When Pittsburgh Steelers management set out to make the defense more physical this season, it probably wasn’t a coincidence that they targeted players from the Big Ten.
The style of play associated with the Big Ten is of a gritty, hard-nosed variety. Contrast that to the glitz and glamour of the SEC in the ever-changing college football landscape.
“The Big Ten, I think, is the best conference in football,” outside linebacker Jack Sawyer said during Steelers rookie minicamp. “I’m sure the SEC guys will disagree with that, but I think it’s a high level of ball that is played in the Big Ten. It’s physical and tough. I think that’s why you see a lot of guys from there succeed and play on Sundays.”
The Steelers used their first six selections in the NFL Draft to take players from Big Ten schools. Included were four on defense who could contribute immediately either in a rotation or on special teams: defensive linemen Derrick Harmon of Oregon and Yahya Black of Iowa, Sawyer from Ohio State and inside linebacker Carson Bruener from Washington.
That’s in addition to quarterback Will Howard (Ohio State) and running back Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) also representing Big Ten institutions. Sawyer and Howard, of course, played for a team that won the national championship.
“I don’t know if it was an agenda,” coach Mike Tomlin said at the end of the draft two weeks ago. “I just think there are a lot of teams in the Big Ten now, just like there are a lot of teams in the SEC.”
Thanks to expansion, the Big Ten now counts 18 members that play football. The SEC has 16. The Steelers, though, neglected that conference for the second year in a row, with the exception being 2024 seventh-rounder Ryan Watts of Texas, who recently retired because of injuries.
Consider that the Steelers used three of their draft picks in 2024 on Big Ten players, including first-rounder Troy Fautanu.
“It prepared me for everything,” Johnson said when asked how the Big Ten prepared him for the NFL. “Going against Jack Sawyer and Carson Bruener, all those guys I played against. Now we’re together here. You just have to go out and do your thing, do what got you here.”
Tomlin has said that before he left M&T Bank Stadium after a 28-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, he knew the Steelers had to address physicality in the offseason. That was hardly earth-shattering considering the Steelers surrendered 299 yards rushing in that game, the second time the Ravens put up at least 200 rushing yards against the defense in a month.
The Steelers addressed it by taking Harmon in the first round, Sawyer in the fourth and Black in the fifth. All could contribute immediately. Bruener, taken in the seventh round, likely will have to earn a roster spot based on his special teams play.
“All three of us try to play with that motor and aggressiveness needed to play at this level,” Sawyer said, referring to Harmon and Black. “It’s exciting. We’re trying to keep the toughness going, and every time we are out there, we’re trying to play as physical and aggressive as we can.”
Having six players from the same conference taken in one draft class made the transition easier when the rookies arrived at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for the rookie orientation that preceded minicamp. Joining them was a third Iowa player, safety Sebastian Castro, as an undrafted free agent.
For Harmon, he had to learn to make nice with the Ohio State players given that the Buckeyes knocked the Ducks from the college football playoffs with a 41-21 victory in the Rose Bowl.
“I’m still upset about that loss,” he said. “But it’s good to have those guys on my team. They are hell of ballplayers.”
The Steelers drafted two sets of Big Ten teammates but nobody else from Oregon. The presence of Black, though, gives the Steelers two linemen who can grow together through the process that continues in a few weeks with organized team activities.
“It’s been really cool,” Black said. “We’ve been sitting next to each other in the meeting room and really just learning off each other and learning our skill sets.”
Black didn’t hesitate when asked what he enjoys about the Steelers defense, particularly with the players infused from the 2025 draft.
“Toughness,” he said. “There are a lot of tough guys here. And a lot of veterans in this room that I can learn from.”