Way-Too-Early Mock: Steelers Survive Heyward Departure
For now, the Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward are at an impasse. Stalled-out contract negotiations aren’t yet reason to sound the alarms, but the possibility of Heyward’s final season in Western Pennsylvania coming this season is becoming more likely with each passing week.
Heyward isn’t gone just yet, but his negotiations – slowed by concerns over health, declining productivity, and age – are a harsh reminder that the Steelers’ core is aging, and without continued success in the NFL Draft, could lower the floor of an otherwise consistent organization.
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Every team needs to draft well, but the first round of the 2025 draft presents Pittsburgh with more urgency than in years past. The Steelers need a difference-maker.
In Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft, they took one.
Pittsburgh made the 14th pick, a reasonable expectation for the coming season. There, they took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
“Aside from Keanu Benton, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an aging defensive front that could use an injection of youth and terrifying (for opposition offenses) talent,” Oliver Hodgkinson wrote. “Mason Graham is a mauler forged in the Michigan trenches who has pocket-pulverizing power and remarkable pass-rush potential due to athleticism that belies his stout 6’3″, 318-pound frame.”
It should be noted that Graham isn’t a one-for-one replacement for Heyward. In the event the veteran leaves, the rookie wouldn’t be asked to fill his spot, as Graham is significantly bigger than his potential predecessor.
Where he would replace Heyward is in his impact on the defensive line.
Graham has the combination of power and athleticism to project as the next strong pass-rushing defensive tackle in the NFL. His mass plays well against the run, too, keeping him viable for most downs and distances.
Keeping T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith dangerous is a task made easier with a formidable interior defensive front, and Graham falling to 14 would be a favorable outcome for the next rendition of the Steelers defensive line.