The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the hardest teams to predict when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. The organization holds the 21st overall selection, and the options are endless when it comes to what the franchise may decide to do. There has been talk about making a move to trade up or trade down, and it seems as though nearly every position is on the table. Many fans want the team to address the need on the defensive line or in the secondary, while another weapon for the offense could also be in play.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan talks on the phone during a practice in the Steel City.
The Steelers usually tip their pick prior to the NFL draft. It would still be difficult to decipher which player they are selecting, but it will be someone that the organization has had in the building for a pre-draft visit, or that the team at least met with at the player's Pro Day.
The franchise likes to get to know a player before selecting them in the draft, and checking off one or both of those boxes is the best way to do so. One player that the Steelers had in for a pre-draft visit is edge rusher Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M.
Pittsburgh has some level of interest in Stewart, but fans should not be excited if he is the selection in the first round. Well-respected ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller was asked for his opinion of Stewart on a recent episode of the Bootleg Football podcast, and his words should make every team think twice about picking Stewart.
"I have a hard time with him.” Miller said. “He is the reason for the ‘draft good football players’ sticky note, because of the hype. He had 1.5 sacks each of the last three seasons and that doesn’t even begin to paint the picture. He just, he wasn’t an impact. I know he had 26 pressures, that’s kind of his calling card, he got into the backfield a little. But I wasn’t impressed.”
Miller is a big proponent of spending premium picks on good football players rather than the raw athletes that are a bit of a project. A project should certainly be the label for Stewart. During his college career he played in 37 games over three years, and he tallied just 4.5 sacks while playing along the defensive line and as an edge rusher.
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Former Texas A&M defender Shemar Stewart during the 2024 season.
The versatility and raw athleticism is undoubtedly attractive for some NFL teams, especially in a day and age where premiere edge rushers are so vital to a team's success. However, raw athleticism is something a team should be drafting for on Day 3 of the event, not in the first round. Miller continued with some criticism over Stewart's collegiate career.
"He’s confusing as well.” Miller said. “Number one, what is he? Because he has been everything from 290 pounds to 267 pounds, so it’s like, ‘Ok, what are you? Who are you trying to be with this weight variance that is just wild?’ He is a great athlete. He looks like Myles Garrett from an athletic standpoint, but none of the football ability. He’s an athlete not a football player. He doesn’t have a pass rush plan, he doesn’t know how to use his hands, he doesn’t know how to set up moves.”
When rushing the passer it is important to have a calculated approach. There may be some snaps where a defender is setting up a lineman for a specific move later in the game, and Stewart doesn't have any of that in his game. He struggled against the top two tackle prospects in the 2025 class in Will Campbell and Armand Membou, and all signs point to him being a bust in the first round.
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Former Oregon defender Derrick Harmon during the 2024 season.
Steelers Need To Focus On The Positions Of Need
Pittsburgh still views itself as a team that is trying to win a Super Bowl, which means the organization should be making the majority of its picks with a player's immediate impact being the primary deciding factor. A player like Stewart would not move the needle.
Not only is he a raw prospect, but the Steelers have too much talent at outside linebacker already. Stewart would never see the field over TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, or Nick Herbig. It would be a waste of a selection, even if they want to use him on the inside.
If the Steelers want to attack the front seven of their defense, an interior defensive lineman is the best way to do that. Derrick Harmon or Walter Nolen should be able to make an impact in the NFL almost immediately.
Would you want Pittsburgh to draft Stewart? Let us know in the comments below!
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