F
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers overdrafted Randall and paid the price. Grade: F.
by kmp90 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Adam Randall, 50 picks early at pick 230.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. It is not that Lomu is a bad player; it is that the Steelers had louder needs to answer first.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers. That is a tight end worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 21 they get a blindside protector. Need was not the driver here.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Caleb Lomu adds an offensive lineman and leaves quarterback, edge rusher and other spots untouched.
In pick No. 32 they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Dillon Thieneman slid further than he should have, and the 35th pick is lovely value for the safety. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jacob Rodriguez. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Harold Perkins Jr. at the 121st overall pick when waiting would have done the job. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Malik Benson enough to skip the value, taking him in No. 135. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good price on Zxavian Harris in the Round 5 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kaden Wetjen at pick No. 216 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A premium they did not need to pay, Robert Spears-Jennings a notch or two before his time. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Adam Randall at the 230th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy bit of business in Round 7, Pick 21, where Riley Nowakowski graded well above the range. A need, and now a little less of one.