B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
Good, not great, for the Steelers: B-.
by SAMMY 123 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
The Steelers looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Nolan Rucci at the Round 6 slot regardless, 47 picks early.
Landing Scott that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
A premium they did not need to pay, Germie Bernard a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tight end of that caliber at pick No. 76 is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Good price on Keylan Rutledge in Round 3, Pick 21, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Keionte Scott at the 99th pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Ja'Kobi Lane in No. 121 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A need, and now a little less of one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Bishop Fitzgerald at Round 4, Pick 35. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Cole Payton in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nolan Rucci this early at pick No. 216. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A real head-scratcher, Eli Heidenreich in pick 224 is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Brandon Cleveland in slot 230, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
TJ Hall at the 237th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.