The 2025 NFL Draft is here, and the league has released the list of players who will announce picks on night two. It’s always a fan-favorite moment when current or former players help welcome a new member of their franchise family.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have one of their night two picks announced by a Hall of Fame wide receiver who helped the team win four Super Bowls — and remains one of the most iconic players in franchise history.
Lynn Swann Was Selected to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team
Swann, 73, was born near Knoxville, Tenn., but grew up just outside San Francisco. He played college football at USC from 1970 to 1973, winning a national title with the Trojans in 1972. The Steelers selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 1974 NFL Draft.
That draft class is often regarded as the best in league history. Alongside Swann, Pittsburgh selected Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster—all future Hall of Famers. The team also signed undrafted safety Donnie Shell that year, who later joined them in Canton.
Swann had a quiet rookie year, but he broke out in 1975, leading the league with 11 touchdowns and earning his first Pro Bowl selection after tallying 49 catches for 781 yards. The Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls, and Swann earned Super Bowl 10 MVP honors after hauling in four passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.
In 1978, Swann was named First-Team All-Pro for the only time in his career. He posted 61 catches for 880 yards and 11 touchdowns that year, helping lead Pittsburgh to another Super Bowl title. The Steelers repeated the following season, cementing themselves as the NFL’s first Super Bowl dynasty.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the full list of night two draft pick announcers, and Swann will announce Pittsburgh’s third-round selection this year (specifically the third-round pick).
A look at the former and active players now scheduled to announce their teams’ picks next Friday night for rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL draft: pic.twitter.com/HpMkPz5mPY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
Swann retired after the 1982 season, which was shortened by a players’ strike. He recorded 18 catches for 265 yards over nine games that year. He had already joined ABC Sports in 1976, working Olympic and special event coverage while still active in the NFL. After retirement, he became a fixture in college football broadcasting, with his final assignment coming in the 2006 Sugar Bowl.
In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Swann as chairman of the U.S. President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a role he held until 2005. In 2006, he won the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race but lost the general election.
Swann stepped away from politics after briefly exploring a congressional run in 2008. He later returned to his alma mater, serving as USC’s athletic director from 2016 to 2019.
He remains one of the greatest players in Pittsburgh Steelers history — and a beloved figure in the broader history of professional football.
