Steelers make head-scratching decision in Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft

Mel Kiper Jr. recently released his 2025 mock draft, and unsurprisingly, he has the Pittsburgh Steelers going with a wide receiver. Outside of George Pickens, the combination of Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams proved to be a bottom-of-the-barrel group in 2024 and significant upgrades are required.

With the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kiper has the Steelers turning their card in for Emeka Egbuka (stop me if you've heard this one before). The prolific Ohio State receiver was the top target on a national championship team with a phenomenal four-year career in the Big Ten.

Every Steelers fan will have Egbuka on their bingo card at pick 21... but in this mock, the Steelers made a questionable decision.

Just one pick later, Kiper had the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. After stringing together back-to-back seasons of over 1,300 yards and at least eight touchdowns, McMillan is regarded by most as the top wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft.

McMillan, 21, has a 91st percentile college dominator rating, a 92nd percentile college market share, and an 80th percentile breakout age, according to PlayerProfiler.com. The collection of these factors is further evidence that he should succeed at the next level.

While McMillan is a big-bodied receiver, he's a well-rounded playmaker who can win at every level of the field, and passing on him for Emeka Egbuka would be a mistake.

Steelers would be foolish to draft Emeka Egbuka over Tetairoa McMillan

For what it's worth, I don't see the board playing out like this. McMillan is a rock-solid prospect who I expect will be off the board by the Dallas Cowboys' 12th overall selection at the latest. But if the board were to lay out like this, the Steelers would be making a colossal mistake passing on McMillan for Egbuka.

In Marcus Mosher's latest 2025 NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board—which comprises the average rankings of the top draft experts—McMillan is the 8th overall player (ahead of players like Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren). Egbuka, meanwhile, ranks just 26th on the draft expert consensus board.

Instead of taking the desirable best player available (BPA) approach, the Steelers make their selection based on scheme fit in Mel Kiper's mock draft.

I get that scheme matters. If George Pickens is going to be part of the long-term plan (and nobody knows if he will be), the Steelers would like to have a receiver who complements his skill set like Egbuka. The Ohio State product doesn't have any elite redeeming traits, but he's good at everything.

Still, passing on the best receiver in the class for a lesser player at the same position is a decision I can't get behind—even if Egbuka is the better scheme fit. If Tetairoa McMillan somehow falls to pick 21 in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers should run to turn in their card for a potential WR1.