For a team that could use another infusion of youth on the defensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to stockpile veteran depth in the offseason.

The Steelers re-signed nose tackle Montravius Adams to a two-year contract at the outset of free agency. They added ninth-year veteran Dean Lowry, who turns 30 in June, on a two-year deal during the league’s annual meeting. Breiden Fehoko, who spent much of last year on the practice squad, also returned on a one-year deal.

Those signings give the Steelers eight defensive linemen under contract as the NFL Draft approaches. And that doesn’t count two other linemen on reserve/futures deals.

Cameron Heyward is the last defensive lineman the Steelers selected in the first round. He turns 35 in two weeks and is entering the final year of a contract that counts $22.4 million against the salary cap. Fellow starting defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi turns 30 this summer and counts $13.2 million against the cap.

The Steelers have tried to infuse youth — and more affordable contracts — on the line in recent drafts, adding DeMarvin Leal in the third round in 2023 and Keeanu Benton in the second last year. They may need to hit the pause button this year because of two factors.

The first is the Steelers have needs on the offensive line and at wide receiver that may prevent them from addressing the defensive line on the first or second day of the draft. The other is that this year’s class is devoid of high-end talent worthy of a No. 20 overall pick.

“When I look at this position, I see Byron Murphy II atop the class and then there’s a gap before we get to the next-best player,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his annual positional rankings.

Murphy, a junior from Texas, is the only consensus first-round defensive tackle in his class, according to most draft analysts. Although he met with the Steelers at the NFL Combine, Murphy was not one of the six defensive line prospects the organization invited to the South Side for top-30 visits.

The Steelers hosted a trio of players who are expected to be taken in the second round: Missouri’s Darius Robinson, an edge rusher who projects to the defensive line in a 3-4 scheme, as well as Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske and LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith.

Other defensive linemen who met with the Steelers were Day 3 prospects Logan Lee of Iowa, Jaden Crumedy of Mississippi State and Khristian Boyd of Northern Iowa.

“It falls off pretty quickly at defensive tackle,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “I think the defensive tackles as a whole could get pushed up. There’s too much talk around the league about this position and how hard it is to find one and how impactful it can be if you can get that guy.”

Missouri’s Robinson has the versatility the Steelers like in their defensive linemen. With his 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame, he has shown the capability of playing virtually every spot along the line. He had a team-high 8.5 sacks last year and was a first-team All-SEC selection.

“At the Senior Bowl, he moved inside as far as nose and handled centers,” ESPN analyst Field Yates said. “He was pretty impressive.”

The 6-4, 292-pound Fiske, described by Zierlein as having a “relentless motor,” is one of the most experienced players in his class. He spent five years at Western Michigan before finishing up at Florida State.

Illinois’ Johnny Newton packs 304 pounds on his 6-2 frame and is a borderline first-round pick. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Illini with 7.5 sacks.

“Two players that play with their hair on fire are Johnny and Braden,” Yates said. “They may be undersized for their NFL positions and have shorter wing spans. But not many players bring more splash. A pass-rushing defensive tackle goes a long way, and I love Johnny from that standpoint.”

T’Vondre Sweat, Murphy’s teammate at Texas, was a potential first-round pick until he tested poorly at the NFL Combine. He also tipped the scales at 366 pounds after winning the Outland Trophy and edging his teammate as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

An arrest on a suspicion of driving while intoxicated earlier this month also could hurt Sweat’s draft stock.

“He fascinates me,” Yates said before the arrest. “There aren’t a ton of players of that stature who are able to stay on the field for a ton of snaps. That’s a hard thing to do and makes Sweat a very interesting player. He has a chance to be a dominant run stopper, but he needs a role where he can play a designated number of snaps to keep that juice up consistently.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)