When the Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the 2025 NFL Draft under GM Omar Khan, there was a lot of excitement about their haul across all seven rounds.
Midway through the 2025 season, that draft class for the Steelers looks pretty darn good. Outside of quarterback Will Howard and cornerback Donte Kent, the entire draft class is playing a role and contributing for the Black and Gold. Some way more than others, obviously, but Pittsburgh seems to have hit nicely on most of the draft class to this point.
First-rounder Derrick Harmon is a key starter defensively, while seventh-round linebacker Carson Bruener is a standout special teams piece under coordinator Danny Smith. Outside linebacker Jack Sawyer and defensive lineman Yahya Black have held down key rotational roles defensively, too.
The only real disappointment in the draft class so far has been running back Kaleb Johnson, though he has a shot at redemption down the stretch.
With that in mind, let’s grade the Steelers’ rookies at the midway point of the season.
DL DERRICK HARMON, GRADE: A-
Outside of a knee injury in the preseason finale that caused him to miss the first two games of the season and limit his impact, Harmon has been as advertised. He leads all rookie interior defensive linemen with 15 pressures. He’s also up to eight run stops on the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 273 defensive snaps, he holds a grade of just 51.0 overall from PFF, but has been much better than that. He has two sacks on the season, recording one in his NFL debut against the New England Patriots in Week 3 and another in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.
He also has a fumble recovery, jumping on a loose ball in Week 9 against the Colts. He’s been very good as a run defender, too. There’s a reason the Steelers put him into the starting lineup very quickly after drafting him. He’s as good as expected.
RB KALEB JOHNSON, GRADE: D-
There was a lot of hype surrounding Kaleb Johnson coming into the season. He was seen as a perfect fit in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s zone scheme and was a guy who could create after contact based on his college film. Once the NFL games started though, Johnson looked slow and lacked any great trait at the position.
Then, in Week 2 while returning kicks, Johnson made a killer mistake, leading to a Seattle touchdown. He was benched in that role and has seen limited action offensively since then. He’s very clearly the No. 3 behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell and playing time is going to be very limited moving forward.
But as the weather gets colder and the season gets longer, Johnson should see some increased opportunities to try and make an impact. The Steelers very clearly haven’t given up on him as a running back, getting him touches in back-to-back weeks. Right now, though, it’s hard to not be anything but disappointed in the rookie.
OLB JACK SAWYER, GRADE: B
I will admit that I was confused by the selection of Sawyer in the fourth round to address OLB4 on the roster behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. But the Steelers have needed that depth this season, and Sawyer has played some serviceable football when called upon.
Sawyer has already played 133 snaps defensively and has generated nine pressures, one sack and four run stops, according to PFF. He also has one interception, which came in Week 9 against the Colts. He’s still developing as a pass rusher and needs to add some moves to his game, but his motor runs hot and he’s able to provide the Steelers with consistent play when he’s on the field.
And not just on defense. Sawyer has logged 192 snaps on special teams and has really improved under Danny Smith, going from a guy who barely played special teams at Ohio State to a core guy for the Black and Gold.
DL YAHYA BLACK, GRADE: C
Late in the preseason, it appeared that Yahya Black was a potential sleeper, one who could step in and plug a major need along the Steelers’ defensive line. He was truly dominant in the preseason and had a great training camp. But once the regular season started, Black took a sizable step back. He looked overwhelmed and overmatched early in the season.
He had a strong showing in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers though, playing 24 snaps and grading out at an elite 91.0 overall. But outside that, Black has been largely quiet. He has played 197 snaps and is continuing to add plenty of experience, making improvements. He has just nine pressures on the season and three run stops.
Following a rough start to his career in the regular season, Black is starting to get his legs underneath him. Hopefully that’s a good sign moving forward as he continues to develop into a serviceable player.
QB WILL HOWARD, GRADE: INCOMPLETE
It’s entirely unfair to even try and grade Will Howard at this point. We never saw him take a single snap in the preseason due to his injury, and we’re unlikely to see him on the field at all this season as QB3. Once he went down with the broken finger and landed on the Reserve/Injured list, it was largely a lost season for him — on the field.
Off the field, he’s been able to soak up mentorship from Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, has had a hand in key parts of preparation behind the scenes for the offense. But that’s about it. There’s not much else to go off of with Howard right now.
ILB CARSON BRUENER, GRADE: A-
Brought in to battle Mark Robinson for the final inside linebacker spot and a key role on special teams, all Carson Bruener has done since putting on a Steelers uniform is make tackles on special teams.
In the regular season he’s only one-upped himself after a strong preseason. In 156 snaps on special teams, Bruener has 12 tackles and an elite 90.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. All he does is get himself around the football and make the stop on special teams.
I have shown a few Carson Bruener tackles on kick coverage. Here's one on punt coverage.
He starts the play blocking on the left flank of the long snapper and ends it with an impressive diving tackle.
Bruener was involved in 3 ST tackles for the first time.#Steelers pic.twitter.com/OBCXSuJSx3
— Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) October 28, 2025
It’s what he at the University of Washington, and it’s not a surprise he’s doing it in the NFL. Based on how his career has started so far on special teams, he should have a long, successful career in the NFL. That’s some great value there for the Steelers.
CB DONTE KENT, GRADE: INCOMPLETE
Much like Howard, there’s absolutely nothing to go off of with Donte Kent to give him anything other than an incomplete grade. Kent injured his foot or ankle early in training camp and was in a boot for about a week in Latrobe. He never returned to practice and landed on Injured Reserve as the Steelers made changes to their 53-man roster shortly after making final cuts.
Kent was believed to be a potential answer in the kick- and punt-return game, but the ankle/foot injury landed him on the shelf. He hasn’t had his 21-day practice window opened just yet, and it might not get opened all season, leading to a possible redshirt year for the Central Michigan product.
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