It’s been quite the offseason so far for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While most of the focus has been on their need at quarterback, they’ve quietly filled some holes across the roster in terms of depth. Now, heading into the draft, there’s a clear read on the Steelers’ biggest needs.
One of those, and perhaps the most dire, is on the defensive line- specifically, the interior. Steelers insider Gerry Dulac [held his weekly chat with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2025/03/19/nfl-free-agency-steelers-draft-omar-khan/stories/202503190034?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=discord) on Wednesday. He certainly feels that Pittsburgh’s biggest need, come draft day, will be on that unit.
“After not adding a quality, starting-capable DT in free agency, they darn well BETTER take one in the first round of the draft,” Dulac wrote. “Otherwise, it will be the same old thing. The D-line is the weakest and most vulnerable position on the team. If they don’t address it — again — and I mean in the first round, they deserve everything they get.”
The position was clearly a weakness for the Steelers in 2024. It was most obvious during their five-game losing streak to end the year. A myriad of things went wrong all at once to plague the Steelers’ season. But the defensive line was simply getting bossed around towards the end of the year. It culminated in one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history as the Steelers got bounced by the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round.
Pittsburgh has made some moves regarding the position in free agency, but nothing major. They brought back Isaiahh Loudermilk, who’s been with the team since 2021. Aside from that, [there were a couple of small moves](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/steelers-sign-dt-esezi-otomewo/), including bringing in Daniel Ekuale, Esezi Otomewo, and Domenique Davis.
They’ll also be a little less flexible during the draft. Pittsburgh made a bold move trading for DK Metcalf, but they had to send a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks. With needs at running back and quarterback (for now) also being prevalent, the Steelers could find themselves with fewer picks than holes they need to fill.
Luckily for the Steelers, the DL draft class is extremely talented in this year’s draft. The Steelers should be able to find a difference-maker at the position on all three days. However, the cream of the crop comes in the first round. Right now, a defensive lineman makes the most sense with that selection.