The Pittsburgh Steelers may end up keeping Justin Fields around for the long-term. Can they build around him in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft? Justin Fields may not let the starting job go. If he continues playing at a high level, there really is no reason for them to start Russell Wilson.
Fields didn't look all that great in Week 1, but I guess if he figures it out somehow in year four, more power to him. The Pittsburgh Steelers could keep Fields around and try to make it work. This could be done in the 2025 NFL Draft, where a ton of quality offensive prospects could be present.
Does this Steelers NFL mock draft adequately build around Justin Fields?
Steelers 2025 mock draft: Pittsburgh builds around QB Justin Fields
15th Overall Pick - Ekema Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the teams who seemed heavily involved in the WR trade market this past offseason. They appeared to be on the cusp of trading for Brandon Aiyuk, but the wide receiver ended up signing an extension with the San Francisco 49ers. Well, the next best thing may be to build through the NFL Draft.
So the Steelers will use their 15th overall pick in this 2025 NFL mock draft and take Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State has just churned out wide receivers in recent years including Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Can Egbuka be the next great OSU wide receiver?
47th Overall Pick - Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
The Pittsburgh Steelers have one very good CB in Joey Porter Jr, but do have a reason to add another one. Just because Pittsburgh may build around Justin Fields in this mock draft, it doesn't mean they won't add to their defense, so they'll bring along Daylen Everette.
Everette is just 20 years old and is in his junior year at Georgia. He's got one career interception and six career passes defended.
79th Overall Pick - Jaeden Roberts, OG, Alabama
Picking their third-straight player from a top-notch CFB school, the Pittsburgh Steelers take Jaeden Roberts, a guard from Alabama. The team signed guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency last year and currently have rookie Zach Frazier at center and James Daniels as their other guard.
They could justify using a top-100 pick on another interior player, so they'll do that here with Roberts to try and protect Justin Fields. The Steelers tackle situation is a bit odd. Dan Moore, Broderick Jones, and Troy Fautanu are their top three tackles, but it feels like they are playing musical chairs with those three players at the moment.
112th Overall Pick - Ja'Mori Maclin, WR, Kentucky
Ja'Mori Maclin began his collegiate career at Missouri, then went to North Texas, and is now at Kentucky. Maclin did cross the 1,000-yard mark in 2023 at North Texas, so he figures to try and put up some nice numbers against better competition. The Steelers should not shy away from adding multiple wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Steelerrs GM Omar Khan needs to figure this room out, and it's like any other position - you build through the draft and keep picking away at the position until it's settled. Could the Steelers have a three-headed monster at WR with George Pickens, Emeka Egbuka, and Ja'Mori Maclin?
144th Overall Pick - Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
Don't look now, but guys like Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi are getting older and older each season. They should look to address the defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft. For years now, the Steelers DL has been, arguably, their best team strength.
They'll pick Joshua Farmer from Florida State at pick 144. Farmer had seven tackles for loss in 2023 for the Seminoles.
149th Overall Pick - Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
The Steelers may have to invest extra resources into their offensive line given how squirrely Justin Fields is. Fields, in my opinion, is not a franchise QB, but there have been calls for the Steelers to "build around Fields." His old team, the Chicago Bears, had many fans say this exact thing. Well, you get what you pay for, and if the Steelers are keeping him around, they'll need the best offensive line possible.
Pittsburgh takes Anthony Belton at pick 149 in this NFL mock draft.
194th Overall Pick - Ethan Burke, EDGE, Texas
The Steelers bolster their EDGE room in the 2025 NFL Draft with Ethan Burke from Texas. Pittsburgh has always had a talented pass rush, and it's been led by TJ Watt for years now. Watt is unquestionably a future Hall of Famer but is not getting any younger. They also have Alex Highsmith on the other side holding it down as well.
Can Ethan Burke be the next great pass rusher from the Pittsburgh Steelers?
196th Overall Pick - Malik Dixon-Williams, S, UConn
With late-round picks in the NFL, many of them even struggle to make the team as a depth option. For guys like Malik Dixon-Williams, while he is a talented player, he may struggle to make the active roster. MDW has four career interceptions and nine passes defended thus far, so he's someone who could bring some nice ball skills to the backend of the Steelers defense.
203rd Overall Pick - Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
Every single NFL team that does not currently have a franchise QB should continue trying to find one until they do. Even if Pittsburgh does bring Justin Fields back, them taking a QB late in the 2025 NFL Draft should not be off the table. At pick 203, the Steelers select Noah Fifita from Arizona, perhaps hoping he can develop into a nice backup option.
There have been some late-round QBs who have developed in the NFL, most recently Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers.
206th Overall Pick - Jonah Monheim, OC, USC
With their final pick in this NFL mock draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers draft Jonah Monheim from USC. He's a center and someone who likely projects as a backup player at the NFL level, but having quality depth is extremely important. Take a look at the LA Rams for example. They've already been decimated by injuries and their depth is being tested early on.
Teams who are playing in January have high-end depth, so Pittsburgh should add as many talented bodies at crucial positions like the OL as possible.
Would this mock draft benefit them for the long-term?