Defensive line is an obvious eyesore on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster. Cam Heyward is still running strong, and Keeanu Benton has potential and talent, though 2025 will be a crucial year. Beyond those two, there’s not much. Like wide receiver last off-season, the Steelers have flooded the room with cheap veteran depth – Daniel Ekuale, Ezezi Otomewo, and bringing back Isaiahh Loudermilk – but don’t have a clear third starter. Not to mention an eventual heir to Heyward’s throne.
After trading for DK Metcalf and signing CB Darius Slay, the Steelers have plugged other big holes on the roster. It makes defensive line the obvious direction to go in the first round. But with pro days wrapping up and our pre-draft visitor list half complete, the dot-connecting simply isn’t there.
Under Mike Tomlin, there are two historic trends to becoming a first-round pick. Have him attend your pro day or be brought in for a pre-draft visit. Tomlin’s attended every one since at least Maurkice Pouncey in 2010, except for last year when Washington OT Troy Fautanu was brought in for a visit instead.
It’s just history, but it’s a strong connection going beyond correlation. Pittsburgh wants to meet the future face of their draft class. Know the person, not just the player, before investing a first-round pick.
Of the top defensive linemen in a strong 2025 class, who fits? So far, very few. Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant are among the top-three, all likely first-round picks. Tomlin didn’t attend any of their pro days. Yes, he would’ve been at Michigan had [Aaron Rodgers not come into town.](https://www.nfl.com/news/free-agent-qb-aaron-rodgers-visits-steelers-no-deal-imminent) But he wasn’t. He chose to sit with Rodgers rather than fly to Ann Arbor.
So far, none of them have come in for a pre-draft visit. Could it still happen? Absolutely, and it should. There will be another wave of visitors during the first two weeks of April post-pro days when prospects and teams have free time to meet. But until they’re reported in for a visit, they don’t make the list.
The defensive linemen [who _are_ on the visit list](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/2025-pittsburgh-steelers-pre-draft-visit-tracker-updating/) are mid-round types. Florida State’s Joshua Farmer is arguably the biggest name, projected to be selected in the third round. The others are Day Three types: Iowa’s Yayha Black, Ole Miss’ JJ Pegues, and SMU’s Elijah Roberts.
Even defensive line coach Karl Dunbar hasn’t been spotted once on the trail. Positional coaches don’t often correlate with first-rounders. That’s more of a mid-round thing, but we’ve seen virtually every other positional coach at least once, other than Dunbar. QBs Coach Tom Arth, RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner, WRs Coach Zach Azzanni, TEs Coach Alfredo Roberts, Assistant O-Line Coach Isaac Williams, and Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander have all been seen at non-Pitt pro days. The only positional coach who hasn’t is new Linebackers Coach Scott McCurley, and linebacker is one position the team should feel comfortable at.
Putting aside roster construction and purely looking at interest from a pro day and visit standpoint, the Steelers have easily shown more interest in top-end quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, cornerbacks, and safeties.
Smokescreen? Could this all be a ruse to throw us off the trail? It’s a game Pittsburgh hasn’t played in the past. No point in making your draft evaluation tougher to give the illusion that the team is drafting somewhere else.
I’m not saying the team is going to pass the defensive line by, and they definitely shouldn’t. It would be a major mistake if they ignored it in the early rounds unless the board is empty or they land a quarterback they feel can be the future of the franchise. Harmon, Grant, and Nolen could come in for visits next week. Or maybe the Steelers love Texas’ Alfred Collins or Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams, borderline first-round picks in draftnik eyes.
The Steelers drafting a defensive lineman in Round 1 will be the least shocking outcome to the fanbase. But if they don’t and ignore the need until the mid-rounds, the signs will have been there all along.