The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to have several more visits with NFL draft prospects over the next three weeks. Each NFL teams is permitted 30 local visits, and before Thursday, the Steelers had used less than half of them.
The Steelers, though, just used four of their allotted 30 local visits. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported the Steelers hosted four pre-draft visitors Thursday — wide receiver Matthew Golden, cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, running back Kaleb Johnson and tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
Steelers have a full house on the Southside today, hosting four pre-draft visitors: Texas WR Matthew Golden, FSU CB Azareye’h Thomas, Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, and Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew
Golden is the most notable of the four prospect. According to ESPN’s draft big board, the Texas receiver deserves to be a late first-round selection.
“Golden is an effective route runner who wins with his release, explodes off the line and gets out of breaks,” wrote ESPN’s Steve Muench. “He plucks the ball, makes the first defender miss and explodes upfield after the catch.
“Golden is one of two players to run a sub-4.3 40-yard dash at the combine; that speed shows up on tape when he gives his quarterback room to drop the ball in running vertical routes. He high-points jump balls and makes acrobatic catches downfield.”
Steelers Hosting WR Matthew Golden for Pre-Draft Visit
It’s important to note that NFL teams typically use pre-draft visits to do as full of a draft evaluation as possible at every position. With Golden, the Steelers probably liked his NFL combine performance and wanted to get to know him better.
That’s why teams get the opportunity for pre-draft visits.
Still, the Steelers hosting Golden is noteworthy for several reasons. The Steelers just acquired veteran receiver D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. It would be surprising if Pittsburgh targets a receiver early in the 2025 NFL Draft, but to land Golden, that’s likely what the Steelers would need to do.
Because of the Metcalf trade, the Steelers don’t have a second-round pick. Maybe the team could package later selections to trade up for a second-rounder if Golden falls out of the first round.
But that could prove to be difficult. The Steelers will probably have to use the No. 21 overall pick to ensure landing Golden.
The Steelers adding a receiver at any point in the 2025 draft could be viewed as surprising. For the first time in a few years, Pittsburgh has decent receiver depth. Metcalf and George Pickens are set to start while Calvin Austin III will likely man the slot.
2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson will also aim to carve out a role after an injury-plagued rookie season last year.
The Steelers have veterans Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek as well. Both are expected to contribute more on special teams, but they are listed as receivers on the depth chart.
Steelers Host Three Other Players for Pre-Draft Visits
While Golden headlined the group, the Steelers also hosted three other prospects at three other positions Thursday. Included in that group was a tight end very familiar with Acrisure Stadium.
Bartholomew played four seasons at Pitt. In every campaign, the tight end posted at least 280 receiving yards. As a junior, he averaged 18.1 yards per catch on 18 receptions.
The Steelers could view Iowa’s Johnson as a potential Najee Harris replacement. Johnson led the Big Ten with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns last season.
During his college career, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Thomas played three years at Florida State. In 37 college games, he registered 15 pass defenses and two interceptions with nine tackles for loss.
According to the ESPN big board, Thomas could be a late first-round selection while Johnson is projected to be a Day 2 pick. Bartholomew is a candidate to be a late-round choice on the final day of the draft.
