Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft: Welcome Next Pair of Offensive Stars

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are a beacon of consistency and have been for decades. Winning as many or more games as they lose is as guaranteed as the Alleghany and Monongahela meeting at the Point. However, that level of success isn’t cutting it anymore. The Steelers need to make some improvements.

Prior to free agency, the Steelers are on pace to field the highest-paid defense in the league for the fourth consecutive season. Therefore, this mock draft focuses on what the Steelers likely will do — target offense in the draft.

The last time the Steelers drafted more than four offensive players in a single draft was when they used six of their nine picks in 2012, on that side of the ball. To make this mock draft as realistic as possible, I’ll use history as a guide and not use too many picks on offensive players. As a sidenote, there will be no draft-day trades in this mock draft.

With history out of the way, the 2025 (mock) NFL Draft has commenced.

Golden spent his first two collegiate seasons at Houston where he recorded 76 total receptions for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns. He set a freshman record with seven touchdowns in 2022.

Then, Golden transferred to Texas for his junior year. The six-foot-tall, 195 lb wideout caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns including a trio of two-touchdown outings.

In the SEC Championship, a 22-19 overtime loss for Georgia, Golden recorded eight receptions for 162 yards. In the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals against Arizona State, Golden caught seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.

The Houston, TX native is a big game player. But that’s the cherry on top of a litany of tools Golden possesses. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash time highlights his obvious track speed. In high school, Golden recorded a 10.93-second 100-meter dash.

Golden is excellent at creating separation as his speed makes it easy to sell any vertical route and he can change speeds easily. When the ball goes his way, which wasn’t incredibly often at Texas, Golden makes circus catches he can turn into explosive plays after the catch.

Golden isn’t the biggest receiver leaving a window open for opposing defensive backs to get physical with him. In tandem, Golden isn’t the best blocker, but that surely isn’t what he’s built to do.

The Steelers cover two bases by drafting Golden. In the event the Steelers don’t keep wide receiver, George Pickens, Golden could fill Pickens’s role as a number-one receiver who can go deep, with an added route-running ability. If the Steelers keep Pickens, which is almost certain for the 2025 season, Golden would prevent opposing defenses from sending safety help to Pickens’ side of the field every play.

Johnson is coming off by far the most productive season of his college career. In his third season with the Hawkeyes, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, a school record, on 240 carries. On top of that, Johnson caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns on the season. His 23 total touchdowns is an Iowa single-season record.

Standing at six-foot-tall and listed at 225 lbs., Johnson is the definition of a work-horse running back. He turned heads as soon as he stepped on the field for Iowa, breaking the Hawkeyes’ freshman record with 779 rushing yards in 2022.

Johnson has the ability to stay patient, make quick cuts, use his excellent vision to work with his blocks, and finish the run all the way to the ground. Johnson is also the type of back that gets better as the game goes on, wearing the opposing team down but maintaining his explosiveness.

If the Steelers can get Johnson in the second round, they’ll get the fourth running back off the board at worst, and the second running back off the board at best.

Johnson has shown promise in the receiving game, but he rarely ran full routes at Iowa. He also isn’t the most adept at pass-blocking, but that is certainly a skill he could develop at the next level given his size and frame.

Johnson doesn’t possess the home-run-hitting speed that would thrust him into a no-doubt first-round pick, but that doesn’t downplay his ability. Before the 2025 combine, Johnson has a recorded 4.50-second 40-yard dash.

Former Steelers first-round pick Najee Harris is currently a free agent and his future with the team is uncertain. Although Harris has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons, the Steelers running game hasn’t been great compared to the rest of the league. Johnson brings a similar ability to carry a major load and break tackles as Harris does, but with more explosiveness than Harris has showcased.

Pierce is the type of offensive lineman the Steelers need. Standing at six-foot-eight and listed at 345 lbs., Pierce has got the build to be an elite offensive tackle. Unsurprisingly, his height is in the 89th percentile of all offensive tackles at the combine and his weight in the 97th percentile.

Pierce is a mauler (so he’ll fit right in with Pittsburgh). He started his collegiate career as a walk-on recruit at Rutgers. Entering the NFL Draft as a redshirt senior, Pierce started four years and played on both sides of the line. The Trenton, NJ native played 1,473 snaps at right tackle and 1,696 snaps at left tackle over his time at Rutgers.

PFF gave Pierce a 83.5 run blocking grade and a 79.5 pass blocking grade over this last season. The numbers check out as Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis only took 21 sacks on the season and Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai totaled 1,279 yards. The Scarlet Knights finished the 2024 season with a 7-5 record.

Pierce’s performance and experience earned him an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten last season and was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2023.

Pierce’s frame alone makes rushing the quarterback difficult, as opposing edge rushers have a much bigger wall to get around. In watching his film, Pierce often shutters opposing defensive lineman with a single punch. He’s invulnerable to a power rush considering his anchor.

In the run game, Pierce is able to take out one or more defenders on a play, often taking them to the ground. However, he isn’t very light on his feet.

If the Steelers continue to run a zone run scheme, Pierce likely isn’t the perfect fit. But the Steelers started to implement some gap and power runs into their game last season. That adaptation would give Pierce space to shine as he can create huge holes for his running back.

Standing at six-foot-tall and listed at 205 lbs., Sanker is coming off a season where he earned four ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors he achieved by making game-sealing plays every other week.

Sanker had a career season in 2023 but opted to return for his senior year. In his junior year, Sanker recoded 107 total tackles, 11 passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. It was enough for Sanker to earn a First-Team All-ACC selection.

In this last season, Sanker recorded 98 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and four passes defensed.

Sanker was a remarkable and productive dual-threat quarterback in high school at a small school in Charlottesville, VA. His transformation into one of the top defensive backs in the ACC projects well for further development.

Sanker is not a do-it-all player, but most Day 3 picks aren’t. His decisiveness and explosiveness in the run game jumps out. When Sanker has the opportunity to rush the quarterback or make a play on an opposing ball-carrier, he makes the most of it. Sanker seems to understand opposing protection plans and how to disguise coverages to meddle with those plans.

Sanker’s aggressiveness can sometimes backfire. When facing play-action or RPOs, Sanker can sometimes creep too close to the line of scrimmage, giving spaces for opposing offenses to exploit. Vertical threats can sometimes out run him as well.

Sanker would fit great as an underneath safety. Considering the Steelers have a pair of quality safeties in Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliot, Sanker doesn’t need to play deep, which fits his strengths great.

The Steelers use another pick to bolster their offensive line. Standing at six-foot-six and weighing in at 310 lbs. prior to the NFL Combine, Colby brings three years of starting experience to the next level.

The Cedar Rapids, IA native came to the Hawkeyes as a four-star recruit and immediately found his place. He started 11 games his first season and earned Freshman All-American honors from FWAA and Maxwell Football Club.

The next season, Colby’s time was split between both right tackle and left guard. Despite moving around the line, Colby still earned third-team All-Big Ten honors.

Colby’s time at Iowa overlaps with the Steelers’ second-round pick in this mock draft, Johnson. Colby brings an ability to double-team and climb to the second level with his speed and agility.

In pass protection, Colby has good hand placement and ability to anchor once the opposing defender engages. However, Colby does show some balance problems which defenders at the next level could take advantage of.

Shough is one of the oldest players in this NFL Draft class. At 25 years old, Shough started his college career at Oregon backing up Justin Herbert. Shough earned the starting job in 2020 and led Oregon to a Pac-12 Championship,

Shough eventually transferred to Texas Tech but injuries plagued three consecutive seasons. This past year, Shough found a home at Louisville and had a career year.

The Chandler, AZ native passed for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions of 62.7% completion percentage. Shough’s 266.3 passing yards per game is second all-time in Louisville history.

Standing at six-foot-five, Shough is a prototypical NFL quarterback. He’s got the ability to hit any throw with lots of arm talent, especially deep balls. He’s not much of a rushing threat — he will show flashes on crucial downs — but is certainly mobile around the pocket and can throw on the move. Shough also makes safe decisions as his 23:6 touchdown to interception ratio suggests.

Shough’s amount of experience in three different systems at the college level can somewhat offset the downside of his age. He has such a big arm he sometimes forgets to keep his lower body in check and can miss throws, especially when the pocket is collapsing.

In this mock draft, the Steelers aren’t selecting a quarterback on days one or two. Therefore, taking a flyer on an older guy with athletic tools means bringing in a guy that can compete for a job — the backup or starter.

Frazier fits the mold of a class fan-favorite Steelers defender. As a 0-star recruit in the 2019 class, Frazier started his career at JUCO. He was a JUCO All-American and first-team all-conference at Coffeyville Community College.

His performance was enough to get him as the No. 3 overall JUCO recruit in the nation by Rivals.

He selected UTSA to be his home at the Division I level but didn’t earn much play time in his first two seasons. Last season as a redshirt junior, Frazier earned honorable mention All-American by CBS Sports. He started 10 games and broke UTSA’s single-season record with six interceptions.

Frazier’s standout season earned him an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl

Standing at six-foot-three and listed at a185 lbs., Frazier possess long arms and the speed to carry speedy receivers down field. His production on the ball and his hands help prove he’s able to track the ball deep down the field. As an added bonus, Frazier is a solid tackler when surrounded by others and can assist in defending the run.

Frazier isn’t the most physical tackler, especially if he’s in a one-on-one situation. But frankly, a seventh round corner can’t have everything and the ability to cover receivers seems more valuable than run support from a corner.

Kicking in Acrisure Stadium is hard, but the Steelers roster the best kicker in the NFL, Chris Boswell, who earned First-Team All-Pro Honors.

This draft pick has no comment on Boswell’s production, consistency and future. Boswell could kick for several more seasons. But Sauls has the unique experience of five years kicking in Acrisure Stadium — invaluable experience that is hard for other kicker prospects to replicate.

Sauls was selected to the PFF 27-member All-American squad and was a Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Semifinalist. He matched the longest field goal in Pitt history with a 58-yarder against California and hit two 57-yarders. Sauls’ field goal percentage of 87.5% ranked 18th nationally and fourth in the ACC. He set a Pitt record by making six field goals of 50-plus yards.

Sauls, a redshirt senior, is an NFL-starting caliber kicker, but he likely isn’t taking Boswell’s job. In the event of injury an unforeseen falloff from Boswell.

Standing at five-foot-ten and weighing in at 185 lbs., Sauls comes to the Steelers as a multi-sport athlete and former soccer star. If he can hang around the organization long enough, he could be the kicker of the Steelers far future.