The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here. After months of speculating about how the 2025 NFL Draft will unfold, we will soon witness which options will be on the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 21st overall pick.
NFL analysts have been scrambling to get their final mocks in order, and on the eve of the draft yesterday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk released his one and only first-round mock draft... and it included a selection I can almost guarantee you've never seen mocked to the Steelers before.
With the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Florio has the Steelers taking Colston Loveland, the tight end out of Michigan.
This is a peculiar selection, especially given the fact that both Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders are on the board at pick 21 in this mock draft. While I'm a big fan of Loveland and believe he would give the offense a notable boost, there isn't a chance the Steelers are going this direction tonight.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won't select Colston Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft
Colston Loveland is my 8th overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft, and I certainly wouldn't complain to see the impressive tight end in Pittsburgh. Considering Florio has the Steelers taking him at pick 21, this would be the biggest first-round steal imaginable. With a nearly 6'6'' frame and big catch radius, Loveland moves like a receiver before the catch and can create separation as well as any tight end I've graded over the past decade.
However, there has been zero connection between Loveland and the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout the pre-draft process.
There's a reason for this. The Steelers have a group of tight ends that they like. This includes Pat Freiermuth, whom they handed a big contract to last offseason, and Darnell Washington, who is ideal for the 'Y' tight end role. Pittsburgh would obviously find a way to get Loveland on the field if they drafted him, but taking him is far from realistic.
The Steelers never had a reported meeting with Loveland throughout the pre-draft process, and they didn't use a single top-30 pre-draft visit to bring a tight end to their facility.
I'm all about taking the BPA approach in the NFL Draft, and I believe there's a good chance Colston Loveland winds up being a top-five receiving tight end in the NFL. But Mike Florio must be completely disconnected from this team, because the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't taking Loveland with their first-round pick (if he's even on the board at this point).
