Steelers annual draft review thread. 2026

Here is my annual who I would have taken thread. If you care to play along, and don't live in a glass house and throw stones, you are welcome to add in who you would have taken. The rules are you can only take a player on the board in a given round. You can only pick where the Steelers actually select in a given round.

Having said that here is who I would have taken.

Round one.

Steelers selected OT Iheanachor

I would have taken DT McDonald. A dominant 0-technique prospect and elite run defender. He recorded a 92.0 PFF run-defense grade in 2025 and is a powerful force in the middle. No -- that is not accurate. He is a beast.

Grade for need at the position. B-
Grade for value in the round C+. Most see him as a reach.

The Steelers blew it, being ready to take another player ( a WR ) who was on the phone only to pass on trading down and settling on Max. While he is a skilled pass protector who only gave up 3 sacks in 32 games. vs. competition below average competition, he also has small hands ( 9 " ) , is a so-so run blocker ( not a powerblock blocker ) and grew up in Africa and did not play football until College! He played RT, not LT for 30 of 32 games! He is football raw and played on a weak schedule. He projects a finesse tackle with so-so strength and IMO will struggle a bit as a run blocker. He was flagged 16 times. RED FLAG. He did come on late and had a good week of senior bowl practices. IMO , he will not be ready to start in 2026 and will only do so due to injury. The Steelers didn't even bring him in for a live interview! The process and thinking of this pick ...

Projected grade in the years. C+



Round two Steelers selected WR Bernard.

I would have taken CB/S Scott: A playmaker with sub-4.4 speed who is reliable in deep coverage and impactful against the run. He scored twice last year and forced two fumbles.

Grade for need at the position. B+
Grade for value in round B.

Benard is a solid #3 WR with upside to develop into a #2 WR. He has good versatility, runs good routes, has good height , good hands, and can be used both inside the hash mark and outside, He is close to NFL ready. The major drawback is that he is not fast or explosive nor is he a good deep receiver on 3rd a 10. But he is a chain mover in the short to mid range. His floor is high. The Steeler surrendered our 4th round to trade up 6 slots in round two to get him.

Projected grade in 3 years. B-



Round 3A Steeler select QB Allar.

I would have taken the same player! Allar is a QB with an NFL upside and a high ceiling.
Grade for need at the position. A
Grade for value in the round B+


A big QB who is tall, solidly built. and possess an arm that screams velocity. Allar regressed due to a bad OC / coaching and limited receiving options, struggling on reads and accuracy regressing from 66.5% completions to 62.9% completions. A good runner on Qb sneaks and up short yardage in general. I see him as a good deep passer due to his arm strength, and a player that can really drill the 5,6,7, 8, and 9 routes! An ideal play action Qb. Can a good OC / Head coach ( Mike McCarthy who has an excellent record with developing QB ) develop Allar into a top 16 NFL QB?! Well he has the right coach and tools. This is a swing at a high fast ball not at a pitch in the dirt. As such he is worth the gamble

Projected grade in three years. Grade B. A solid NFL starter at quarterback .





Round 3B

Steelers select CB Everrett

I would have taken WR C Bell. He is a big WR who exceels over the middle on comeback routes where he can use his size ( 6'2 220 bs ) . He is fairly fast ( 4.44 ) for his size and has a huge hands with a low drop rate in 2025. An ideal WR #3.


Grade for need at the position B
Grade for value in the round. B-

Everrett is a big CB, but not very productive ( just one interception and makes few solo tackles, just 23 in 12 games ) He can be our CB #3 or #4 cb and will offer good zone and deep coverage. He is not a good short to medium man coverge guy as he does not stick to guys well on cuts. Nor is his run defense good.

Project grade in three years C. A reserve DB.



Round 3C

Steelers Select G Dunker.

I would have tean the same player!
Grade for need at the position A
Grade for value in the round B+

Dunker is a former RT ideally suited for guard for guard. He gave up 2 sacks last year. His length for a guard is good. As such he should be competent vs. the pass in the pro's. Where he really stands out is in the run game as an inline blocker. Root out a DT's he can. Combo block he can. Open holes for our RB's he will. I love the pick! The need for a guard is great and he is a good bet to some time during his rookie year!

Projected grade in three years. B. A starting guard.


Form here I will simply list who the Steelers selected and I would have taken:


Steelers select.

4 121 Kaden Wetjen WR Iowa - A small retrun man / gadget type of player
5 169 Riley Nowakowski TE Indiana - A FB type, not a bad pick.
6 210 Gabriel Rubio DT Notre Dame - He was not even on 95% of draft boards!
7 224 Robert Spears-Jennings S Oklahoma - Not a bad pick given the round.
7 230 Eli Heidenreich RB Navy - A "Rudy " type of Rb. Not a bad pick.




Who I would have taken:

Round 4 CB Neal - Look at this man's production! A big corner ( 6'2 ), who can defend the pass ( 10 pass breakups ) and jump extremely high. Neal is ideal as a zone coverge man. His run support is excellent.


Round 4B FB Breedson * Pick traded away. He's built for collision and has a thick body and huge neck / jaw. He was the best run blocking FB in the draft.

Round 5 S Kilgore - A productive safety.

Round 6 LB Obiazo - A good cover and chase type of LB.

Round 7A KR / WR Burks - A bazling fast slot WR, who can be tough cover and can jump.

Round 7B 7 RB Heidenreich - Same player the Steelers selected.

I have a lot to do and time is my time booked this week, so I reserve the right to edit this!

 

Nice thorough analysis but one minor correction: you should have stated this was your "1st Annual Draft Review Thread". After all, you didn't join TSF Board until 4 months after last year's draft. Just saying.

 

The Steelers coaches have a lot of work ahead of them….

 

I have been doing my annual draft reviews for years. They are on boards that are defunct / went through some changes. It is however my first review at this site which I now call home. So you are correct in the sense.

To all who wish to see who I would have taken in the past, I have many of my annual draft reviews archived.

 

Unless your a ex NFL Gm, or a pro scout I'm not really interested in who you would have taken.....not trying to be rude just honest

 

I bet Dunker is going to have a cult following in Pittsburgh. I can already see fans in the stadium wearing red-haired mullet wigs.