B
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers checked most of the boxes and earned a B.
by Erigl ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
The Steelers did not so much draft Cole Payton as overpay for him, 58 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
On value alone, Trotter makes the weekend a net positive. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 21 they get a weapon on the perimeter, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Emmanuel Pregnon is a better player than the 53rd overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They read the board right and Keionte Scott was the payoff at Round 3, Pick 12. It fills a real need, too.
A linebacker of that caliber at the Round 3 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They took Darrell Jackson Jr. at par in pick No. 99, which is nothing to complain about. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Genesis Smith slipping to slot 109 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Cole Payton at Round 4, Pick 35 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Kaden Wetjen at the 216th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.