What positions were surprisingly missing from the Steelers 2025 draft haul?

Most of us can agree that heading into the 2025 draft, the Steelers had several needs where you could easily justify using one of their seven picks. The obvious ones — defensive line, quarterback, and running back — were all addressed in some form or fashion, thankfully.

Outside of those three, the Steelers didn’t have any glaring draft needs, but they certainly could’ve used some reinforcements for 2025 and beyond. So, let’s take a look at some of the positions the Steelers left out of their draft haul — ones I thought had a good chance of being addressed at some point over the weekend.

Offensive Guard

When looking at the Steelers’ depth chart from last season, they had James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, Mason McCormick, and Spencer Anderson as their main options heading into the year. Unfortunately, James Daniels suffered a season-ending injury early in the process, which left a combination of McCormick and Anderson playing alongside Seumalo for the remainder of the season. This made it crucial for the Steelers to have four-deep NFL-level talent at the position — otherwise, they’d have been pulling band-aid solutions off the street real quick.

Now, as we head into the 2025 season, the Steelers have Seumalo and McCormick, with Anderson backing them up — as the aforementioned Daniels signed with Miami in free agency. That left the Steelers just three deep before the draft, with two of those players still relatively unproven. On top of that, their one established starter, Seumalo, is projected to hit free agency at the end of this season.

Personally, I expected the Steelers to draft a college guard or a tackle with the versatility to kick inside at the next level — someone who could either push McCormick for the starting job this year or sit and develop, then compete for a guard spot in 2026 if Seumalo walks in free agency.

Wide Receiver

The Steelers finally addressed the top of the wide receiver room this offseason with the blockbuster trade and extension of former Seahawk DK Metcalf, who will no doubt be the pillar of the group for the foreseeable future. However, outside of Metcalf, there are no guarantees beyond 2025. Both George Pickens and Calvin Austin are out of contract after this season, barring an extension — which would leave the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the depth chart wide open.

Behind them, the Steelers have Roman Wilson — essentially a redshirt rookie who couldn’t even get a helmet last year when healthy — a 33-year-old Robert Woods, and fan favorite Ben Skowronek. As of now, the only one with a realistic shot to grow into a No. 2 or 3 role is Wilson, assuming he can put together a solid season.

That’s why I expected the Steelers to take a receiver at some point on Day 3 — someone with at least one standout trait, whether it’s size, speed, route running, ball tracking, or something else they value. A developmental piece they could mold for a year in the system — giving them another young option in a position group full of long-term uncertainty.

Outside Corner Back

The last position I thought could’ve been an option for the franchise was outside cornerback. Looking at the current landscape of the room, it’s headlined by Joey Porter Jr. and 34-year-old Darius Slay, who’s on a one-year deal. Behind them are Brandon Echols and Cory Trice — the latter having struggled to stay on the field throughout his NFL career.

From this group, I expect Porter Jr. and Slay to start on the outside, with Trice as the next man up. Echols, meanwhile, will likely compete with Beanie Bishop for slot reps. That setup puts a lot of faith in Trice — a player who, through two NFL seasons, has appeared in just six games and logged only 194 total snaps, according to PFF.

With that in mind, I thought the Steelers might target another cornerback in their typical “avatar build” — someone who could compete with Trice during camp and provide insurance in case injuries hit the room again this season.

I do understand that the team had limited draft capital, which means not every hole on the roster could realistically be filled in one class. Plus, who knows — there might still be some moves to be made in free agency that could help address a few of these perceived needs in the coming months.

That said, were there any other positions you thought the Steelers might target during the draft that they didn’t? Or do you think they did enough to check off most of the boxes they needed to?