JB's 2025 mock draft and free agency, 2.0

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Boy how I would part ways with Tomlin who has not won a playoff game in 8+ years. Trade or cut. Alias that is not happening.


So here is my plan as of Febuary 2025 for the Steelers:


[url]https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/pittsburgh-steelers[/url] ([url]https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/pittsburgh-steelers[/url])

current cap number 40.7 million in cap space.



First to Ax.


Larry O 7 million saved by cutting
Cole Holcomb 6 million save by cutting
Preston Smith 13.4 million saved by cutting!

26.4 M saved. Cap space now 67.1



Now for the restructures:

RFA Warren. Sign him at market value. He is a RFA!!

Feilds 7 million a year for 1 years OR Joe Flacco for the same amount. One of these three.


We keep

Donte Jackson Top 20-30 CB pay. Whatever that is. Pay the man.

James Pierre 2.5 million. He is a proven swiss army like player and good on special teams.




Bye bye- Harris, Wilson, Moore, Daniels, Sutton , Roberts. The Steelers won't miss you.



Now for the new free agents!


DL Levi Onwuzurike

Our upgrade run stopper.

[url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/levi-onwuzurike/43679#gradesWidget[/url] ([url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/levi-onwuzurike/43679#gradesWidget[/url])

15 + Million a year




WR Tee Higgins

[url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/tee-higgins/61211#gradesWidget[/url] ([url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/tee-higgins/61211#gradesWidget[/url])

Our very good #1 or #2 WR.

25+ million a year. Get the man and pay him!





Players that need to restructure due to performance and play but still are decent starters.


Suemalo - Pay him 2 million less OR we cut him and save 7.8 million a year in cap space.




Steeler 2025 mock draft. 3-2-25. Things will change as players work out, and interview. But as of right now here is how I see it.


Round 1. QB McCord. Threw for an insane 4,479 yards in 13 games. He averaged 367.6 yards a game and threw for 34 TD's. His team averaged 34.1 points a game. And he did it by throwing the ball to average college receivers, with a so-so grond game. Neither the RB or TE were good receivers nor could they hit big plays in the passing dept. It was all his throwing it 7+ yards down the field to WR's. McCord is not a "check down " type of QB. The ball zings out his hand. We have a possible QB 1 for the future at a cheap cap amount for 5 years. He had the most passes beyond 15 yard is college last year and throws with velocity and spins it well. Very smart.


Round 2. RB Sampson. A speedy back who must be accounted for every play. He is explosive, very fast, can executive cut back runs and catches the ball well. He can beat the front seven to the corner. DANGEROUS. While not a workhouse type in the NFL he is a good back who can carry the ball 15 times a game. Teams must account for his speed. The type of back that prevents jamming the middle as the safeties better play wide and the linebackers need to watch the outer gap responsibility.


Round 3. DT Alfred Collins. A massive run defender, and very good at his task. He won't light it up as a pass rusher but he can make plays vs the pass and shown a knack to swat passes. The Steelers need DT as Heyward is old but still good, and we really do not have a good DT beyond him.


Round 4 S / nickel defender Styles A big safety ( 6'4" 235 lbs ) capable of covering the TE while adding to the run. He is very deployable in the nickle and dime situations.

Round 5 RT. Dellinger. A power player, solid in pass protection. A swiss army knife type and battle tested in the SEC.

Round 7 FB Bredeson. We need a sub package guy who can lead block well. Very well. As such he is worth a 7th round pick and a welcome addition to our Jumbo package.

Round 7 S. Sanders Not a workout guy, but a guy who can contribute as a dime defender or a special team ace. Has NFL bloodlines.


- JB

[Northern_Blitz]

I also prefer staying with Fields. But I think he's going to cost significantly more than $7MM / year. And I'd rather have him for 2-3 years. The QB class this year sounds like it won't be good (not as bad as the Kenny year though). And Wilson / Fields will be the 2nd 3rd best QBs available. I won't be surprised if both end up wanted to test UFA.

I'd probably be OK with trying to get Higgans, even though I won't like the price. But it sounds like CIN is going to tag him.

When IS very declines to take a pay cut, you're going to cut him. What do you do with the hole at G?

I'm the last to say that I'm some college scout, but I absolutely hate the idea of a QB in the first where we pick. This sounds like Kenny part 2 to me. Then we lose several years figuring out that this guy can't be an above average starter. I get that QB is the most important need, but reaching for one is a bad plan IMO.

I think I'd like to upgrade on our CB2. Sounds like there are several options available in UFA and a decent CB pool. We also need a slot CB.

It's nice that RB and DL (two positions we'll need) are deep this year. Hopefully that means we can either get a stud DL in round 1, or we can go BPA in rd 1 and wait. I wouldn't mind a double dip since at DL.

[Oviedo]

Fields is going to cost at least $10M per year

Drafting McCord in Round 1 is incompetence at the highest level.

I'd rather have Judkins or Henderson in Round 2, but I'd go after a Def lineman here and would double dip this draft on DL

I'd wait until Round 3 to look at a RB since you are bringing back Warren and take a hard look at RJ Harvey. Super explosive and elusive and runs with more power than you would expect. Great hands as a receiver too.

[WindyCitySteel]

If we go Fields I expect a guy like Milroe or Leonard, who are both excellent runners, too. Remember Rooney’s comments about the QB room sharing basic skill sets.

If they stick with Russ, maybe a guy like McCord, but not on day one.

[Iron City Inc.]

Boy how I would part ways with Tomlin who has not won a playoff game in 8+ years. Trade or cut. Alias that is not happening.


So here is my plan as of Febuary 2025 for the Steelers:


[url]https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/pittsburgh-steelers[/url] ([url]https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/pittsburgh-steelers[/url])

current cap number 40.7 million in cap space.



First to Ax.


Larry O 7 million saved by cutting
Cole Holcomb 6 million save by cutting
Preston Smith 13.4 million saved by cutting!

26.4 M saved. Cap space now 67.1



Now for the restructures:

RFA Warren. Sign him at market value. He is a RFA!!

Feilds 7 million a year for 1 years OR Joe Flacco for the same amount. One of these three.


We keep

Donte Jackson Top 20-30 CB pay. Whatever that is. Pay the man.

James Pierre 2.5 million. He is a proven swiss army like player and good on special teams.




Bye bye- Harris, Wilson, Moore, Daniels, Sutton , Roberts. The Steelers won't miss you.



Now for the new free agents!


DL Levi Onwuzurike

Our upgrade run stopper.

[url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/levi-onwuzurike/43679#gradesWidget[/url] ([url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/levi-onwuzurike/43679#gradesWidget[/url])

15 + Million a year




WR Tee Higgins

[url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/tee-higgins/61211#gradesWidget[/url] ([url]https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/tee-higgins/61211#gradesWidget[/url])

Our very good #1 or #2 WR.

25+ million a year. Get the man and pay him!





Players that need to restructure due to performance and play but still are decent starters.


Suemalo - Pay him 2 million less OR we cut him and save 7.8 million a year in cap space.




Steeler 2025 mock draft. 3-2-25. Things will change as players work out, and interview. But as of right now here is how I see it.


Round 1. QB McCord. Threw for an insane 4,479 yards in 13 games. He averaged 367.6 yards a game and threw for 34 TD's. His team averaged 34.1 points a game. And he did it by throwing the ball to average college receivers, with a so-so grond game. Neither the RB or TE were good receivers nor could they hit big plays in the passing dept. It was all his throwing it 7+ yards down the field to WR's. McCord is not a "check down " type of QB. The ball zings out his hand. We have a possible QB 1 for the future at a cheap cap amount for 5 years. He had the most passes beyond 15 yard is college last year and throws with velocity and spins it well. Very smart.


Round 2. RB Sampson. A speedy back who must be accounted for every play. He is explosive, very fast, can executive cut back runs and catches the ball well. He can beat the front seven to the corner. DANGEROUS. While not a workhouse type in the NFL he is a good back who can carry the ball 15 times a game. Teams must account for his speed. The type of back that prevents jamming the middle as the safeties better play wide and the linebackers need to watch the outer gap responsibility.


Round 3. DT Alfred Collins. A massive run defender, and very good at his task. He won't light it up as a pass rusher but he can make plays vs the pass and shown a knack to swat passes. The Steelers need DT as Heyward is old but still good, and we really do not have a good DT beyond him.


Round 4 S / nickel defender Styles A big safety ( 6'4" 235 lbs ) capable of covering the TE while adding to the run. He is very deployable in the nickle and dime situations.

Round 5 RT. Dellinger. A power player, solid in pass protection. A swiss army knife type and battle tested in the SEC.

Round 7 FB Bredeson. We need a sub package guy who can lead block well. Very well. As such he is worth a 7th round pick and a welcome addition to our Jumbo package.

Round 7 S. Sanders Not a workout guy, but a guy who can contribute as a dime defender or a special team ace. Has NFL bloodlines.


- JB

McCord is good but i do not see him as a day one guy. He won't be playing against Holy Cross this year. Now he imho could be very good and a good value guy but I'm thinking late day 2.
Sampson didn't run the 40. He's fast but not Tuten fast. Those solid backs with speed because of the depth should be around in the 3rd. That's where their value is.
I'm with you on the need at DT. Collins was productive on a very high level. You don't pick him in round 2 he won't be around in the 80's.

We do need qb, rb and Dt. We're fortunate this draft has some depth at those positions. Where we go in free agency will clue us in as far as filling a hole or two. Corner or wr for example as free agents along with drafting DT, Rb and qb will help us start to turn this around.

[Northern_Blitz]

Fields is going to cost at least $10M per year

Drafting McCord in Round 1 is incompetence at the highest level.

I'd rather have Judkins or Henderson in Round 2, but I'd go after a Def lineman here and would double dip this draft on DL

I'd wait until Round 3 to look at a RB since you are bringing back Warren and take a hard look at RJ Harvey. Super explosive and elusive and runs with more power than you would expect. Great hands as a receiver too.

Fields is in a really weird position because he's better than the bad QBs (~ $10MM) but clearly not a ~ $30MM/year guy. There aren't many contracts in that $20MM / year range that he's probably looking for.

Good news is that unlike last year, he didn't play much this year. So the "up to" type bonuses can be in his contract and count as "unlikely to be earned".

I am hoping that we can get him back for whatever the cap inflation adjusted version of the Mitch contract was. One where the base money is OK but not great. But the bonuses for playing time and starting a game / winning in the playoffs are high.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

I also prefer staying with Fields. But I think he's going to cost significantly more than $7MM / year. And I'd rather have him for 2-3 years. The QB class this year sounds like it won't be good (not as bad as the Kenny year though). And Wilson / Fields will be the 2nd 3rd best QBs available. I won't be surprised if both end up wanted to test UFA.

I'd probably be OK with trying to get Higgans, even though I won't like the price. But it sounds like CIN is going to tag him.

When IS very declines to take a pay cut, you're going to cut him. What do you do with the hole at G?

I'm the last to say that I'm some college scout, but I absolutely hate the idea of a QB in the first where we pick. This sounds like Kenny part 2 to me. Then we lose several years figuring out that this guy can't be an above average starter. I get that QB is the most important need, but reaching for one is a bad plan IMO.

I think I'd like to upgrade on our CB2. Sounds like there are several options available in UFA and a decent CB pool. We also need a slot CB.

It's nice that RB and DL (two positions we'll need) are deep this year. Hopefully that means we can either get a stud DL in round 1, or we can go BPA in rd 1 and wait. I wouldn't mind a double dip since at DL.

Kenny was a dim witted, small handed, weak armed QB! I did not like the pick from the moment it was announced.

I am for trimming Seumalo's cap #. We can find a cheap replacement in free agency if need be. We save 7.8 M by cutting him so that won't be hard.

I am for ADDING a QB with lots of big plays ( the most in college ball ) and getting speedy players for him to use in the draft and free agency.

[hawaiiansteel]

Feilds 7 million a year for 1 years OR Joe Flacco for the same amount. One of these three.

There's competition for Justin Fields' services from teams like the Raiders and NY Jets.

That alone means Fields will command at least anywhere from $15-20 million a year.

[whatever]

Kenny was a dim witted, small handed, weak armed QB! I did not like the pick from the moment it was announced.

I am for trimming Seumalo's cap #. We can find a cheap replacement in free agency if need be. We save 7.8 M by cutting him so that won't be hard.

I am for ADDING a QB with lots of big plays ( the most in college ball ) and getting speedy players for him to use in the draft and free agency.

I was a huge fan of the kp selection.
Not that I thought he was the answer, but making a move to try to win was worth the gamble to me.
I think we should draft a qb in the first round this year too.
Continuing to kick the qb can down the road another year is nothing more than being happy with .500 again.

[WindyCitySteel]

I was a huge fan of the kp selection.
Not that I thought he was the answer, but making a move to try to win was worth the gamble to me.
I think we should draft a qb in the first round this year too.
Continuing to kick the qb can down the road another year is nothing more than being happy with .500 again.

Reaching for need is never the answer. Now, if you think a guy like Milroe is toolsy enough and you can groom him for a year or two and he’ll become The Guy, different story, but I wouldn’t just take a QB for the sake of taking one. Mason was a 3rd rounder for a reason, a lot of these guys are, too.

The more I think about it, Fields and Milroe make sense if they want to model after Philly but really should make sure you have the best QB coach available.

[NorthCoast]

Reaching for need is never the answer. Now, if you think a guy like Milroe is toolsy enough and you can groom him for a year or two, different story, but I wouldn’t just take a QB for the sake of taking one. Mason was a 3rd rounder for a reason, a lot of these guys are, too.

After the KP pick, I don't trust Tomlin to pick any QB in any draft. Wait till he's gone before trying again.

[Northern_Blitz]

After the KP pick, I don't trust Tomlin to pick any QB in any draft. Wait till he's gone before trying again.

I don't think there was a good QB to pick in that draft.

And we seemed hell bent on picking one regardless of who was available. FWIW, I think this is the part that the FO (Tomlin obviously a huge part of this) is to blame for.

Although we'll never know if that's the case. Maybe we wouldn't have gone QB if KP was gone. But my guess is that it's what we wanted. Colbert to give us one last gift of a QB.

I don't think Pickett was an unreasonable bet toward the end of the 1st. But most QBs fail.

I think the credit the FO deserves (including the HC) is that they cut bait on Kenny after year 2. Going hard against the traditional "Steelers way". It did take a pretty interesting confluence of events. But I think even if we did only end up with Mason and Kenny, we would have had a genuine competition after Mason clearly won the job the season before. But that's another thing we'll never know the answer to.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

After the KP pick, I don't trust Tomlin to pick any QB in any draft. Wait till he's gone before trying again.

Tomlin should opt out of picking QB's, OL, and RB's too. In fact remove him from the draft process all together.

[NorthCoast]

I don't think there was a good QB to pick in that draft.

And we seemed hell bent on picking one regardless of who was available. FWIW, I think this is the part that the FO (Tomlin obviously a huge part of this) is to blame for.

Although we'll never know if that's the case. Maybe we wouldn't have gone QB if KP was gone. But my guess is that it's what we wanted. Colbert to give us one last gift of a QB.

I don't think Pickett was an unreasonable bet toward the end of the 1st. But most QBs fail.

I think the credit the FO deserves (including the HC) is that they cut bait on Kenny after year 2. Going hard against the traditional "Steelers way". It did take a pretty interesting confluence of events. But I think even if we did only end up with Mason and Kenny, we would have had a genuine competition after Mason clearly won the job the season before. But that's another thing we'll never know the answer to.

Tomlin was once quoted that he 'doesn't want a rookie QB'. And that obviously was part of the decisions made last season. Grooming a rookie QB takes a certain kind of coaching, being flexible with schemes and gameplans to cater to their strengths. "We do what we do" isn't the best approach unless you have someone gifted as Roethlisberger.

[Northern_Blitz]

Tomlin was once quoted that he 'doesn't want a rookie QB'. And that obviously was part of the decisions made last season. Grooming a rookie QB takes a certain kind of coaching, being flexible with schemes and gameplans to cater to their strengths. "We do what we do" isn't the best approach unless you have someone gifted as Roethlisberger.

The unfortunate thing is that you pretty much need someone as gifted as Ben to have real success in the NFL.