The Pittsburgh Steelers selected linebacker Carson Bruner out of the University of Washington in round seven of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Who is Carson Bruener?
Bruener was born June 5, 2001 in Woodinville, Washington.
He attended Redmond High School where he was rated a three-star recruit. Bruener committed to the University of Washington.
Bruener is the son of former Steelers first round pick Mark Bruener, who played nine seasons with the black and gold.
As a freshman, Bruener played in 11 games and collected 70 tackles, one interception, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
During his sophomore season, Bruener played 13 games and tallied 45 tackles and one pass defended.
In 2023, the junior linebacker played 15 games and collected 86 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one interception and one forced fumble.
As a senior, Bruener played 13 games and had a career high 104 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defended and one forced fumble.
LB- Carson Bruener, Washington
6’1” 227 lbs
Arm- 31 ¾”
Hand- 9 ¼”
40 yard- 4.58
10-yard split- 1.57
Strengths
Always has eyes on the ball, smart at distinguishing the play
Good mechanical tackler who wraps up properly
Excellent pursuit angles
Excelled at special teams throughout college career
Weaknesses
Lacks sideline-to-sideline speed
Underwhelming athleticism
Pass rush is lacking
Gets by with his tenacity and not his athleticism
May have problems making plays outside of his area
What do the Steelers Get?
For a 7th round pick, the Steelers will get at worst a special teams contributor. This reminds Sportsvival of the 2016 draft when they selected Tyler Matakevich. Matakevich was a special teams demon who could play some sport duty at linebacker.
(photo courtesy of Washington Athletics)