Georgia's pro day, where they got to see consensus number two safety Malaki Starks.
While Starks hasn't been brought in for a top-30 visit yet, the consensus top safety in the class was a part of their most recent batch of visits.
Pittsburgh Steelers could replace Minkah Fitzpatrick with South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori has been one of the draft's biggest risers. He blew up the NFL combine with some of the best athletic testing ever for a safety. Doing that at 6-3, 220 pounds makes it even more impressive.
The Steelers seem to be impressed as well, as they brought him in as one of their top-30 visits.
Ole Miss QB Jaxon Dart headlines today’s Steelers pre draft visitors.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 4, 2025
Other three hosted on the Southside today:
DT Jamaree Caldwell, Oregon
WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
As great of a player as he could potentially be, why would the Steelers consider a safety in the first round with Minkah Fitzpatrick being one of the team's highest-paid players?
That contract is exactly why they could be considering it. While Fitzpatrick has been one of the league's best safeties since joining Pittsburgh, his impact has not been felt as much in recent years.
The three-time All-Pro intercepted 17 passes over his first four seasons with the Steelers, roaming the back end of the defense and always finding ways to be around the football. Over the last two seasons, however, he has just one interception.
Interceptions are far from the most important stat for a defensive back, but Fitzpatrick has simply not lived up to the huge contract he signed back in 2022. He will have a $22 million cap hit in 2025 and a $24 million one in 2026.
The Steelers could cut him in 2026 and save nearly $18 million, giving them even more cap space to completely overhaul the roster. It would be disappointing for his Steelers tenure to end that way, but he could need a big 2025 season to stick on the roster for 2026 and beyond.