The Pittsburgh Steelers had some clear goals when entering the 2025 NFL Draft. The organization wanted to draft players with great value, while also addressing the one of the team's biggest weaknesses, which is defending the run game. This was Pittsburgh's kryptonite at the end of the 2024 season, and it is a big reason the end of the year was such a disaster. The franchise came out and addressed the issue immediately by drafting defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick, and the organization added some more help later on in Jack Sawyer and Yahya Black.
Adding some youth to the defensive line was a necessity for the Steelers, but that is not the only place that run support can come from. The Baltimore Ravens ran all over Pittsburgh when they beat the Steelers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last season, and in order to keep that from happening again, Pittsburgh needs willing tacklers at every level. Guys that are not going to quit, and players who are wise enough to see certain trends from the offense. According to The Athletic's NFL Draft Analyst Nick Baumgardner, Pittsburgh landed a player like that in Iowa's Sebastian Castro.
"A three-year starting safety — and a playmaker — for Phil Parker’s always-tough Iowa defense, Castro doesn’t have elite athleticism, but is an extremely smart defender, both in pass coverage (especially zone) and run support," Baumgardner wrote.
Pittsburgh signed Castro as an undrafted free agent right after the event ended, and some media personalities focused on the spectacle were a bit surprised Castro did not get selected through seven rounds. He has plenty of experience playing football as he started for three seasons at Iowa, which is especially hard to do as the Big Ten is one of the toughest brands of football at the college level.
Castro is still a longshot to make the final roster heading into Week 1 in Pittsburgh, but he might have the best chance out of all the undrafted rookies the Steelers plan to bring in. He is a safety that specializes in run support, and he also made countless big plays during his college career. His best season in college came in 2023 when he recorded 67 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss. He also picked off three passes, returning one for a touchdown. If he can play the way he did in college once he gets to Pittsburgh, there would be no world in which he should not make the team.
Teams typically address their needs throughout the 2025 NFL Draft, but it is unusual to see a team sign an undrafted free agent that so clearly can come in and help the defense right away. Usually teams just sign players who are freak athletes that might be able to turn into something, or players are brought in to bring some competition to certain positions.
Castro can play up in the box, or he can be a part of some big nickel packages for the defense. He should be versatile, which probably gives him the best chance to make the final roster out of every undrafted free agent that has been signed.
Steelers Have A Crowded Safety Room Heading Into 2025
Making a roster as an undrafted free agent is not easy, and that is mainly because there are usually a handful of veterans in front of you at the position. That will be the case for Castro in Pittsburgh, but making the roster is not out of the question. Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott are obvious starters at the two safety positions for the Steelers. Miles Killebrew is a safety that is one of the best special teamers in the league, but rarely plays defense. The other players ahead of Castro are Juan Thornhill and Joshuah Bledsoe, who were both added during the 2025 offseason.
Bledsoe hasn't played in the NFL since 2023, but Thornhill should make the roster. There were weeks during the 2024 season where Pittsburgh had five active safeties on game day, and that fifth safety could very well be Castro, as long as he serves a role on special teams and can be versatile on defense.
