With Cam Heyward turning 36 this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to start preparing for a replacement at defensive tackle. And luckily for the Steelers, this year's draft class is loaded at the position.
"Last year at this time, I had potential starter grades on 12 DT's. This year I have 24 of them. Ridiculous amount of depth at the position in this draft class," NFL Network draft analyst Daneil Jeremiah wrote on X .
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spent most of his time at the Senior Bowl practices hawking the defensive linemen , so it appears the Steelers will be targeting that position in the draft.
Steelers president Art Rooney II also hinted at it during an interview with Bob Pompeani of KDKA that defensive line will be a top priority for the club.
"On the defensive line, we probably need to get younger there," Rooney said. "We're fortunate to have (Cam Heyward) but we may need to look to have some young blood there this year."
Heyward was named first-team All-Pro in 2024 and it doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon, but the Steelers likely will want to acquire his successor to pair with rising lineman Keeanu Benton .
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Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cam Heyward coming out of the tunnel against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 22, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers want to build through the trenches. They've revamped the offensive line, and now it's time to do the same on the D-line. They want to mimic the Philadelphia Eagles , who have mastered the philosophy of winning in the trenches. That was evident in their dominating win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
The Eagles swarming defensive line was the story of the game, as the unit recorded a whopping six sacks on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes . Josh Sweat had a banner day, recording six tackles (2 solos), 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Milton Williams had two sacks and a force fumble and recovery.
The Eagles didn't blitz all game. The defensive line just absolutely dominated up front. The Steelers are hoping to replicate what the Eagles have accomplished.
The Steelers showed significant interest in a pair of down-the-board defensive line prospects during practice at the 2025 Senior Bowl — Florida State's Joshua Farmer and Toledo's Darius Alexander.
Alexander had 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss for the Rockets this season, and showed a well-rounded game, batting down for passes and returning an interception for a touchdown in Toledo's bowl game win over Pitt.
Against better competition at the Senior Bowl, he looked explosive moving forward and was a stalwart in team run periods.
On the third day, the Steelers swapped evaluators, bringing assistant general manager Andy Weidl in from the Shine Bowl. Weidl talked with Alexander after practice and is set to meet with him on Thursday night, according to Devin Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.
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