Steelers shut out of top players under 25 list

Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers roster is in a state of flux. The last two offseasons have felt like half-hearted attempts to rebuild various positional units, but there still remain more questions than answers. One of the best concerns is the lack of truly elite young talent on the roster. Proof of this is the list recently published by Pro Football Reference, ranking the 25 best players under 25 in the NFL.

The Steelers failed to land a single player on the list, which is an indicator of a roster when the best players are aging and the young players on the team aren’t performing up to their potential.

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As we look over the Steleers current roster, the only player we could make a case to be included is center Zach Frazier. Frazier was the Steelers second-round pick in 2024 and thanks to an injury to starting center Nate Herbig, found himself in the starting lineup quickly.

Frazier started 15 games for the Steelers in 2024 and finished as the second-highest rated rookie offensive lineman in the entire NFL. The Steelers have a long history of elite NFL centers and Frazier appears to be next in line.

Aside from Frazier, things get pretty dicey for the Steelers and young talent. cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton both took a step back in year two and edge defender Nick Herbig has shown very little. The Steelers 2025 rookie class, including defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and running back Kaleb Johnson looks great but it’s far too soon to consider them for a list like this.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: No Steelers made the PFF Best players under 25 list