The Pittsburgh Steelers have no shortage of needs heading into the 2025 offseason. They will be looking at wide reciever, corner, defensive line, and quarterback as the major areas of need. Some of these issues will be dealt with in free agency, while the Steelers will look to the draft to fill in the rest. The 2025 NFL draft is very different than normal drafts however. It is very thin at wide receiver, quarterback, and corner, while being extremely deep at running back and defensive line. The conventional wisdom is for the Steelers to take a defensive lineman in the first round given how good the class is. No one would argue that logic. But what if the Steelers decided to go a different direction? There is a good argument running back would be the best value come pick 21. Let’s go over the several reasons why the Steelers should consider running back in round one.
The running back class is deep, but…..
There’s no debating the 2025 running back is one of the deepest in recent memory. Some have up to 35 deep in draftable players at that position. But as in any position group, there are very clear tiers. First off is Ashton Jeanty, who is in a tier all his own. This is a player who could be a generational talent, and quite possibly the best offensive weapon in the entire draft. For a team who has struggled so much on that side of the ball in recent years, the Steelers simply can not afford to pass on this type of player. Jeanty making it all the way to 21 is unlikely in most people’s eyes. Keep in mind however there will be several teams thinking along the lines of the class is so deep they can forgo back in round one, and grab one later in the draft. It is not out of the question Ashton Jeanty makes it to the Steelers. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/ashton-jeanty/32004a45-4142-7291-3a65-da29eaedce27
The next tier consists of two very different backs, both of which are deserving of first round consideration. Omarion Hampton is a 220lb back who is rumored to have 4.4 speed. He is the type of physical back Mike Tomlin covets, only with the burst they have lacked. Think of him is everything you like about Najee Harris, plus the everything he lacked in terms of big play ability.
Next is Ohio State’s TreyVeyon Henderson. Henderson is an explosive, big play running back who would be ideal for Pittsburgh. He is thought to have 4.3 speed, to go along with being the best pass blocker in the class. Some question whether he can be an every down back because of his size. That wouldn’t be a problem in Pittsburgh given he would be sharing carries with Jaylen Warren.
Any one of these three backs have enough game changing abilities to make them worth first round consideration. Sure the Steelers could find a perfectly acceptable player in the later rounds, but perfectly acceptable isn’t what this team needs on offense. They need game changers. With that in mind it would be much better to take a back, rather than the third best wide receiver in a weak class. This offense needs difference makers on offense in round one. Running back is the place to find it in this draft. You could entertain the idea of trading down to the end of the first round, or early second and still land Hampton or Henderson. We wouldn’t suggest it unil the Steelers are sure Ashton Jeanty is off the board.
Where you pick matters
The Pittsburgh Steelers own pick 21 in the upcoming draft. Being that far down matters, particularly in this draft. We talked about tiers in terms of running back, that also holds true at defensive tackle. Pittsburgh could find themselves just outside the top tier at that position as well. If names like Walter Nolan and Kenneth Grant are off the board, the Steelers would be reaching taking a defensive tackle. Same goes for reciever where taking the second or third ranked player there does not represent good value at all.
Corner was once thought to be loaded with talent in this draft. Injuries in the 2024 season really thinned this position out considerably. Names like Will Johnson, Benjamin Morrison, and Shavon Revel all sustained major injuries making them risky first round selections. After that happened with Troy Fautanu last year, there’s no way the Steelers can risk another first round pick on a player riddled with injury red flags. Pittsburgh will be much better off waiting until day two to take a corner if they already havent filled it in free agency.
Don’t let the Najee Harris debacle scare you
No one hated the Najee Harris selection in 2021 more than us. This was a clear reach by the Steelers who mistakenly thought they were one running back away from contending for a title…….they weren’t. The Steelers 2021 draft: Worst draft in 20 years?
Najee Harris was never, ever considered the top offensive weapon in his class. There wasn’t even a consensus that he was the best back in the 2021 draft. The Steelers made a mistake, but that shouldn’t close the door on drafting that position in the first round ever again. We have seen recently just how impactful a running back can be to an offense. It can’t be just any back though. Players like Saquon Barkley, and Dereck Henry are just different. They make offenses significantly better. Just like the three backs we mentioned earlier have the potential to do. Jeanty, Hampton, and Henderson are not just plodders who give you 3 to 4 yards a pop. They are home run hitters who can change a game. No team needs that more than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Conclusion…..
The Steelers aren’t going to find their next franchise quarterback in the 2025 draft. They’re not going to get a star reciever to play opposite George Pickens either. The best way to help the weakest side of the ball is to draft one of the top three running backs in this class. Not only do we think the Steelers should consider running back in the first round, we think they should prioritize it.
There is a long way to go before the NFL draft in April. Maybe a wide receiver pops at the combine making himself worthy of the 21st pick. Maybe a defensive tackles like Walter Nolan falls into the Steelers lap. Short of that, draft the best player available. That player more likely than not will be a running back.