25. Pittsburgh Steelers - Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 through the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL Season, but their offense has been inefficient. They’re averaging just 15.5 points per game and have one offensive touchdown drive. I have no idea why people are trying to credit QB Justin Fields. But this has been the culture in Pittsburgh for a while:
Play just-barely-good-enough offense, don’t turn the ball over, and wear down opponents on defense. It’s a huge reason why the Steelers can finish with a winning record but do nothing in the playoffs. Until this culture changes and adapts to the modern-day NFL, the Steelers will continue down this path.
I don’t envision any major shakeups for the Steelers, so at pick 25, they’ll take cornerback Denzel Burke from Ohio State. It’ll be more of the same from the Steelers, who need another wide receiver and a franchise quarterback. Can GM Omar Khan actually address the QB position like an adult this offseason?
26. Houston Texans - Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
The Houston Texans hold pick 26 in this 2025 NFL mock draft. I personally believe they’re on their way to a Super Bowl victory in 2024, so when the real thing comes next April, they could be picking last in the first round. The Texans are 2-0 on the season and have everything working for them.
A future issue I can see is them losing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to a head coaching job. That could come as early as this offseason. For now, though, in this mock draft, Texans GM Nick Caserio will take the player he has at the top of his board and will draft Barrett Carter, a talented linebacker from Clemson.
DeMeco Ryans, the Texans’ head coach, knows the importance of good LB play, so that’s a huge reason why they take Barrett in this mock draft.