The Pittsburgh Steelers had a rather impactful rookie class under GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl during the 2025 season.
Outside of sixth-round quarterback Will Howard and seventh-round cornerback Donte Kent, every draft pick contributed on the field in various ways during the season, which saw Pittsburgh win the AFC North and host a playoff game for the first time since 2020.
Of those draft picks, just one was a true starter in first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. But outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, defensive lineman Yahya Black, inside linebacker Carson Bruener and running back Kaleb Johnson all contributed in some form during the season.
Yet the Steelers’ draft class was ranked in the bottom half of the league by CBS Sports on Wednesday morning, landing at No. 21 overall with a ‘C’ grade, slotted between the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 20 and the Washington Commanders at No. 22.
“Harmon missed some time due to injury, but he was impactful when available. It was important to identify younger pieces to that defensive line given the presence of Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi and other aging defenders in recent years,” CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards writes. “Defensive lineman Yahya Black also played a significant role for the AFC North champions.
“Edge rusher Jack Sawyer had some bright spots while T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith were dealing with injuries.”
Edwards’ grade clearly didn’t take into account Bruener’s impact as a seventh-round pick, considering there was no mention of him.
Special teams matter, and Bruener was an ace for the Steelers. He garnered All-Pro votes as a rookie, going from a seventh-round pick who won a training camp battle over veteran Mark Robinson to cementing himself as a special teams stalwart under former coordinator Danny Smith.
Granted, Johnson didn’t do much of anything for the Steelers, touching the ball just 29 times on offense. Plus, he had the egregious special teams gaffe in Week 2 against the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, leading directly to a touchdown and his benching on special teams.
But outside of that, the Steelers’ rookie class was an impactful group. Harmon did miss a handful of games, but when he was on the field the run defense was vastly better. He came on strong late in the year as a pass rusher, too, and the future looks very bright for him.
Sawyer felt like a luxury pick at the time, but as the Steelers dealt with injuries at OLB late in the year, the former Ohio State star stepped up and was a key piece at times, showing his abilities as a run defender and flashing at times as a pass rusher. He was a key contributor on special teams, too.
Black was a key contributor for the Steelers, too, stepping up when Harmon was hurt to provide the Steelers with some key reps along the defensive line.
The foundation laid by the Steelers’ rookies was rather strong, much stronger than Edwards and CBS Sports give them credit for in the season-ending grade.
Recommended for you