Tag: Eric Edholm

Steelers land top CB prospect in latest 2025 NFL mock draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers bolster their secondary in the latest NFL mock draft, landing a top CB prospect to pair with Joey Porter Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ late-season defensive collapse may have fallen on their inability to stop the run, but arguably, the weakest positional unit on defense was the cornerback room.

Outside of CB Joey Porter Jr., who also struggled with penalties in 2024, the Steelers lacked a true lockdown CB2. In an era where teams are passing the ball more than ever, finding two elite CBs has never been more important—and that’s exactly what the Steel City accomplished in the NFL’s latest mock draft.

NFL Draft analyst Eric Edholm projected that the Steelers would land Michigan CB Will Johnson with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Edholm supported this decision with the following statement:

“I don’t believe Johnson is the top-10 lock some seem to think he is, with the big corner facing injury and speed questions ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, but his skill set could bolster Pittsburgh’s secondary.”

If the Pittsburgh Steelers manage to land Johnson, opposing quarterbacks would have a tough time finding open receivers, as the Michigan CB would form an incredible duo with Porter.

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NFL analyst tabs Justin Jefferson as team’s MVP in 2024

Lead draft writer Eric Edholm predicts every team’s MVP for NFL.com, and he’s predicting a big season from wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Fresh off a massive new contract, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is looking to have somewhat of a bounce-back season in 2024. While Jefferson did finish with over 1,000 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023, injuries derailed a season in which he was on pace to break records.

Now, with an unsettled quarterback situation on the horizon, the team is likely to lean on Jefferson more than ever before. There are certainly other weapons in the offense: Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and T.J. Hockenson immediately spring to mind, but Jefferson is likely to be the focal point. That focus will lead to Jefferson being the team’s MVP, according to NFL.com’s lead NFL draft writer Eric Edholm.

The Vikings are another team where you can make a pretty strong argument that a non-QB is their best and most valuable player, especially with QB Kirk Cousins gone. Minnesota will be counting on Jefferson even more this season with a Sam Darnold-J.J. McCarthy QB pair, getting the ball in the receiver’s hands as much as humanly possible.

There was a strange dynamic last season, with the Vikings going 2-8 in games where Jefferson appeared, with a hamstring wiping out nearly half his 2023 season. But Cousins was injured for half of those 10 games, and six of the eight losses were by one score. Catching passes from Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall over the final four contests, Jefferson still managed to average 119 receiving yards per game. He’s their clear-cut alpha for now, no matter who is at QB.

No matter who’s at the helm, Jefferson will be the main focus of the Vikings’ offense, and he’s likely to produce no matter who’s throwing him the ball. Jefferson proved last season that he can put up numbers regardless of who the quarterback is. That kind of reliability may go a long way towards either jump-starting the rookie’s (McCarthy) career or revitalizing the maligned veteran’s (Darnold).