A heady, fast-flowing Washington linebacker who landed with the Steelers 30 years after his father did.
Carson Bruener is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Washington. The son of former Steelers tight end Mark Bruener, he projects as a core special teams contributor and rotational defender entering 2026.
Path to the league
Bruener was a four-year letterman at Washington out of Redmond, Wash. Pittsburgh selected him 226th overall in the 2025 draft, three decades after the Steelers picked his father, Husky tight end Mark Bruener, who now works as a scout. He ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, showing the range that made him a special teams prospect.
Career highlights
At Washington, Bruener finished his college career with 306 tackles, including 180 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss, a sack and a half, 14 passes defensed and four forced fumbles. His best year came in 2024, when he recorded 104 tackles and three interceptions for the Huskies.
2025 season
Bruener signed his rookie deal with Pittsburgh after the draft and entered the league as a depth linebacker and special teams option. The Steelers valued him primarily as a high-effort coverage player on kicking units while he developed behind the team's veterans.
Sources
- Steelers.com: Steelers select Bruener in seventh round
- ESPN: Carson Bruener player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | steelers | 17 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Washington
- Hometown
- Woodinville, WA, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
