There will be plenty of buzz about picking a QB or WR here, but in this iteration, they look to replicate the waves of defensive linemen we've seen from Super Bowl-winning teams in recent years.

Trade! The Buccaneers trade the 15th pick to the Steelers for the 21st pick and a third-rounder.

The Steelers stockpiled a projected 12 picks with the initial plan of taking an aggressive swing at quarterback. But as the 2026 QB class collapsed, the focus has shifted to the next biggest need: wide receiver. Rather than waiting for No. 21 to see which receivers were still available, the Steelers used one of their three third-round picks to secure one of the three best players at his position. He could be even higher on some boards and has the flexibility to play all three wide receiver spots, something new head coach Mike McCarthy said he values during his introductory news conference. Tyson's injury history may give some teams pause, but that hasn't deterred the Steelers, who have taken their chances recently on others with more significant medical red flags like Payton Wilson and Darnell Washington. Even after the trade, the Steelers still have 10 draft picks, including a second, two thirds and two fourths. Expect GM Omar Khan, who earned his "Khan Artist" nickname for his aggressive maneuvering in his first draft, to continue working the phones.

For the first half of the 2025 season, Simpson was the best QB in college football. Then things quickly eroded over the second half of the season. The talent is still there, and I can't help but feel like the hiring of Mike McCarthy was done with QB development in mind. Maybe Simpson isn't drafted to start right away, but the Steelers need a QB, and Simpson is good value here.

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.