2026 NFL Draft Grades: Pittsburgh Steelers

The draft's host team is coming off another middle-of-the-road season, finishing 10-7 for a third straight year and getting blown out in the wild-card round. Big changes followed, with coach Mike Tomlin and the team mutually deciding to part ways; Mike McCarthy was hired.

But the Steelers are in a weird place (again) at quarterback. They didn't make any additions at the position in free agency, waiting to see whether Aaron Rodgers is coming back for another season at 42 years old. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard were the only two passers on the roster before the draft. Fernando Mendoza (obviously) and Ty Simpson (not so obviously) were off the board by the time Pittsburgh was picking at No. 21. It's pretty clear that general manager Omar Khan believes Rodgers will return. But adding Drew Allar -- a big, strong-armed passer from down the road at Penn State -- in Round 3 was a good hedge, with one eye to the future.

Neither Howard (a fifth-rounder last year) nor Allar project as surefire starters, but Pittsburgh at least has a few developmental options now, with the assumption that Rodgers is in black and yellow once more.

While Rodgers' delayed decision complicates things, Pittsburgh ultimately went another direction in Round 1 and picked OT Max Iheanachor, who has a terrific story. After coming to the United States from Nigeria, Iheanachor picked up football late and didn't play in his first game until 2022. But don't let that fool you. He already has 31 starts of experience. Iheanachor has nearly 34-inch arms and 4.91 speed at 321 pounds, and he keeps getting better. Pittsburgh has two first-round picks manning the tackle spots right now in Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu (both selected in the past four drafts), but if Jones has to miss time with his lingering neck injury, there's a path forward. In the meantime, Iheanachor can keep developing; he's just scratching the surface of what he can be.

From there, Pittsburgh jumped from need to need. Wide receiver? Check, with Germie Bernard, a versatile slot man who can be used in a variety of ways. He is great after the catch, and watch for new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio to take a page out of Alabama's book and use the 6-foot-1, 206-pounder out of the backfield. He's a solid WR3 option behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., especially in the Rodgers quick-game offense.

Cornerback? Check, with Daylen Everette, who provides depth behind Jamel Dean and Joey Porter Jr. Guard? Check, with Gennings Dunker, a tackle moving inside. Returner? Check, with Kaden Wetjen, the best in the class. It was a pretty good few days for the Steelers.

The selection of Penn State QB Drew Allar in Round 3 alone is probably going to render this a polarizing draft in some respect. Yet as the Steelers continue to await white smoke from Aaron Rodgers' camp, it's also hard to fault them for diversifying their future options at the position beyond Will Howard given what a bad job they've done on that front for the better part of the last decade — meaning once Ben Roethlisberger's decline became apparent. But let's get past Allar. Rodgers or not, first-round OT Max Iheanachor, second-round WR Germie Bernard − hardly a consolation prize after GM Omar Khan lost out on Lemon − third-round CB Daylen Everette and G Gennings Dunker and fourth-round KR/WR Kaden Wetjen, whose impact will come on special teams, all seem to thread the needle as players who upgrade the reigning AFC North champs' roster immediately. All of them should and could contribute straight away while also projecting as nice building blocks to place around Allar, Howard or whomever is taking the snaps down the road.

Best Pick: Second-round receiver Germie Bernard fills a need, but he's also a really good player. Look for him to be a part of the offense right away.

Worst Pick: I didn't love fourth-round receiver/returner Kaden Wetjen. In fact, I like seventh-round running back-receiver Eli Heidenrich more.

The Skinny: The Steelers wanted Makai Lemon, but lost out when the Eagles jumped them. Oops. They then settled on tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st pick. He will be a good player, but he's raw. Taking Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third will be interesting to watch. The rest of the draft was just OK.

The Steelers did a remarkable job of hosting the draft this year and GM Omar Khan put together one of this year's better classes, as well, thrilling the home crowd. I like the investment in gifted young tackle Max Iheanachor at No. 21 overall, even if it was a pivot after the Eagles swooped in to nab wideout Makai Lemon a pick earlier.

If the Steelers were at all soured by losing out on Lemon, Khan turned it into lemonade a round later by nabbing Germie Bernard, a similarly versatile weapon. Pittsburgh added a special teams ace in Kaden Wetjen, one of the best guards of this class in Gennings Dunker, a cornerback with the traits worthy of developing in Daylen Everette — and perhaps most importantly, a quarterback with the size and big arm to push Aaron Rodgers — either back onto the roster or into retirement. I'm not as high on Allar as others — and that is reflected in my grade, but I love the swing for the fences at this point in the draft.

Finally, I love the exclamation point at the end of the draft with the selection of Navy's do-everything star Eli Heidenreich. Whether Allar lives up to his upside or not, this was the kind of draft Steelers fans deserved and it kicks off the Mike McCarthy era in fine form.

After getting jumped for Makai Lemon, the Steelers rebounded nicely with Germie Bernard in round two. He's willing to go over the middle of the field and plays with zero fear.

This team needed a starter and depth for the offensive line, which Iheanachor and Dunker should provide. Iheanachor is still very raw in the run game, but he's such a gifted athlete that his trajectory is promising. Dunker plays too upright at times, but he's a grizzly bear in the run game and has a knack for recovering in pass pro despite his pad level.

I've become pessimistic about Drew Allar ever developing into a long-term solution at quarterback, but a (most likely) third string role as a rookie behind the scenes is ideal.

As great a returner as Kaden Wetjen is, using a fourth round pick on that spot is a little rich. They certainly made up that value and more with Spears-Jennings and Heidenreich. The latter could be a Kenneth Gainwell-type player, while Spears-Jennings is a physical presence at safety also built for special teams.

Here's why: The Steelers had a solid draft as well, drafting a potential long-term right tackle in Max Iheanachor and more potential starters in Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette and Gennings Dunker. Drew Allar in the third round seems like an unlikely bet to become the team's long-term quarterback, but at least they've finally taken a swing on someone who has traits to develop rather than some of the less talented quarterbacks they've taken in the past. This feels like a very Pittsburgh Steelers draft: high floor. Depending on how Iheanachor, Everett and Dunker develop, it could be a high ceiling draft as well.

Most interesting pick: Daylen Everette, DB, Georgia

Everette had a roller coaster of a career at Georgia, but he's a freak of an athlete and has a clear strength in terms of playing downhill to attack the ball and ballcarriers. He may be a better fit at safety for the long term, but his versatility and strength give him a chance to be an impactful defender in the NFL as well.

The Steelers got leap-frogged by the Eagles for Makai Lemon during the first round of the draft, but when I look at the makeup of this class I really like how things shook out for them. Pittsburgh pivoted to offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick, adding a high-upside, easy-moving blocker who can start for the team early on. They turned around and got an arbitrage version of Lemon in Germie Bernard, who brings electric run-after-the-catch talent and toughness to the receiver spot. Grabbing Drew Allar with the first of three third-rounders feels like an acceptable dice throw, given Allar's exceptional physical traits. If Pittsburgh can work through some of the issues that Allar has with his footwork, he'll bring developmental upside. Pittsburgh looked back to the offensive line spot with the Gennings Dunker pick, adding a country-strong blocker who could find a home at guard. The most intriguing pick of their weekend might be Eli Heidenreich, a versatile running back who excels as a pass catcher. There's a world in which he ends up playing a Kenneth Gainwell—like role for this offense. All in all, the Steelers addressed their major positions of need.

Analysis: The Steelers had an odd draft with their city playing host. Iheanachor is a terrific talent and could be pressed into duty depending on Broderick Jones's neck injury. Still, it's well-known they wanted slot receiver Makai Lemon at No. 21 before he was scooped by the Eagles, leading to the Bernard pick on Friday. At Alabama, Bernard amassed 1,656 yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons. Finally, selecting Allar to compete with Will Howard was a luxury selection for a team with far bigger needs. There's talent here, but also plenty to fret about.