Draft nerds…we’re almost there. April is upon us and we enter the same month that the Steel City will host the sports top (for me, at least) event, the 2026 NFL Draft.
As the draft season has continued, the Pittsburgh Steelers walk into the draft with the most overall draft picks, an enticing opportunity to trade up or acquire players on draft day. Me personally, I hope they take every pick because depth is not on our side with our current roster in almost every position.
My last Steelers Mock Draft was fun, but most likely impossible to mimic with the latest slew of NFL moves that have happened recently. Makai Lemon, for example, will almost certaintly not be available at 21 with the Dolphins walking into opening weekend with no receivers on their roster. D’angelo pounds shows OUT at Indiana’s pro day, most likely thrusting him into Day 2 consideration. The Steelers signed Rico Dowdle, making RB a lesser worry than before. And of course John Mateer has stayed in college, making our QB depth chart a lone Will Howard.
There’s also been a notable rise and fall of some of the prospects we LOVED just a few months ago. Omar Cooper Jr. is now a certified first round pick, tackle has some insane risers by way of Blake Miller and Max Iheanachor and Carson Beck and Drew Allar are in a real competition for QB3 after Simpson and Mendoza.
I still don’t trade in mocks. Trading in mocks is for cowards.
First Round – Pick 21 – Kadyn Proctor – OT – Alabama
I went back in forth between Proctor and Vega Ioane here and it came down to the versitility of Proctor at tackle and guard. Proctor is an interesting prospect mainly due to the fact that his tape has been hyper focused on amongst the talking heads of the NFL Draft. At 6’7″, 366 lbs, Proctor is a MOUNTAIN of a man who has the size and power you’d want at the next level. I have no clue what’s happening with Broderick Jones and Dylan Cook at LT but with the departure of Isaac Seumalo, we need our guard of the future to pair with this young line. Depending on how the board falls will most likely depend where I have Proctor lining up for the Black and Gold.
Other Names Considered – Olaivavega Ioena, G – Omar Cooper Jr., WR – Peter Woods, DT – Emmanuel McNeail-Warren, S – Ty Simpson, QB
Second Round – Pick 53 – Jacob Rodriguez – LB – Texas Tech
Jacob Rodriguez was a certified stud last year at Texas Tech raking in 63 tackles, 7 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions. The former QB won every accolade possible for a backer and is a certified lockerroom champion, something that the Steelers absolutely take pride in. This is a fairly good linebacker class so I could make the argument to wait out, but the Steelers lack of depth at the LB position (and the consistent trade rumors around Patrick Queen) make this an easy selection.
Other Names Considered – Chris Brazzelle II, WR – A.J. Haulcy, S – Keith Abney II, CB – Gennings Dunker, G – Zachariah Branch, WR
Third Round – Pick 76 – Malachi Fields – WR – Notre Dame
With the addition of Michael Pittman Jr,, the Steelers have a terrific One-Two punch at receiver heading into this year. Behind them, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Roman Wilson has been a perpetual ghost for the Steelers offense since being draft but a change of leadership with a brand new head coach may tip the scales his way. Behind him is a slew of maybes, starting with Ben Skowronek and A.T. Perry, two names who feel like fillers more than contributors. Fields is another big target for the Steelers, something I had originally wanted to avoid but when the board falls, it falls. He caught 36 balls for 630 yards and 5 TDs for the Irish this season and is a contact receiver and a contested catch beast. For better or for worse, I see similarities in his game to Pittman but with the remaining receivers all in the same skillset, Fields is the pick.
Other Names Considered – Malik Muhammad, CB – Jadarian Price, RB – Ted Hurst, WR – Dontay Corleone, DL – Kamari Ramsey, S
Third Round – Pick 85 – Kamari Ramsey – S – USC
Despite the amazing signing of Pittsburgh’s own Jaquan Brisker in the offseason, Safety is a position of need in this years draft. Brisker and Elliott will be a great duo for the Black and Gold but as far as contracts go, we only have Sebastian Castro on the roster after this year. Ramsey is a perfect candidate for a Steelers pick. A “glue guy” for the Trojans, he can move to nickel if needed as well with his explosive and physical play style. He also scarcely gets outrun, something we need in the deep field.
Other Names Considered – Genesis Smith, S – Kyle Louis, LB – Garrett Nussmeier, QB – Kage Casey, OG, Drew Shelton, OT
Third Round – Pick 99 – Garrett Nussmeier – QB – LSU
Before the season I would have scoffed at the idea that Nussmeier fell out of the top 15 let alone the first round but as draft analysis goes, here we are. Nussmeier isn’t the ptorotypical size of a quarterback, something found with both Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck. What Nussmeier does have, however, is a gamer mentality and a game that doesnt need rebuilt from the ground up. Nuss is a gunslinger and arguably the perfect prototype to compete against Will Howard for the leader of Steelers Nation for years to come. What he lacks in general tools he makes up for in attitutde and toughness, something the Black and Gold has missed at the QB position for years.
Other Names Considered – Devin Moore, CB – LT Overton, EDGE – Jalen Farmer, G – Brenen Thompson, WR – Drew Shelton, OT
Fourth Round – Pick 121 – Kendrick Law – WR – Kentucky
Law started his career at Alabama before transferring to Kentucky where he proved to be a terrific target near the line of scrimmage. A majority of his overall plays came at or behind the line, depending on his abilithy to break tackles when needed. He has a strong special teams background as well, something the Steelers have beeded for a while now. He has a limited route tree which can be covered well by the addition of Fields to the Steelers depth chart. If we’re looking for a guy who can just make enough impact to matter, Law is a terrific selection.
Other Names Considered – Austin Barber, OT – Isaiah World, OT – Harold Perkins Jr., LB – Ephesians Prysock, CB, Zane Durant, DT
Fourth Round – Pick 135 – Ephesians Prysock – CB – Washington
At 6’3″ 196 lbs, Prysock is a size-speed freak at the CB position. He was a 4-star recruit at Arizona before making the trasnfer up to Washington and in 2025 totaled 48 tackles, 7 passes deflected and only one interception. The ball-skills portion of his game leaves a lot to be desired but he flashes terrific fluidity for someone that tell. In a room where he won’t need to start instantly, Prysock has a real shot at developing into a starter in the NFL.
Other Names Considered – Daylen Everette, CB – Billy Schrauth, OG – Jack Endries, TE – Zane Durant, DT
Fifth Round – Pick 159 – Febechi Nwaiwu – OG – Oklahoma
After a rocky start in 2024, Nwaiwu has proven to be a reliable player for the Sooners offensive line unit. He can move across the line for depth and has a fairly good athletic score heading into the draft. Guard is a big position of need for the Steelers with Spencer Anderson the current starter so Nwaiwu would find himself with some meaningful reps in year one barring a move from tackle with first overall pick Proctor.
Other Names Considered – Drew Allar, QB – Landon Robinson, DT – Nate Boerkircher, TE – Keagen Trost, OT
Sixth Round – Pick 213 – Rene Konga – DT – Louisville
What Konga lacked in the season last year he seemed to have made up for in his pro day workout. He didn’t receive an invite to Indy (and honestly, rightly so) but he ran a 4.79 40, has a 10’2″ broad jump and some hjops with a 37″ vert. Konga has some true NFL upside and is an explosive player when it comes to the pass rush. He is a pure athlete at this point so expanding his game is a must, but as a depth pick he makes a ton of sense for the Steelers.
Other Names Considered – George Gumbs Jr, EDGE – Sawyer Robertson, QB – Domani jackson, CB
Sixth Round – Pick 214 – Matthew Hibner – TE – SMU
I’ll be blunt, the Tight End room for the Steelers has disappointed my expectations and I find it hard to blame the guys at all. Pat Freiermuth has done nothing be be terrific and has seen an odd snap count and the obviously corner ball in the end zone to Darnell Washington appears to remain in my dreams as opposed to the field. That being said, I trust Big Mike to implement something that brings those two to light and adding a vertical threat like Hibner could tie our TE room together. Hibner is a seam runner who found quiet success late in his career. He could also easily slide into the Connor Heyward Tush Push position, allowing Darnell Washington to be a legit threat for once. A fine pick this late into the mock. q
Seventh Round – Pick 224 – Sawyer Robertson – QB– Baylor
Until we have a quarterback, we don’t have one so I will continue to load the room with potential until I die. Robertson haspro traits and a terrific arm but lacks the general touch to bring him higher into the draft. At 6”4″ he’s fairly mobile for his size and similar to Nuss, he brings a dog mentality. He rips the ball on short routes like his life depends on it and can’t quite connect on the beautiful deep balls but will compete with the best of them, something our QB room needs.
Seventh Round – Pick 237 – Kendal Daniels– LB – Oklahoma
A Safety-turned-Linebackers, Daniels has outstanding athleticism for the position. He has some glaring gaps in terms of the fundamentals of the Linebacker position but can make up for his mistakes with his speed. He’s long and versitile in coverage and tallied an impressive 31.5 tackles for loss in his last four seasons. Daniels may be nothing more than scheme fit for the Steelers but in the reps he plays, you know exactly what you’re going to get.
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