Steelers Have New Favorite NFL Draft Position

The Pittsburgh Steelers are making their interest clear.

Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; National team wide receiver Jaylin Noel of Iowa State (12) and National team wide receiver Jayden Higgins of Iowa State (9) work through drills during Senior Bowl practice for the National team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- With the NFL Draft looming as the offseason is now in full swing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin as well as coordinators Teryl Austin and Arthur Smith have been in attendance at practices for the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

A group that Smith has put emphasis on watching is the wide receivers group, one that is full of top-end talent in this year's draft, according to multiple reports from Mobile.

While it seems unlikely that the Steelers will go with a wideout with their first round pick, the team is in need of more talent at the position in order to fix issues that have permeated the group all season.

The Steelers wide receiver room lacked depth throughout the season, and the moves they made were uninspiring. The move that was meant to change the way the room operated was landing Mike Williams, and he was rarely used throughout the rest of the season.

Pittsburgh Sports Now's Alan Saunders wrote about multiple options for the Steelers that participated in Senior Bowl practice, highlighting a couple he believed would be available after the first round of the draft.

One such player was Tai Felton out of Maryland, who showed flashes of being an elite wideout with the team.

"Felton is good at a lot of the same things as Steelers wide receiver George Pickens." Saunders wrote. "He’s fast, explosive, contorts his body to make ridiculous catches and has elite ball-tracking skills. The problem is that Felton is much smaller at 6-foot 5/8 and 186 pounds. That doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but it does make Felton a bit of a question mark."

Another player was Jack Bech out of TCU, whose Senior Bowl performance thus far has caught a lot of eyes.

Jack Bech checked in at the Senior Bowl at 6-foot-1 1/4 and 212 pounds, another solidly built wide receiver." Saunders wrote. "Bech plated mostly outside at TCU, and he’ll have to prove that he can stick there at the NFL level. He has the size and the strength to perhaps be able to overcome press man coverage. Or he could be someone’s big slot in a heartbeat. The Steelers haven’t had a player like that since trading away Chase Claypool in 2022, but Arthur Smith has used one before."

The Steelers will have a decent amount of options at the position, and will have to decide when to make the selection come the week of the draft.

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