The Pittsburgh Steelers’ NFL Draft plans have begun crystallizing after the scouting combine came to a close in Indianapolis.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, the prevailing belief is that the Steelers will ultimately select either a wide receiver or defensive tackle once they’re on the clock with their first pick, which currently sits at No. 21 overall in the first round.
“The consensus seven weeks before the draft is the Steelers will take either a receiver or a defensive tackle with their first pick,” Fittipaldo wrote.
Fittipaldo named Emeka Egbuka as a potential target for Pittsburgh, creating another link between the two sides after they’ve been connected with regularity over recent weeks and months.
The 22-year-old finished his career at Ohio State as its all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards with 205 and 2,868, respectively, which is quite the accomplishment considering the absurd amount of talent the program has pumped out at the position.
Egbuka, who was a key component of the Buckeyes’ national championship run this past season, raved about his formal meeting with the Steelers and called Russell Wilson one of his top quarterbacks in the league, so he’s someone to watch moving forward.
Fittipaldo also singled out Texas’ Matthew Golden as another player who could land in Pittsburgh after he ran a 4.29 40-yard dash, the quickest of any receiver this year.
Golden, who also formally met with the Steelers, transferred to the Longhorns ahead of the 2024 campaign after spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Houston.
He closed out the year with 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 games as Texas made it all the way to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
As for the d-line, Pittsburgh could benefit from adding another high-end talent to an interior group that already includes reigning first-team All-Pro Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton, the latter of whom could potentially move over to three-tech from nose tackle in 2025.
The Steelers could free up starting-level snaps by cutting Larry Ogunjobi, which would save $7 million against the cap.
If the team were to find his replacement in the early rounds of the draft, they could turn to the likes of Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon or Texas’ Alfred Collins, all of whom they formally met with at the combine.
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