On the heels of the 2025 NFL draft, one other draft with a number of worth picks for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I used to be left with a query. How did their perceived “steals” (getting gamers later than many anticipated) stack as much as the remainder of the NFL?
So, the purpose of this text was to provide you with a quantity I’ll name “choose worth.” I used the common of Steelers Depot Draft Grades, NFL Mock Draft Database’s Huge Board (MDD), with private grades breaking any ties. Then I took every participant’s precise choose quantity and subtracted their rating to get the choose worth quantity.
The ultimate consequence I’ll current is the common of every workforce’s complete draft class. This gained’t credit score glorious gamers who had been chosen the place they had been anticipated to be drafted, for instance Cam Ward at first general, however hopefully I’ve made the purpose of this view clear. Listed here are the outcomes:
Straight away, these measures tamper the worth that Pittsburgh obtained within the draft, touchdown nineteenth throughout the NFL at 64.82. There have been high quality alternatives, don’t get me improper, however this yr was fairly a bit decrease than current seasons, together with high 5 hauls the previous two years.
The most effective 2025 choose worth for Pittsburgh was their first rounder: Oregon DL Derrick Harmon at 121.85. He had an 8.7 Steelers Depot Draft Grade and went two picks sooner than Mock Draft Database’s (MDD) expectations.
Second-best was within the fourth spherical, Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer. Everybody’s draft boards are totally different, however MDD had him at 59th general. The Steelers pounced on the chance at 123rd general. A Steelers Depot Draft Grade of seven.6, bringing his choose worth to 103.3.
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson had the third-best 102.25 choose worth in Pittsburgh’s draft haul, which means their first three alternatives had been the cream of their draft in these phrases. An 8.5 Steelers Draft Grade (second-best of their class), 62nd on MDD’s large board, in comparison with his precise choice at 83rd general.
The spotlight of Pittsburgh’s late spherical alternatives was Ohio State QB Will Howard. His 83.65 choose worth consisted of an 8.3 Steelers Depot Draft Grade (third in Pittsburgh’s draft class) and a hundredth per MDD’s large board, in comparison with his precise choice at 185th within the sixth spherical.
The Steelers’ different three alternatives landed a lot decrease within the outcomes. Iowa DL Yahya Black was the groups fifth spherical choose at 164th general. MDD had him at 271, and he had the second lowest 6.8 Steelers Depot Draft Grade of the category, which resulted in a low 24.9 choose worth.
Pittsburgh’s two seventh spherical alternatives had been their lowest choose values as nicely: Washington LB Carson Bruener (13.3) and Central Michigan CB/PR Donte Kent (4.5). Bruener had a 6.6 Steelers Depot Draft grade and went 226th general, in comparison with a 349 MDD projection.
Solely six draft picks had a decrease choose worth than Kent, reiterating how a lot of a attain that choose felt. He was the one participant of the category we didn’t have a scouting report on pre-draft. He was 592nd on the MDD large board, versus his precise 229th spot he was chosen.
By means of Steelers lenses, it’s unlucky to see the Cleveland Browns because the workforce with the strongest choose worth within the class. This was after all aided by the historic fall of QB Shedeur Sanders (high 10 projection, chosen within the fifth spherical) with a 129.65 choose worth, seventh greatest amongst all draft picks. In addition they didn’t “attain” in comparison with groups corresponding to Pittsburgh, with the Browns lowest choose worth being one other QB: Dillon Gabriel (58.05).
Rounding out the highest 5 had been Atlanta (94.47), the New York Giants (89.09), Tampa Bay (86.68) and Kansas Metropolis (85.96). The underside 5 consisted of Houston (56.91), Jacksonville (54.57), Denver (54.32), Inexperienced Bay (53.44) and San Francisco (51.34).
Right here’s how the AFC North fared: Cleveland (first, 102.66), Cincinnati (ninth, 75.86), Pittsburgh (nineteenth, 64.82), and Baltimore (twenty sixth, 58.86). Every workforce had some sturdy particular person choose values, however the Ravens particularly “reached” on a number of of their 11 alternatives.
The Steelers had a powerful draft, letting the board come to them particularly on the primary two days of the draft. From spherical 5 on, the picks had been over-drafted in comparison with their projections and bumped the Steelers down the board on this examine.
Pittsburgh had a transparent plan in thoughts, notably bolstering the defensive trenches. This was a dire want and massive motive why the workforce collapsed within the painful shedding streak to shut the 2024 season. That’s, after all, extra encouraging than a examine like this. Hopefully it’s profitable in righting the wrongs that had been endured final yr. Knock on wooden that’s the case.
Whereas NFL groups had entry to extra info on the prospects and clearly totally different boards, I had enjoyable placing this collectively in an try to gauge how the Pittsburgh Steelers draft in comparison with the remainder of the league. I hope you loved it as nicely.
How do you’re feeling concerning the worth of the Steelers draft? What about the remainder of the NFL? Thanks for studying and let me know your ideas within the feedback.
