B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers cashed the board's mistake on McNeil-Warren: B-.
by bringindawood ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Round 3, Pick 21, roughly 34 picks past where he belonged.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. Every board in the league had Allar lower, and that gap is the story.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 21 they get a green-dot type in the middle. A real need, handled.
Emmanuel Pregnon at the 53rd pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They will replay Germie Bernard at pick 76 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a safety like Emmanuel McNeil-Warren reach Round 3, Pick 21 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A straight-up fair deal on Darrell Jackson Jr. at No. 99, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Somehow Malik Muhammad was still sitting there in the 121st overall pick, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wild overpay on Drew Allar in pick No. 135, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Value with a capital V on Dametrious Crownover in the Round 5 slot, a genuine coup. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A reach for Zavion Thomas in pick No. 216; a little patience would have been rewarded. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A quiet steal in the Round 7 slot: Riley Nowakowski for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Fa'alili Fa'amoe in the 230th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
No edge and no loss on Eli Heidenreich in the 237th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.