Your 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers draft class!
1. OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
The Steelers set the tone early by grabbing the massive Sun Devil at No. 21 overall. After the Eagles jumped them for Makai Lemon, Omar Khan didn’t panic; he went back to the well to further fortify the line. Iheanachor is a mountain of a man with a basketball background, his footwork is surprisingly fluid for someone his size and he has very good speed. Pairing him with last year’s picks gives the Steelers one of the youngest, most high-ceiling tackle duos in the league. He’s the foundation this whole draft was built on.
2. WR Germie Bernard, Alabama– The Steelers absolutely had to land a receiver after getting snaked by the Eagles in the first round. Refusing to let another ‘Eagles/Lemon’ scenario haunt the war room, Omar Khan got aggressive, shipping the 53rd pick along with a 4th and a 7th to Indy to climb to 47, a clear signal that the Steelers had a ‘must-have’ grade on Bernard. Bernard’s value is in his versatility. He can play outside and, in the slot. He is an elusive runner after the catch, Alabama took advantage of his running ability by using him on jet sweeps.
3a. QB Drew Allar, Penn State- This was easily the most polarizing pick of the draft. Half the people lauded it, the other half hated it, including one pundit who said, “The Steelers have no idea how the draft works”. While it is clearly hyperbole the bottom line, it was a gamble, but not a high risk one when you have three picks in the third and don’t have an actual plan at Quarterback yet. There is no way he would have lasted until the next round. This is the reason the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, to develop guys like Aller. The Penn State pick makes a ton of sense. Allar has the “Green Bay” body type and arm strength McCarthy historically loves to mold.
3b. CB Daylen Everette, Georgia- This might be the steal of the draft. Everette has the speed and size to be an elite defensive back in the league. He also will be given time to develop into a starting position. While he isn’t a finished product, he has the tools to be an elite defender.
3c. OL Gennings Dunker, Iowa– The most “Steelers, Steeler pick of them all” one person wrote on Twitter (X). Absolute road grader who plays with strong fundamentals and has excellent technique. He looks the part of a Steelers offensive lineman and plays with that nasty edge.
4. WR Kaden Wetjen, Iowa- This was another great value pick. Wetjen was the best returner in the draft, despite not having elite speed. He will be a special teams ace and will play in the slot, providing an upgrade over Calvin Austin III. His biggest hurdle will be beating out Roman Wilson for those actual offensive snaps in the slot.
5. FB/H-back Riley Nowakowski, Indiana- The heir apparent to the Connor Heyward spot. He will most likely serve as a blocker in the run game and take the John Kuhn role in the McCarthy offense. This feels like a Matt Cushing type player more than Heyward.
6. DL Gabriel Rubio, Notre Dame- A big run stuffer type defensive lineman. His ability to clog the middle, could allow Keanu Benton to play more outside. This was a very good value pick for this late in the draft.
7a. DB Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma- A depth pick with good size and elite speed. He should get a long look on special teams and has the talent to compete for the nickel role on defense.
7b RB Eli Heidenreich, Navy- Whether he makes the team or not, this was the best moment of the entire draft. The Mt. Lebanon product gets drafted in his hometown, by his hometown team, that is the stuff of movie lore. He is a high character guy with exceptional speed. He will push to be a special team’s cover guy for sure and could fill a variety of roles.
Overall it is hard not to like the picks, I would have liked to seen a Linebacker snagged somewhere in there but the draft was a solid B with huge potential.
AI Grade: The “grade” depends on how you feel about the Drew Allar pick and the Makai Lemon “fiasco.” If you believe Iheanachor and Bernard can be long-term starters, it’s a solid B+ class. If you think the Steelers were caught off guard by the Eagles and reached for a QB too early, it’s closer to a C+.