Steelers Undrafted Free Agent Gets Compared To New Broncos Safety Talanoa Hufanga

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed seven undrafted free agents to contracts shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft. Who knows if any of them stick around after training camp, but the team has had their fair share of success stories with these hidden gems. There's no telling if they can find another version of James Harrison or Mike Hilton from this new batch of supposed misfits. All of these prospects however, will definitely get a fair chance to prove themselves as pieces of the puzzle.

While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, draft analyst Ryan Wilson was asked to talk about the Steelers' undrafted free agents this year. One player in particular stood out to him, as the Steelers may have found their own version of Talanoa Hufanga.

"Let's see what I have for [Sebastian] Castro real quick," said Wilson. "Talk about a linebacker going around blocks, this kid ain't running around anything: consistently takes good angles to the ball going downhill, could he move to tight end? My comp for him was Talanoa Hufanga. 5'11, 203 [pounds], ran a 4.59 [40-yard dash]. He's 24 and a half [years old]; I don't care about any of that stuff. He feels like a middle-of-the-field thumper."

The Steelers went back to their roots with signing Sebastian Castro to torment the middle of the field. Even though he was a safety in college and was compared to a great safety, he seems like a guy that could play in the box a bit and potentially be versatile. He can do a little bit of everything, as he displayed during his time with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In his last two seasons at Iowa, Castro had a total of 124 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a touchdown. He is a ball magnet: it doesn't matter if he's playing the run or the pass, he will be wherever the football goes. That is exactly the kind of guy that the Steelers could use as a developmental piece, especially with their safety core getting older. 

Despite being a seventh-round pick, Hufanga was a First Team All-Pro in his second season in the NFL for his ability to fly all over the field and make plays no matter what the situation was. He had tallies in almost every defensive stat while also racking up 97 tackles and four interceptions that year. If Castro can develop anywhere close to how Hufanga did, the Steelers will be more than happy with this pick-up.

Hufanga had very similar measurables to Castro all around while being a touch slower entering the league. Just because the undrafted rookie free agent is older than one would like in a prospect, doesn't mean he can't be a key contributor for at least a handful of years. That was likely the main reason he was not selected in the first place, and it could be a problem for 31 other teams. 

Steelers Have Space For Castro On 53-Man Roster

The Steelers could use another safety, so there will be a way for Castro to make the 53-man roster if he can prove himself. He could maybe even take the spot of Juan Thornhill as the third safety in rotation. Thornhill was signed to a very cheap one-year deal, so if he struggles in training camp, he could be let go to let the diamond in the rough get more snaps. 

Of course, the Steelers have to see what Castro is capable of first. If he is that Hufanga-type safety, they may have to keep him on the 53-man roster as opposed to sending him to the practice squad just so nobody claims him off waivers and steals this gem for themselves. There's only one way to find out for sure: wait and see.

What do you think about Castro being compared to Hufanga? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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