The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker core has been under some renovation for the past few years. Let’s take a look at where they stand heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
To start, let’s begin with the best defensive player in football. Trent Jordan Watt (everyone calls him TJ Watt) What is there to say that hasn’t been said already? He is, by all accounts, one of the most dominant defensive players in the league. Having Watt on the edge guarantees that the opposite edger rusher will face one-on-one blocking. Watt struggled down the stretch last season and was seeing double and even triple teams and seemed to wear down. Watt will be 31 during the 2025 season and may begin to slow down.
Next to Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a young and upcoming linebacker in Nick Herbig. Herbig is a young, fast, athletic player who can either play in coverage or get to your quarterback. Herbig’s versatility gives the Steelers a great depth piece on defense.
At the inside linebacker position, the Pittsburgh Steelers have Patrick Queen whom they signed in free agency from the Baltimore Ravens last season. Queen took some time to get comfortable on the Steelers defense, but finished the season strong. Queen ended the 2024 campaign with 129 tackles.
At the other inside linebacker position, the Steelers have a very underrated player in Cole Holcomb. Holcomb is a player who plays hard week in and week out plays hard and is a reliable tackler. Holcomb is expected to make a full recovery on his knee after an injury he suffered that sidelined him for the season.
At the right inside linebacker position, the Steelers have an athletic player in Payton Wilson. Wilson made some really solid plays throughout his rookie campaign and proved he could be a game changer with his turnover ability.
Next to Wilson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have recently signed free agent Malik Harrison. Harrison is the second Baltimore Ravens linebacker to be poached by the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency over the past two seasons. Harrison is a strong tackler who has the ability to play in space.
To finish out the linebacker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hopeful that Alex Highsmith will take advantage of T.J. Watt’s double teams. Highsmith was relatively quiet throughout the course of the season last year and the team will need him to get back to his 2022 form when he finished with 14.5 sacks. Next to Highsmith, the Steelers have an under the radar player in DeMarvin Leal. Leal turned some heads in training camp and could be a nice depth piece in 2025.
In terms of depth and rotational players, the Steelers have some possible pieces in Jeremiah Moon, Mark Robinson and Devin Harper. There’s more than enough talent and bodies there to even out the room. Everyone knows you need as many bodies as you can get when playing in the AFC North.
(photo courtesy of NFL.com)