The Pittsburgh Steelers have a significant need along the defensive line ahead of the upcoming season, and fortunately for the Black and Gold, the 2025 NFL Draft offers a very deep class with quite a bit of high-end talent that could help them address the need in a big way.
For NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who held a pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call over Zoom on Thursday afternoon, he has double the amount of starting-caliber defensive tackles in this draft class compared to the 2024 class. That previous class produced the likes of interior defensive lineman Braden Fisk, Byron Murphy II, Johnny Newton, T’Vondre Sweat, and pass rushers Jared Verse, Jaylx Hunt, Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner and Jonah Ellis.
This defensive line draft class has been praised for months, and after watching the Philadelphia Eagles dominate the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX behind the defensive line, the emphasis is being placed on building through the trenches even more so.
That bodes very well for the Steelers, who sit at No. 21 in the 2025 NFL Draft and need to infuse some youth and upside in the trenches next to Cameron Heyward. Larry Ogunjobi is a potential cut candidate for the Steelers this offseason, while Keeanu Benton is coming off an up-and-down second season.
A name like Michigan DT Kenneth Grant is a good fit for the Steelers, according to Jeremiah.
One other name that has been consistently connected to the Steelers is Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, particularly in the first round. The Oregon product who had a big year in 2024 after transferring from Michigan State projects as an ideal fit in the trenches for the Black and Gold, either at nose tackle or defensive end.
Harmon finished his final season with his best production of his career, recording 45 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. Most importantly, when it comes to Harmon’s projection to the NFL and in particular the Steelers, he played in the Ducks’ 3-4 system, creating an easier projection to the Steelers’ scheme reminiscent of the Wisconsin pipeline defense the franchise has dipped into over the years.
“Harmon’s just really disruptive. He’s got quick hands. He just lives on the other side of the line of scrimmage,” Jeremiah said of Harmon during the conference call. “He’s really instinctive, he’s aware. He knows where blocks are coming from and he gets up the field.
“So he’s a fun, fun player. I wanna see him use power a little bit more. He flashes it, it’s all in there. But I’d love to see him play into his power a little bit more. But I think he’s bottom one, top of two type pick.”
Daniel Jeremiah is very high on Oregon DL Derrick Harmon.
Says he “lives” on the other side of the line scrimmage. Calls him a bottom 1/top of 2 type-pick in the draft. Added he wants to see him play with his power more.
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) February 20, 2025
Jeremiah, for what it’s worth, is very high on Harmon, and believes he’s a back-end of Round One or top of Round Two talent in the trenches. In fact, one NFL executive told Jeremiah back in January that he sees Harmon as a Steeler or Raven due to play style and size.
It wasn’t just Harmon who Jeremiah spoke highly of in the trenches defensively. Twice during the conference call, Jeremiah name-dropped Ole Miss defensive tackle JJ Pegues as an intriguing player and one of his favorite tape studies during this cycle.
“Defensively, I mentioned [JJ] Pegues for all the different things he can do,” Jeremiah said of Pegues and the depth of the defensive line in the draft class. “He’s someone who on the defensive side of the ball is a defensive tackle who every now and then will kick out and just be a big, massive edge rusher. But then on offense, he’s a Wildcat quarterback.
“He’s an H-back, he’s a wing, he runs the ball. That’s one of the more fun, versatile pieces in this year’s draft.”
With how deep and talented the defensive line class is, the Steelers theoretically could double-dip at a major position of need. It would replenish the position group in a big way through the draft, much like they have done in recent years like along the offensive line and at wide receiver.
