Biggest draft needs

I do think we will draft a pair of WRs. Whether they are both to be starters or possession guys remains to be seen. But, we currently have a large hole to fill on the OL, maybe 2 holes depending on BroJo. Maybe just my opinion, finding OL replacements is the biggest need as of today. I'm not ready to start adding names to my wish list just yet. But, I'm currently looking past the WRs and at the OL for 1st round priority.

 

The Steelers hired Indiana's WR coach

 

I don't have an opinion on Jamison one way or another. He may be an ok depth piece... maybe not. Ponds looks good, but his size is going to make him a slot corner... but having a really good slot corner is awesome. I don't know much about Clark. Curl would be a good pickup and I agree that we should probably just dump Ramsey for the cap space and get younger/upgrade. I like Walker a good bit too, but I wouldn't dump Queen. Our problem at ILB isn't that Queen is awful. Its that Queen wasn't good enough to make up for the fact that our other ILBs are awful. We had to take Wilson off the field because we got run on every time he was out there. Harrison is just too limited athletically to be a good player. The thing on Queen is that he's on his final year. I bet they are thinking of life after him, but I don't necessarily think it has to be this offseason (and it probably shouldn't be if we want to have an NFL starting caliber ILB2).

This I disagree with heavily. Howard is nowhere near the prospects that Manning/Sayin/Moore are. I like Howard a good bit, but anyone that thinks he is the same level prospect as any of these guys is delusional. It doesn't mean that the '27 guys will all be good, there are busts, but those guys are much safer bets to be good NFL starters than Howard. I would say all of their ceiling's are higher than Howard too. I hope we don't go Nussmeier. He's okay... but I just don't know that its worth it for us. We need to get better weapons (WR's specifically) before we draft a QB in the first two rounds.

McDonald is fine, but its one of those high floor low ceiling picks. Not that its bad... I just... eh... first round is awful high for a NT with limited pass rush upside. I think we very well could be targeting a DL at some point in the draft though. Sonny would be a home run IMO. That first 3rd round pick is enough to get us to about 15, maybe we try to move up? Its probably for a WR or potentially someone like Styles? If Downs falls to around 10, could we pull the trigger there? I think FA is going to tell us a lot about what we're going to do in the NFL draft. There is a lot to have happen before we start figuring out our true needs. Signings could easily change our needs.

 

I like the idea of someone like Dunker at OG in round 2 if we go WR or something in the first. Though, truly, I wouldn't mind just signing a starting OG and let Cook and Jones battle it out at LT for the starting job. Our OL is quite good. Go spend 8-9 mil on a guy and call it a day. I would be mega pissed if we drafted a guard in the first. We just have so many other needs. It won't matter how long our QB has in the pocket if our WR corps isn't good enough to get open lol

 

We obviously need a starting caliber WR2 but have higher needs for 1st round IMO. Chris Brazzell is my choice for WR in round 2. Steelers have always been able to find good WR talent after the 1st round.

 

I won't be the least bit pissed whoever we draft in the first. I have no idea in what direction this offense is going and therefore no real expectation for how this draft goes. I feel like BroJo may be a better LG in the NFL than LT. But I don't know that. Maybe he's a trade piece for us now.

 

Well, technically I would want us to draft a WR that ends up better than DK, so DK would be the WR2 in this instance... I disagree that we have higher needs at a team at WR. Our WR room is last in the league by a ton. We have DK and zero NFL caliber players currently under contract at the WR position. We simply can't afford another season in which we roll one quality WR into the season and hope for the best. I'm pretty done trying to trade for guys (or pick up guys from the waiver wire) to play meaningful snaps in a playoff push. I'm sure FA will change things between now and April, but as it stands now WR is the #1 non-QB need of this team and it isn't remotely close.

I like Brazzell fine enough. He's kind of a skinnier Tee Higgins type prospect to me. Good size, lacks the top end speed or lateral agility to be a true deep threat or run after catch guy, but shows the ability to run some routes and get open. Should be a good red zone target too. There are a few good prospects in the draft to consider. I'd like to see us draft two of them before day 3 hits.

 

I honestly have no idea what the plan is... we really don't know a ton about his injury either tbh. I'd expect he at the very least gets to compete for the starting LT job with Cook. I think its a good battle to have.

I should rephrase "pissed" maybe... If we draft a position of low need, but it ends up being an All Pro player, it will still help. I just think there's better uses of resources. I feel almost like a 1st round pick should almost never be used on a Center, Guard, or Running Back. I say "almost" never because there are some exceptions where it makes sense (and there is high pressure to get the pick right, because the value in later round picks at those positions becoming PB and AP players is much higher). I'd take another Pouncey or DeCastro, but when you take RB and whiff like we did with Mendenhall and Harris, it hurts really bad. Especially since we've had really good backs from all over the place (Warren UDFA, Conner 3rd comp, Parker UDFA, Bell 2nd) that were all better than both Harris and Mendenhall.

My personal draft strategy if I had any power (which, lets be real haha) would involve a heavier weight on players that play positions that cost more in the open market (QB, WR, OLB, DL, CB) while having a lighter weight on the cheaper positions to fill well on the FA market (RB, S, ILB, C, G). That isn't to say if I had an All Pro grade on a player of those positions, that I wouldn't draft them. I definitely would have drafted Jahmyr Gibbs and TreyVeon Henderson in the first round. Same for Hamilton or Fitzpatrick at S. I think Sonny Styles, Jeremiah Love, and Caleb Downs are all well worth a mid first round pick or better in this draft (not advocating we take a back, but I would draft Styles or Downs in a heartbeat). To me, it just makes the most sense to hit on the draft with the expensive positions and pay on the free market on the cheaper ones. Obviously there will be times where it makes sense to step out of the mold... but overall it seems the best way to go. Why spend a first round pick on a G, if we can just spend 10 million bucks and get a pro bowl guard? You're spending 25 million or more on a PB WR. Twice that for QB (not to mention the lack of good QB's that actually hit the market). I just think we have other things to invest draft capital into instead of a guard.

 

That makes some sense to me. Drafting players that sign premium second contracts in the first round allows that 5th year option. Pretty much, that includes every defensive position, QB, OL, and WR. For guys that become synonymous with their positions, obviously not backups. Just don't draft RB or TE in the first and I'll be mostly happy with it.

 

There isn't a WR in college that would be WR1 over DK today on any team's roster. And yes, Brazzell can be a WR1 after a season or 2 in the pros. The bigger problem is the QB. Obviously we need help at WR, but AR was/is playing scared to get hurt. He rarely made it through his progressions and when he did, threw a lot of balls in the dirt or sailed it.

 

As much as I would love Chris Brazzell, and I would welcome him to the Steelers, I don't think he is a fit for what the Offense needs at present. Brazzell has shown he can take the top off of a Defense. That aspect of his game is not to be faulted. The most underrated aspect of his game is to also separate at the MOF and overall intermediate parts of the field. The issue that I have with Brazzell is his lack of twitch and agility to further add to to his route tree. He isn't going to be a true separator sans one area of the field and his concentration drops are more concerning for me than someone like K.C. Concepcion.


Long story short?! Pittsburgh needs a WR who can separate consistently and proficiently on a down to down basis that can pair up with D.K.'s ability to stretch the field. Chris would be another field stretching machine but offers no upside as a separator nor advanced Route Runner either.

 

Jones still has time to turn it around.

Porter played like a Top 10 CB in 2025 and has gotten better and better each season since entering the NFL.

Agreed on Benton.

Washington also.

Herbig is a DPR (Designated Pass Rusher) only. That said, one of the best ones in the NFL.


As far as these picks not mattering at all, thanks to four of the five, Pittsburgh did end up going to the playoffs. You are correct about Tomlin coming up short though. However, for a team to obtain four starting capable players, one high end sub package player and another versatile IOL, that is about as A+ of a haul as one could hope for. Cory Trice Jr. sadly didn't work out but taking him on a 7th Round Flier doesn't mitigate the grade.

 

While I agree, I think Tyson can be the WR1 on this team in short order. Lots of rookie WR's come in and make big impacts and then become elite in a short period of time. I am not sure that Brazzell is WR1 material, but like Tee Higgins I think he could develop into a WR1 on bad teams and a WR2 on good ones. He wouldn't be an awful pick if we decide to wait on WR... But I would expect that if we want to wait on WR until the second round, that we have to spend premium money on the open market for a WR2. I don't want to count on the draft pick to be a WR2 immediately unless its a first round pick.