B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers kept it disciplined and banked a B-.
by SAMMY 123 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
Nobody else had Cole Payton anywhere near pick 135. The Steelers did, by 63 spots, and that gap is the whole story. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
The Bernard pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer. They went 6 of 9 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
Sonny Styles in the Round 1 slot is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Eli Stowers at No. 53 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Michael Taaffe in Round 3, Pick 12. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Germie Bernard at pick No. 85 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Elijah Sarratt at pick 99 for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
They barely believed it either: Treydan Stukes still on the board at the 121st pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A big swing on Cole Payton at Round 4, Pick 35, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Taylen Green this early at the Round 5 slot. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Carver Willis at pick No. 216 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A minor itch, scratched.
TJ Hall at No. 224 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board had cheaper options than Eli Heidenreich at pick 230, and it noticed. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Fernando Carmona in the 237th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.