An after Senior Bowl mock draft
After spending the week in Mobile for Senior Bowl practices, there were several players that raised their draft stock — at least one of which will become a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This mock doesn’t feature trades, though I do see one taking place. However, for this exercise, I went without it. So let’s jump into my second Steelers mock draft of the offseason.
Round 1, Pick 21: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
He’s a polished route runner with great hands and the ability to be an immediate No. 2 and eventual No. 1 in the offense.
Round 2, Pick 53: DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
Mike Tomlin clearly has his eyes on the 6-foot-7 behemoth, and even shared a few words with him in between drills on Wednesday. He’s big, he’s got very long arms, and once he figures out who to consistently use all of that size to his advantage at the NFL level, he’ll be a real problem.
Round 3, Pick 85: CB Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Thomas was one of the top players in Mobile during Senior Bowl practices. Not to mention during the 2024 season, he allowed a passer rating of just 50.2 while targeted, per PFF. The Seminoles had a season to forget, but Thomas was maybe the lone bright spot on a bad team.
Round 4, Pick 121: RB Trevor Etienne, Georgia
Etienne is a terrific dual threat out of the backfield. On top of nine touchdowns on the ground, he had 32 catches out of the backfield in 2024. On top of that, he is an excellent zone runner, which the Steelers do a lot of.
Round 5, Pick 163: WR Tai Felton, Maryland
It wouldn’t be a true Mike Tomlin draft without a Terrapin, would it? That said, Felton was terrific in 2024. He had 96 catches for over 1,100 yards and nine scores. At 6-foot-2, he has great size for jump balls, but also has the acceleration to break away from pursuing defenders and is incredibly elusive.
Round 7, Pick 225: C Drew Kendall, Boston College
Interior depth is never a bad idea to grab, especially at the tail end of the draft. Kendall excelled for the Eagles in 2024 as one of the better centers in the nation.
Round 7, Pick 249: LB David Gbenda, Texas
Gbenda has tremendous balance at the linebacker position, thriving in both the run game and in coverage. That type of player has seemingly evaded the Steelers and would be a cusp player that could make the roster as a seventh-round pick.