PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers could find themselves with one of the most unique players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Looking ahead to next offseason, The 33rd Team predicts the black and gold will have an opportunity to add a star cornerback, who has also shined at wide receiver in college.
In their 2025 NFL Mock Draft, The 33rd Team has the Steelers selecting 14th. With their first-round pick, Pittsburgh adds to their cornerback room, selecting Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
"While Travis Hunter can play corner and wide receiver at Colorado, his best fit at the next level is probably on the defensive side," they write.
"His instincts and ball skills are much rarer on that side of the ball. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be smitten with Hunter's tough-nosed mindset, and he'll fill a huge need across from Joey Porter Jr."
Expected to play cornerback in the NFL, Hunter joins Joey Porter Jr. as the team's young building blocks on the outside. If they were to develop Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush, they'd have a core four of players all within their first three seasons.
As a corner during his first season at Colorado, Hunter finished with 30 tackles, two for loss, five pass deflections and three interceptions.
The Steelers barely made the playoffs last season and finished with the 20th pick in the draft. Therefore, despite the additions of Russell Wilson, Patrick Queen, Troy Fautanu and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, The 33rd Team believes they'll likely go backwards in 2024.
If that's the case, they may be looking for a quarterback in next year's draft. Unfortunately, there were none taken behind them in the mock draft. With four taken in front of them (Carson Beck, Shedeur Sanders, Garrett Nussmeier, and Jalen Milroe), there should be some options in the second round.
