B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
Nobody dealt better than the Steelers this weekend: B-.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 2 steals
· 10 reaches
The Patrick Payton selection is the head-turner. The Steelers reached 108 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. With tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on offensive lineman is the choice that costs them. They banked enough surplus on Casey to cover a lot of smaller sins.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Caleb Lomu at the 26th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
In the 27th pick they get a three-down second-level presence. A real need, handled.
Dillon Thieneman in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had cheaper options than Dontay Corleone at slot 58, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A wild overpay on Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 76, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
Nicholas Singleton at pick No. 85 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the Round 3 slot on Parker Brailsford with tight end unsolved.
Drew Allar at No. 121 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
CJ Daniels in pick 126 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Patrick Payton in the 135th overall pick says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, Domani Jackson in slot 148 is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jalen Farmer at pick No. 161 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A reach on Zane Durant in the 165th pick; the board had better options right there. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kage Casey is a better player than Round 5, Pick 28 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Aaron Anderson. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy little value on Thaddeus Dixon in Round 6, Pick 35, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A quiet steal in the Round 7 slot: Zavion Thomas for less than the market said. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Xavier Nwankpa in the 230th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reach for Robert Spears-Jennings in slot 237; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.