F
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers went off-script early, and it cost them a F.
by uuhsjsjsjs ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The Steelers looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Desmond Reid at No. 161 regardless, 97 picks early. There is no dressing it up: a F.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Stowers falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a rangy last line of defense at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Fair-plus on Peter Woods, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Ja'Kobi Lane at pick No. 76 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Eli Stowers here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board fumbled Malik Muhammad all the way to slot 121, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 135 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Desmond Reid. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kendrick Law in Round 6, Pick 35 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The roster fit checks out.
Nothing to complain about; Jadon Canady went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jalon Daniels in the 230th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Fa'alili Fa'amoe at slot 237, and the board did not agree. A minor itch, scratched.