Wow—hard to believe we’re already less than two weeks away from the NFL Draft kicking off in Green Bay. With that in mind, it feels like the perfect time to grade some more mock drafts floating around the Steelers community.

As always, we’ll take a look at one mock from an analyst or member of the draft media. But for a bit of a twist this week, the second mock won’t be a computer simulation—instead, it’ll be what I personally think the Steelers will do come draft weekend.

If you want to see how things have shifted since the last edition of this series, make sure to check that out first!

First mock:

“Steelers 7-Round Mock Draft: Pittsburgh Predicted To Overhaul Offense” – Cameron Sheath/Pro Football Network                

Context: Trade: Steelers receive No. 7 | Jets receive No. 21 overall pick, No. 83 overall pick, 2026 first

R1 Pick 7: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
R4 Pick 123: RB Damian Martinez, Miami
R5 Pick 156: DT Riley Mills, Notre Dame
R6 Pick 185: OT Ajani Cornelius, Oregon
R7 Pick 229: CB  Jordan Hancock, Ohio State

Summary:

A very bold move kicks this mock off—a heavy trade-up for Shedeur Sanders, signaling that the Steelers are putting all their eggs in that basket. Sanders is the most accurate quarterback in this class when it comes to the short and intermediate areas of the field and is generally seen as the consensus number two at the position behind Cam Ward.

There are questions surrounding his ceiling, as well as some off-the-field distractions that might follow him. But if the Steelers were to make a move like this, it would show they have enormous faith in Sanders to become their franchise signal-caller.

With the three-round gap, the Steelers add to the running back room by selecting Miami’s bruising back, Damian Martinez. He might be the most violent runner in the class, consistently fighting through contact, but that doesn’t mean he lacks speed or struggles in space. Martinez is a relatively complete back who would likely earn short-yardage reps in the current rotation thanks to his physical running style.

Damien Martinez is pure POWER 🤯

He averages 4.46 yards after contact per carry, 2nd in the class behind only Ashton Jeanty.

He’s also surprisingly quick at times; look at the evasiveness in some of these clips.

He might just be my RB6 👀 pic.twitter.com/GTKLMusKOP

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 22, 2025

The Steelers would then address arguably their biggest need in this draft by selecting Notre Dame’s Riley Mills to bolster the defensive line. Mills has flown somewhat under the radar throughout the process, but he brings a solid collegiate résumé with flashes of pass-rushing production that suggest there’s more upside to be tapped into at the next level.

Tackles have become gold in today’s NFL due to the scarcity of functional players at the position. The thinking now is that drafting one is an investment—because if you find a serviceable option, you might get a compensatory pick return down the line if you choose not to re-sign them. Ajani Cornelius would represent the Steelers’ next developmental project at that position.

This mock has the Steelers closing things out by selecting their first defensive back of the draft in Jordan Hancock, a slot/safety hybrid from the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. He’d bring valuable competition and depth to a position the Steelers traditionally haven’t invested heavily in.

Garde C

Mock draft two:

My Steelers “What I think they will do mock” on the PFF mock draft simulator. 

Context: Steelers receive No. 28 & 60 | Lions receive No. 21 & 5th 2026                                                    

R1 Pick 28: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
R2 Pick 60: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
R3 Pick 83:  WR Kyle Williams, Washington State
R4 Pick 123: HB Jaydon Blue, Texas
R5 Pick 156: DL Tim Smith, Alabama
R6 Pick 185: OT Jalen Travis, Iowa State
R7 Pick 229: S Malachi Moore, Alabama

The defensive lineman who fits the classic mold of a Steelers lineman is Oregon’s Derrick Harmon. Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 310 pounds, Harmon saw a major jump in his pass rush disruption this past season, tallying 43 hurries in 2025—a highly impressive number. While he’ll need to improve his ability to finish plays in the backfield, but the tools are clearly there. Harmon projects as a potential successor to Cameron Heyward and could be an impact player as early as 2025.

The trade down gave the Steelers the flexibility to take a real swing at the quarterback position without compromising the rest of their draft class. In this scenario, I went with the one guy—outside of Cam Ward—who flashes superman-like tools: Jalen Milroe. In my opinion, he’s exactly the kind of quarterback the Steelers should be targeting. He arguably has the best raw traits in this class, and most of his flaws are coachable. That’s not to say he’s guaranteed to become a starter, but when you combine his physical upside with the strong character reviews he’s received, there’s a real chance he could put it all together in the right environment.

The Steelers don’t know what they have in Roman Wilson and are going into the last year of George Pickens’ and Calvin Austin’s contracts. Kyle Williams could come in as the best route technician in the room and plays a similar style to former Steeler Diontae Johnson, which is a profile missing in the room.

Washington State WR Kyle Williams might be the most underrated player in this draft 📈

▪️Dynamic play speed
▪️Competitive at the catch point
▪️Super slippery YAC threat
▪️Precise/refined footwork

🎥: Here’s 2 minutes of sick highlights from this past season 👇 pic.twitter.com/CyVBFZv0uw

— The Draft Room (@TheDraftRoomNFL) April 8, 2025

Speed seems to be a trend in the Steelers’ interest at the running back position this draft cycle, and Jaydon Blue is all speed. He erases tackling angles at all levels of the field with his dynamic athletic traits and also provides the Steelers with a legit home run hitter out of the backfield.

Even with the selection of Derrick Harmon, the Steelers still haven’t addressed the nose tackle position. Alabama’s Tim Smith could fill that gap as the kind of run-stuffer they need to anchor the middle of their defense. Adding Smith would go a long way toward completing a revamped defensive line—something that increasingly feels like a top priority for the Steelers in this draft.

Similar to the first draft Jalen Travis is a tackle who can be a project type player, who at his size could become the next in line to provide quality depth behind two first round tackles.

A very common theme has been slot options late in the draft and Malachi Moore is a name that sticks out due to his leadership and versatile skillset could provide the depth required in multiple positions.

✅ Experienced
✅ Leadership
✅ Versatile

Alabama’s Malachi Moore will be one of the steals of the draft pic.twitter.com/BQu5iVIp3p

— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 11, 2025

Grade A-

Personally, a trade-up is off the table for me as a Steelers fan, simply because it really limits the rest of your draft and doesn’t allow you to properly address some of the holes on the roster. That’s why the first mock received a lower grade—not because of the players selected, but because of the overall impact on roster construction. On the flip side, the trade-down in the second draft gives you the flexibility to take the swing at quarterback I believe they want to make, while still landing an impact defensive lineman and filling out the rest of the roster.

With the draft just around the corner how would you feel about either of these classes?