NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Steelers' first-round pick at No. 21

“I'm calling it now: Sanders projects as a top-15, maybe even top-12 starting QB in the NFL.” ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum says in his latest mock draft, “That would be huge for a Steelers franchise that was 20th in QBR last season (51.3)."

He’s not wrong, but Sanders won’t last until pick No. 21, which is why Tannenbaum has Pittsburgh trading up with Chicago for pick No. 10, giving up its first-round pick, a third-rounder (No. 83), a fourth-rounder (No. 123) and next year's first-round pick.

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Sanders has plenty of size and is generally regarded as a poised, accurate passer with a quick release. He made 24 starts for Colorado, throwing for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns after following his head coach and father Deion Sanders from Jackson State in 2023. 

Sanders completed 74 percent of his passes last season and his 37 touchdowns trailed only Miami’s Cam Ward (39), who many see as the best quarterback in the draft, a notion Sanders will look to dispel.

RB Omarion Hampton | North Carolina

“Hampton's impressive burst and power through contact make him a great fit for a Steelers running game in need of an identity,” NFL.com’s Chad Reuter says in a recent mock draft. Part of Pittsburgh’s identity crisis stems from losing running back Najee Harris in free agency. 

Harris led Pittsburgh in rushing in all four years with the team, averaging 1,078 yards and seven scores each season. Hampton led the ACC with 1,660 yards rushing last season and put up 3,565 yards and 36 touchdowns in three years as a Tar Heel. Like Sanders, Hampton is generally regarded as the second-best prospect at his position.

Try telling that to would-be tacklers who struggled to bring the 6-foot-1, 221-pound running back down last season. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein calls Hampton a “high-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength and aggression. He runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut.”

Hampton’s 1,222 yards after contact were second-most in the FBS in 2024, making him a perfect fit for a Steelers team that had the fourth-most rushing attempts (533) in the league last season.

DT Kenneth Grant | Michigan

Mike DeFabo of The Athletic would rather see the team focus on defense in the draft, especially after cutting starter Larry Ogunjobi to save $7M against the cap. At 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds, DeFabo thinks Grant could step in alongside or in between linemen Keeanu Benton and Cameron Heyward immediately.

Grant missed the NFL Scouting Combine with a hamstring injury, but put on a show at Michigan’s Pro Day with a 5.11 40-yard dash, a 31-inch vertical, an 8-foot-9-inch broad jump and 27 bench press reps at 330 pounds.

On the field, he had 6.5 sacks in three years with Michigan and set career marks in tackles (32) and passes defended (5) in 2024. While no one expects Grant to be the next “Mean” Joe Green, he should do well on a defense that allowed the eighth-fewest points (20.4) per game last season.