Ben Roethlisberger Had Nothing But Praise for This Steelers Draft Pick

But Big Ben was pretty pumped about the entire 2025 class
Ben Roethlisberger on an episode of his 'Footbahlin' podcast.
Ben Roethlisberger on an episode of his 'Footbahlin' podcast. / Channel Seven / YouTube / Screensho
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A few months ago, Pittsburgh Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger lamented how it felt as though his former franchise may have been losing its so-called "Steelers Way"—the rough, gritty, and down-and-dirty mentality the team had played with for so long.

But speaking on an episode of his podcast released Tuesday, it's clear he thinks Pittsburgh did a great job at least attempting to bring some of that back with their latest draft class.

The former QB gushed over first-round pick defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and praised ex-Ohio State signal caller Will Howard for his big, demanding presence, though it was Buckeye and defensive end Jack Sawyer who Ben was perhaps most enamored with.

"It just feels right," Roethlisberger said of the pick. "It feels like a guy who is going to be a Steeler and be doing things the Steelers Way. I love this pick. Obviously, all these picks, anything could happen. We know that. They could be busts, they could be Hall of Famers, you never know. But in terms of where we sit right now, really, really like [the] Jack Sawyer pick."

Watch that below:

That's high praise coming from Roethlisberger, who, of course, knows a thing or two about leaning into the Steelers Way and winning some Super Bowls.

All in all, Pittsburgh walked away with what is being viewed as an excellent draft class, even with just three picks through the first four rounds. Sawyer is only one piece of that, of course, but Ben has a point; it feels like he already fits right in.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.