The Steelers’ two seventh-round draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft have two elements in common — defense and special teams contributions. However, one of these was a hit, and the other seems like it was forced.
The questionable pick was actually the Steelers’ first selection of the seventh round — drafting the son of former Steelers TE Mark Bruener, Washington LB Carson Bruener.
Similar to the other Steelers’ seventh-round pick, CB Donte Kent, Bruener will function as a solid special teams ace, but the linebacker’s contributions likely end there.
Selecting Kent made sense, as CB was an area of concern heading into the seventh round of the draft — but the Steelers’ linebacker room boasts incredible starting talent and depth, with LBs Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, and the newly acquired Malik Harrison leading the way in 2025.
It’s hard to be critical of any team’s seventh-round draft picks, but with wide receiver and offensive tackle being completely ignored — especially after the departure of OT Dan Moore Jr. and the potential exit of George Pickens post-2025 — selecting Bruener just didn’t mesh well with draft needs.
However, his likely fantastic role on special teams is enough to earn the Steelers an above-average grade of C+ for the selection.
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