With the Senior Bowl now in the books, it's time to do the first mock draft of the offseason. The Senior Bowl provides a lot of intel, both in which players stood out in practice and with what the Steelers prioritized during the first major event of the draft cycle.
So, based on what I learned throughout the week, here's my first mock draft for the Steelers:
FIRST ROUND, NO. 21: WALTER NOLEN, DT, OLE MISS
Nolen was among the standouts at the Senior Bowl. Despite being a projected second-round pick by some draft sites, everything I heard about Nolen throughout the week is that he's a first-rounder. Might be the second-best defensive tackle in this class behind Michigan's Mason Graham.
The Steelers are prioritizing defensive line in this draft. And, based on my conversations with those involved with the team, I expect that focus to continue during the Combine. I wouldn't rule out Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at 21st overall if he's available. However, in this particular mock, Egbuka didn't fall past the Bengals at No. 17, which makes sense if Tee Higgins doesn't re-sign there. Thus, I took Nolen here as the best player available.
SECOND ROUND, NO. 53: JAYDEN HIGGINS, WR, IOWA STATE
Higgins is another Senior Bowl participant, and he's an intriguing guy. He's 6-4 and weighs 215 pounds, so he's got great size. But, he also has the ability to gain separation against man coverage and he knows how to use his size to shield off defenders and make contested catches.
Regardless of whether the Steelers land a significant addition in free agency or trade, Higgins would be a great find in the second round. A good showing at the Combine and Big 12 pro day might make him unreachable at 53rd overall, but I've currently got him here.
THIRD ROUND, NO. 85: AZAREYE'H THOMAS, CB, FLORIDA STATE
Thomas showed quite a bit during Senior Bowl practices, especially with some advanced technique and high motor in press coverage. At 6-2 and 198 pounds, he's got the size and length to mirror Joey Porter Jr. and fit what the Steelers currently like in their cornerbacks.
Cornerback is a pretty big need for this team. Donte Jackson might not be back, which would give the Steelers a hole to fill at outside cornerback. The team could go with Cory Trice Jr., but that is a bit of a risk given his health issues over his first two seasons. It would behoove the Steelers to add another young talent to this room and create competitions while also fortifying its depth.
Martinez is a brick house at 6-0 and 232 pounds, but he's got surprising start-stop ability and lateral agility for a running back of his size. He also showed very well this week during pass protection drills, and proved his capability as a receiver that he showed with the Hurricanes.
I'm a little concerned about the fit with the Steelers. Martinez had the most amount of success in college running in Miami's vertical gap system while the Steelers run more wide zone and outside zone under Arthur Smith. While Martinez has the ability to put a foot in the ground and go, there are questions about having enough foot speed to get to the edge consistently. But, as a fourth-round pick, this seems like a high-floor selection from a deep class of running backs.
FIFTH ROUND, NO. 163: TIM SMITH, DT, ALABAMA
Smith was a productive interior defender for the Crimson Tide, tallying 89 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks over 51 games. He's known much more for his run defense, and with some coaching, could turn into a very good run defender at the NFL level. His projection as a pass rusher seriously lowers his ceiling.
The Steelers care a lot about the trenches. It wouldn't surprise me almost at all if they double dipped from the defensive line class. The fifth round might be a little high for Smith, but outside of quarterbacks, he was the best player available at a position of need and importance.
Shough's got great size at 6-5, 225 pounds. He's more mobile than people give him credit for, as he wasn't asked to be the most mobile guy at Louisville. At age 25, he's got seven years of experience at the college level, which will drive some teams away, but he's naturally more mature than most of the quarterbacks in this class.
Of all the quarterbacks in Mobile, Shough was one of the better ones with some really impressive off-platform throws. He's not anything higher than taking a flier in the seventh round, providing the potential of eventually developing into a high-floor backup.
SEVENTH ROUND, NO. 249: MARCUS WEHR, G, MONTANA STATE
Wehr is perhaps one of the better FCS prospects in this year's class and could have his name called late on Day 3 of the draft. At Montana State, Wehr obviously didn't see the highest level of competition, but he was a great run blocker, especially in zone concepts.
The Steelers picked from the FCS pool last year with Mason McCormick, and guard might be a position worth addressing at some point this offseason. Isaac Seumalo has one year left on his contract. Spencer Anderson could be the next answer there, too, but it doesn't hurt to use a seventh-round pick on good run-blocking guard for a team that prioritizes the run.
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
12:20 am - 02.02.2025DowntownMock Draft 1.0: Post-Senior Bowl edition
With the Senior Bowl now in the books, it's time to do the first mock draft of the offseason. The Senior Bowl provides a lot of intel, both in which players stood out in practice and with what the Steelers prioritized during the first major event of the draft cycle.
So, based on what I learned throughout the week, here's my first mock draft for the Steelers:
FIRST ROUND, NO. 21:
WALTER NOLEN, DT, OLE MISS
Nolen was among the standouts at the Senior Bowl. Despite being a projected second-round pick by some draft sites, everything I heard about Nolen throughout the week is that he's a first-rounder. Might be the second-best defensive tackle in this class behind Michigan's Mason Graham.
The Steelers are prioritizing defensive line in this draft. And, based on my conversations with those involved with the team, I expect that focus to continue during the Combine. I wouldn't rule out Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at 21st overall if he's available. However, in this particular mock, Egbuka didn't fall past the Bengals at No. 17, which makes sense if Tee Higgins doesn't re-sign there. Thus, I took Nolen here as the best player available.
SECOND ROUND, NO. 53:
JAYDEN HIGGINS, WR, IOWA STATE
Higgins is another Senior Bowl participant, and he's an intriguing guy. He's 6-4 and weighs 215 pounds, so he's got great size. But, he also has the ability to gain separation against man coverage and he knows how to use his size to shield off defenders and make contested catches.
Regardless of whether the Steelers land a significant addition in free agency or trade, Higgins would be a great find in the second round. A good showing at the Combine and Big 12 pro day might make him unreachable at 53rd overall, but I've currently got him here.
THIRD ROUND, NO. 85:
AZAREYE'H THOMAS, CB, FLORIDA STATE
Thomas showed quite a bit during Senior Bowl practices, especially with some advanced technique and high motor in press coverage. At 6-2 and 198 pounds, he's got the size and length to mirror Joey Porter Jr. and fit what the Steelers currently like in their cornerbacks.
Cornerback is a pretty big need for this team. Donte Jackson might not be back, which would give the Steelers a hole to fill at outside cornerback. The team could go with Cory Trice Jr., but that is a bit of a risk given his health issues over his first two seasons. It would behoove the Steelers to add another young talent to this room and create competitions while also fortifying its depth.
FOURTH ROUND, NO. 121:
DAMIEN MARTINEZ, RB, MIAMI (FL)
Martinez is a brick house at 6-0 and 232 pounds, but he's got surprising start-stop ability and lateral agility for a running back of his size. He also showed very well this week during pass protection drills, and proved his capability as a receiver that he showed with the Hurricanes.
I'm a little concerned about the fit with the Steelers. Martinez had the most amount of success in college running in Miami's vertical gap system while the Steelers run more wide zone and outside zone under Arthur Smith. While Martinez has the ability to put a foot in the ground and go, there are questions about having enough foot speed to get to the edge consistently. But, as a fourth-round pick, this seems like a high-floor selection from a deep class of running backs.
FIFTH ROUND, NO. 163:
TIM SMITH, DT, ALABAMA
Smith was a productive interior defender for the Crimson Tide, tallying 89 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks over 51 games. He's known much more for his run defense, and with some coaching, could turn into a very good run defender at the NFL level. His projection as a pass rusher seriously lowers his ceiling.
The Steelers care a lot about the trenches. It wouldn't surprise me almost at all if they double dipped from the defensive line class. The fifth round might be a little high for Smith, but outside of quarterbacks, he was the best player available at a position of need and importance.
SEVENTH ROUND, NO. 225:
TYLER SHOUGH, QB, LOUISVILLE
Shough's got great size at 6-5, 225 pounds. He's more mobile than people give him credit for, as he wasn't asked to be the most mobile guy at Louisville. At age 25, he's got seven years of experience at the college level, which will drive some teams away, but he's naturally more mature than most of the quarterbacks in this class.
Of all the quarterbacks in Mobile, Shough was one of the better ones with some really impressive off-platform throws. He's not anything higher than taking a flier in the seventh round, providing the potential of eventually developing into a high-floor backup.
SEVENTH ROUND, NO. 249:
MARCUS WEHR, G, MONTANA STATE
Wehr is perhaps one of the better FCS prospects in this year's class and could have his name called late on Day 3 of the draft. At Montana State, Wehr obviously didn't see the highest level of competition, but he was a great run blocker, especially in zone concepts.
The Steelers picked from the FCS pool last year with Mason McCormick, and guard might be a position worth addressing at some point this offseason. Isaac Seumalo has one year left on his contract. Spencer Anderson could be the next answer there, too, but it doesn't hurt to use a seventh-round pick on good run-blocking guard for a team that prioritizes the run.
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