The 5 Most Underrated Steelers Players Right Now In 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 15 at 7-6, still in the thick of an AFC North race that has rarely allowed much margin for error. Nationally, the conversation surrounding this team continues to center around Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, and T.J. Watt.

Behind those headliners, a quieter core has helped keep Pittsburgh in contention. Drawing on recent grading data, team usage, and 2024 and 2025 production, five players emerge as central to the Steelers’ season without drawing much attention: guard Isaac Seumalo, running back Jaylen Warren, cornerback Brandin Echols, defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, and safety Kyle Dugger.

Issac Seumalo stabilizes a shifting line

Seumalo’s arrival from Philadelphia in 2023 was framed as a sensible veteran addition to an offensive line in transition. Three seasons later, he has become the most stable part of a group that has shuffled tackles, introduced a rookie center, and adjusted around Rodgers’ preferences in the pocket.

Grading services place Seumalo in the upper tier of NFL guards once again, with his overall mark sitting in the high seventies and his pass protection ranking near the top of the position. That translates on the field into long stretches in which Rodgers can reach the back of his drop, reset, and work through progressions without interior pressure collapsing the pocket.

Inside the locker room, coaches and teammates point to Seumalo as a communicator as much as a technician. He handles line calls, helps young linemen adjust to defensive looks, and rarely appears in post-game conversations, which is often the best compliment a guard can receive.

Jaylen Warren turns efficiency into volume

Warren entered the year still officially sharing the backfield, but his workload and efficiency have pushed him into something closer to a featured role. Through Week 13, he sits above 600 rushing yards on roughly 150 carries, with a yards per carry figure a little over four and a receiving line that adds more than two hundred yards through the air.

The staff has responded accordingly. Head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this year that he “feels comfortable” with Warren handling a lead-back workload, a nod to the trust built through pass protection, ball security, and resilience through minor injuries. The running back’s compact frame belies the number of hits he absorbs between the tackles.

For fans tracking AFC North trends on betting apps in Missouri or in overseas markets, Warren’s name rarely appears alongside Rodgers or Metcalf on highlight packages. On the internal breakdowns, his consistency on early downs keeps the offense out of unfavorable situations and allows coordinator Arthur Smith to stay balanced in his play calling.

Brandin Echols upgrades a thin cornerback room

Pittsburgh’s secondary underwent another round of changes in the 2025 offseason, with the Steelers signing Brandin Echols to a two-year deal after four seasons with the New York Jets. The initial description of the move focused on depth and special teams value for a former sixth-round pick.

Once the season began, Echols’ role expanded. Injuries and form swings elsewhere in the cornerback room pushed him into extended work both outside and in the slot. His background in man coverage, along with his willingness to tackle, has helped a defense that still leans heavily on pass rush pressure to survive long drives.

The counting numbers for Echols remain modest. He has not produced the interception totals of a classic ball hawk. His value has come instead in limiting explosive plays, matching up with secondary receiving options, and giving defensive coordinator Teryl Austin another matchup piece without dramatically increasing the defensive budget.

Keeanu Benton grows into an interior anchor

The Steelers identified Keeanu Benton as a long-term piece in the middle of the defensive line when they drafted him in 2023. His rookie season backed up that projection. In limited snaps, he ranked near the top of the league’s young interior defenders in pass rush grade and recorded more than twenty pressures from the inside, a notable figure for a first-year nose tackle.

Year three has brought a broader assignment. Benton has been asked to play more early downs, hold up against double teams, and still generate interior push on passing downs. The results have not been flawless, but the trend is clear. Pittsburgh’s best defensive stretches have usually featured Benton disrupting either the pocket or the line of scrimmage.

On a defense still defined by Watt on the edge, Benton provides a different kind of threat. Offenses must account for both interior movement and edge pressure, which has occasionally freed linebackers and safeties to play faster downhill.

Kyle Dugger sets the tackling standard

If one player embodies the idea of undervalued production in Pittsburgh, it is Dugger. He missed last Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens due to injury, but ever since he was acquired just before the trade deadline back in November from the New England Patriots, he's been a steady and reliable force in Pittsburgh's secondary.

Dugger's role within the secondary extends beyond his own assignments. With a relatively young group at the corner, his communication and pre-snap adjustments have helped the Steelers lean on disguises and rotations without surrendering easy throws downfield.

The Supporting Cast Behind the Stars

The 2025 Steelers will still be judged primarily on Rodgers’ arm, Watt’s pressure numbers, and whether Metcalf’s addition ultimately pushes the offense forward. That is the nature of a league in which quarterbacks and pass rushers shape outcomes and narratives alike.

Throughout the season, however, the work of Seumalo, Warren, Echols, Benton, and Dugger has provided Pittsburgh with a strong foundation to stay in the playoff picture. Their contributions show up in cleaner pockets, manageable third downs, fewer explosive plays allowed, and a defense that rarely beats itself.

Suppose the Steelers manage to turn a balanced, sometimes uneven regular season into a January run. In that case, those details will form a significant part of the story, even if their names never reach the same volume as the stars on the marquee.