The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed South Dakota tight end JJ Galbreath as an undrafted free agent, the team announced on Saturday.
Galbreath is a 6-foot-3 3/8, 231-pound tight end that put up fantastic athletic testing scores in the pre-draft process, with a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, a 4.20-second shuttle, 6.82-second three-cone, 38-inch vertical and 10-foot-3 broad jump for an 8.4 out of 10 Relative Athletic Score.
A three-year starter for the Coyotes, Galbreath recorded 1,355 yards on 93 catches and had 12 touchdowns over his four-year college career.
The native of Arvada, Colorado joined South Dakota in 2020, redshirted during the canceled COVID-19 season, and then began his career in 2021 as a reserve tight end. He became a starter in 2022, became and honorable mention All-Missouri Valley pick in 2023 and was a first-team All-MVFC and an All-American as a senior in 2024.
His most productive collegiate games came as a senior in the FCS playoffs in 2024, when he had six catches each, for 45 yards against UC Davis and 68 yards against Montana State.
The Steelers have added a number of players from the MVFC in recent years. They drafted quarterback Chris Oladokun (2022) and guard Mason McCormick (2024) from South Dakota State, and had North Dakota State tight end Noah Gindorff (2023), outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka (2021) and guard Joe Haeg (2021) on their team.
The Steelers will add Galbreath to a relatively thin spot on their roster. Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward are set to return at tight end from 2024, with Donald Parham the lone addition so far, replacing MyCole Pruitt.
The Steelers have now signed a total of seven undrafted free agents following the close of the 2025 NFL Draft on Sunday: Galbreath, Memphis wide receiver Roc Taylor, Minnesota-Duluth guard Aiden Williams, Indiana wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams, Iowa safety Sebastian Castro, Pitt kicker Ben Sauls and South Alabama fullback/tight end DJ Thomas-Jones.
