It is never too soon to start thinking about the 2025 NFL draft. Our friends over at Touchdown Wire agree. They have a new one-round mock draft out and you know we had to give it a look. They have the Pittsburgh Steelers picking No. 14 overall which falls in line with what most mock drafts are going at this point. No one is sure what is going to happen with this new-look Steelers offense.
For the pick, TD Wire opted for Georgia safety Malaki Starks. Here’s what they had to say about the pick:
The Steelers already have one great multi-position safety in Minkah Fitzpatrick, but you can never have too many of those types of players in your defense. So, as Mike Tomlin’s team looks to rebuild its secondary with Fitzpatrick and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. as the tentpoles, let’s give them Georgia safety Malaki Starks. Last season, Starks gave up 18 catches on 35 targets for 200 yards, 86 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, three interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 61.6. Moreover, Starks did his thing everywhere from free to box to slot, which is what you find from more and more collegiate safeties these days.
Starks is an amazing player with his strength in coverage being a huge bonus for the Steelers. There are a couple of spots right now where the Steelers could eye a playmaker in the first round and free safety is definitely one of them. Looking at this mock, the only other name I might want more who went after Starks is Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter who went one pick later.