aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
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aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 15, 2026

Fell to me

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (PIT)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 22 RND: 1 (PIT)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Chase Bisontis Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
Chase Bisontis
OG Texas A&M
Keionte Scott Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Keionte Scott
CB Miami
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 87 RND: 3 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Deion Burks Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (PIT)
Deion Burks
WR Oklahoma
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 151 RND: 5 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Logan Fano Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Logan Fano
DE-EDGE Utah
Aamil Wagner Head Shot
PICK: 204 RND: 6 (PIT)
Aamil Wagner
OT Notre Dame
Jeremiah Wright Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (PIT)
Jeremiah Wright
OG Auburn
Zxavian Harris Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Zxavian Harris
DT Ole Miss
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (PIT)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
DJ Harvey Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
DJ Harvey
CB USC
Draft Picks Received
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 22 RND: 1 (LAC)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (LAC)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 87 RND: 3 (MIA)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Deion Burks Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (MIA)
Deion Burks
WR Oklahoma
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (LAC)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 151 RND: 5 (MIA)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Aamil Wagner Head Shot
PICK: 204 RND: 6 (LAC)
Aamil Wagner
OT Notre Dame
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (MIA)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C+
ValueC NeedB- TradesA+ FutureF
The Steelers fleeced the room on the phones and earned a C+.

You can hear the double-takes from here. The Steelers took Patrick Payton at pick No. 151, roughly 100 spots before his name belonged. It lands right in the middle: a C+, no more, no less.

That Wagner pick is the receipt they will wave around later. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.

With tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on offensive lineman is the choice that costs them. Leaving tight end unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.

Hit on Caleb Lomu and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.

Pick Analysis
Pick21 Rnd1 Caleb Lomu
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the offensive line, though they paid up to get him. Need was not the driver here.
Pick22 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
In No. 22 they get the heartbeat of the defense. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick53 Rnd2 Chase Bisontis
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Chase Bisontis adds an offensive lineman and leaves tight end untouched.
Pick76 Rnd3 Keionte Scott
Keionte Scott slipping to pick No. 76 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick85 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
Harold Perkins Jr. at the 85th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick86 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
A conviction pick on Nicholas Singleton at slot 86 that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick87 Rnd3 Drew Allar
They left a pile of value on the table to take Drew Allar this early at the Round 3 slot. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick99 Rnd3 CJ Daniels
They reached a country mile for CJ Daniels at slot 99, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
Pick111 Rnd4 Deion Burks
They did well to land Deion Burks in pick 111, just ahead of his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick121 Rnd4 Bud Clark
A safety of that caliber at the 121st overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick123 Rnd4 Parker Brailsford
They bypassed pressing needs at tight end to take Parker Brailsford, an offensive lineman that was not the priority.
Pick135 Rnd4 Zane Durant
Zane Durant at Round 4, Pick 35 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick151 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
A real head-scratcher, Patrick Payton in pick No. 151 is miles ahead of his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick161 Rnd5 Logan Fano
Logan Fano in No. 161 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick204 Rnd6 Aamil Wagner
Aamil Wagner in No. 204 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Pick214 Rnd6 Jeremiah Wright
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jeremiah Wright. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Pick216 Rnd6 Zxavian Harris
They paid sticker price for Zxavian Harris in the 216th pick, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick224 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
Value with a capital V on Thaddeus Dixon in pick 224, a genuine coup. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick237 Rnd7 DJ Harvey
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing DJ Harvey in Round 7, Pick 21. A need, and now a little less of one.