My Picks for the Top 15 Steelers Players This Season (10–6)

We now move on to the second edition of this three-part series, where I’m projecting who could be the Steelers’ top 15 players for the 2025 season. In Part 1, we covered the 15th through 11th rankings, which you can check out here. Once you’ve caught up on that, get ready because we are now diving into the next set of rankings.

10th | Aaron Rodgers

The 41-year-old quarterback was at the center of much discussion surrounding the Steelers after Justin Fields left, and during the draft, the team opted to stay away from selecting a future signal-caller. As we all know, they stayed the course and signed the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion to a one-year deal in Pittsburgh.

He’s not the all-world quarterback he once was, but even in the difficult situation with the Jets, he proved he can still spin the rock with the best of them. If he can be around 80% of the player he once was while commanding the huddle and efficiently moving the team down the field, I expect Rodgers to provide the Steelers with their best quarterback play since a pre-injury Roethlisberger. That kind of season could easily land him in the top 10 players on the roster for 2025.

9th | Patrick Queen

Queen didn’t quite hit like many would have expected after the Steelers handed him the biggest contract ever for an outside free agent in franchise history prior to the 2024 season. However, saying he was “bad” is far from the truth in my opinion, as he improved the longer he spent in the Black and Gold.

To add context to any potential struggles, Queen was adjusting to a brand-new system compared to what he ran in Baltimore, and he was also the green dot for the first time in his career, a responsibility that adds a lot to a linebacker’s plate. Over the course of the season, Queen grew into those responsibilities and began to look like the second-team All-Pro linebacker he was during his later years with the Ravens. I expect him to reach similar heights in his second year with the Steelers.

8th | Chris Boswell

Boswell is officially one of the best kickers in the sport after his 2024 season, where he led the NFL with 41 field goals made at a 93.2% success rate. On top of that, he converted all 35 of his extra-point attempts, earning the recognition he had long deserved as a Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

Heading into the 2025 season, he appears to be looking for an extension, and I think the Steelers need to get it done to keep him around for the foreseeable future. That is the level of confidence I have in Boswell entering this season, as he is expected to once again be the best player at his position.

7th | Troy Fautanu

These are lofty heights for a player who has only seen 55 snaps of regular-season action as a pro. After the Broncos game, he suffered a season-ending injury, essentially redshirting his rookie year. This makes it notable that he is being graded above multiple former All-Pros and young established players who have done more in the league.

Coming out of Washington, Fautanu was a consensus top-10 pick who fell to the Steelers due to injury concerns, highlighting the kind of pedigree he had entering the NFL. Everything we have seen and heard about him at the pro level suggests he is set to tackle the league head-on, thanks to his freakish athleticism and technical skill set. If he can put together a season his pedigree suggests, I don’t think ranking him this high is far-fetched at all.

6th | Alex Highsmith

Heading into year six of his career, Highsmith remains one of the most underappreciated players in the league. He is a proven sack artist who can consistently get into the backfield with his deep bag of pass-rush moves, including his nasty signature spin. Last season was injury-riddled, limiting him to just over 50 percent of the snaps he played in 2023, yet he was still disruptive.

In the 11 games he suited up for, Highsmith recorded six sacks and 33 quarterback hurries while maintaining his usual effectiveness against the run. If he can stay healthy, I expect to see an uptick in production and a return to form as one half of the league’s best pass-rushing duo. Should the 2025 season unfold that way, landing this high on the list makes perfect sense for the 28-year-old.

That’s another set of five names locked in, which means we’re down to the final stretch with just five players left before we wrap up this mini-series. With that being said, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have I ranked these names in fair places, or would you make some changes to the current list?