The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason was unlike any other in the history of the franchise.

Trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft were all vessels that brought in a ton of different pieces.

The question is, how do they form a team? And through the first week of practice in Latrobe, the blueprint has been exposed via three rising talents…

Riser No.1: DK Metcalf

Metcalf was the first domino that fell this offseason. An out-of-nowhere trade on a Sunday evening before free agency, the Steelers traded for and paid Metcalf with the belief that he can be a difference-maker in their passing game.

Through four days of practice, he’s been impossible not to notice.

Whether it was taking screen passes like that to the house or bullying Joey Porter Jr. at the goal line, he and Aaron Rodgers’ connection is still a work in progress, but he looks worth every penny thus far.

Riser No.2: Derrick Harmon

Now, you need to take this one with a fairly big grain of salt since the team isn’t in pads until Tuesday the 29th, but Derrick Harmon has been dominant through four practices. Plays that should be blown dead via tackle for losses or would be sacks, the Steelers made a statement when they drafted Harmon in round one.

The statement was that they would not be pushed around anymore. That between Harmon, Keeanu Bneton and Cam Heyward, that close to 300 yard rushing allowance agaisnt the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs is a thing of the past.

Riser No.3: Jalen Ramsey

Perhaps the most polarizing move of the Steelers’ offseason was the trade that netted them Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick. But if anyone has shown how good they can be in 2025, it’s Jalen Ramsey.

He’s taken reps at slot corner, safety, and outside corner, and he’s made plays at every position. He might not be the lockdown island corner that he was in Jacksonville, but the Swiss Army Knife roll suits him perfectly in Pittsburgh.