All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward and All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt were the two Pittsburgh Steelers players to crack ESPN's Top 100 Players list for the 2025 season. Heyward came in at No. 58, while Watt was just outside of the top 10 at No. 11.
"Heyward is playing some of the best football of his career of late. The defensive tackle earned All-Pro honors for a monstrous season in 2024, when he batted down a career-high 11 passes, collected eight sacks and recorded 20 QB hits. He is a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage and is poised to continue anchoring the Steelers' defense in 2025 ," Brooke Pryor of ESPN wrote.
ESPN projects Heyward to have 72 tackles and five sacks in 2025.
"Watt had an uncharacteristically quiet five-game stretch to end the 2024 season, and he has been blunt in his desire to shake things up entering 2025. Fresh off a record extension, he is focused on becoming more versatile and rushing from the left and right, " Pryor wrote
ESPN projects Watt to have 60 tackles, 10 sacks and three passes defended in 2025.
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt at training camp on July 24, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Steelers All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey , who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins in June, was tabbed as one of the biggest snubs from the top 100 list.
"Ramsey surprisingly slipped out of our top 10 cornerbacks list in July, but Pittsburgh believes he's got plenty left in the tank at age 30. Once the gold standard at corner, Ramsey still plays with fluidity and speed that's rare for a 6-foot-1 corner," Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote.
Fowler notes that some inside the league are expecting a resurgent Ramsey in 2025 after a trade from Miami to Pittsburgh which appears to have revitalized him.
"He can outstay his welcome," said one NFL personnel director, referring to Ramsey's relatively short tenures with clubs. "But when he's motivated and locked in, he's still really good."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Two Steelers Players Make ESPN's Top 100 Players List
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