27. Pittsburgh Steelers - Emery Jones, OT, LSU
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an interesting team. Justin Fields started the season for them and played pedestrian football. He hardly turned the ball over, but the Steelers offense was limp. He got sent to the bench in favor of Russell Wilson, and the Steelers offense has since come alive. However, they did beat up on the New York Jets and New York Giants, so let’s not put too much into this.
Wilson still might be capable enough, but he’s not a long-term answer. Based on the various moves the Steelers have made in recent years, I’d be shocked if they took a QB in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They probably have their eyes on more help along the offensive line and perhaps grabbing another wide receiver next to George Pickens.
In this NFL mock draft, I went with Emery Jones, a tackle from LSU. Now yes, the Steelers are dealing with some OL injuries, but Broderick Jones hasn’t really panned out that much. Being strong in the trenches is a huge reason why the Steelers have never had a losing record in the Mike Tomlin era.
But Tomlin and the Steelers defensive-minded culture is what is holding this team back. They need to be aggressive for a QB next offseason, but I’m not sure they’ll do that.
28. Green Bay Packers - Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
The Green Bay Packers can go in a number of directions in the 2025 NFL Draft if you ask me. The one negative about being a young team like the Packers is that many of their players would be due for contract extensions at the same time, and I’m not sure they’d be able to keep them all.
The team needs to continue hitting on draft picks like they’ve done in recent years. They’re 6-2 on the season and play the Detroit Lions in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL Season. I went with Jack Sawyer from Ohio State to give them a boost off the edge. If you told me the Packers went with a tackle here, I would not be surprised. Green Bay could make a Super Bowl run this year, but I think Jordan Love needs to take care of the football a bit better for that to happen.