B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Steelers a B-.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 6 steals
· 6 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Steelers took Drew Allar a full 35 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Miller. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Job largely done: quarterback settled and 7 of 9 of the wish list covered.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
The board had Carnell Tate higher than pick 21, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
In the Round 1 slot they get a three-down second-level presence. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 23rd pick they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
They robbed the room for A.J. Haulcy here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taking Christen Miller in the 85th overall pick is close to grand larceny; an interior defensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board had cheaper options than Nicholas Singleton at pick No. 99, and it noticed. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Drew Allar at Round 4, Pick 21 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Harold Perkins Jr. in the 135th overall pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Value with a capital V on CJ Daniels in slot 153, a genuine coup. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid up for Domani Jackson at the 161st pick when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
They took Zane Durant at par in pick No. 178, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Nwankpa at pick 204 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Isaiah Nwokobia in No. 216 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Nick Barrett at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Zavion Thomas is a better player than the Round 7 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Thaddeus Dixon at Round 7, Pick 21 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.