B
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won the night they stopped McDonald from sliding. Grade: B.
by SAMMY 123 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
The Steelers did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Kayden McDonald fell into the Round 3 slot.
They are betting Payton proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
They trusted the board more than the depth chart.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 21 they get the heartbeat of the defense at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
You do not let a wide receiver like Carnell Tate reach slot 53 and blink. They did not. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jermod McCoy at the 76th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They barely believed it either: Kayden McDonald still on the board at pick 85. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Michael Taaffe here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Julian Neal at No. 121 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They reached a country mile for Beau Stephens at the Round 4 slot, and the board is aghast. A minor itch, scratched.
A real head-scratcher, Cole Payton in the 161st overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Zavion Thomas at Round 6, Pick 35 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board had cheaper options than Eli Heidenreich at slot 224, and it noticed. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Nolan Rucci, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
The board had Jimmy Rolder higher than the Round 7 slot, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.