B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
The Steelers clearly saw something nobody else did in Carson Beck, taking him 68 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced.
Getting Scott where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 21 they get an anchor for the offensive line. Need was not the driver here.
Carson Beck at slot 53 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Deion Burks in the 76th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let an edge rusher like Jake Golday reach Round 3, Pick 21 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Keionte Scott at the 99th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Sam Hecht at pick 121 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Bishop Fitzgerald at the 135th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nice patience on Skyler Gill-Howard, who had no business lasting to the 161st pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dae'Quan Wright at pick No. 216 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Noah Whittington at pick 224 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A need, and now a little less of one.
They went early on Lander Barton in slot 230, and the value did not follow. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They jumped the gun on Diego Pavia, taking him earlier than his grade liked. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.