aechean'S MOCK DRAFT

aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 20, 2026

okeydokey

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Monroe Freeling Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (PIT)
Monroe Freeling
OT Georgia
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 25 RND: 1 (PIT)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Emmanuel Pregnon Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
Emmanuel Pregnon
OG Oregon
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 54 RND: 2 (PIT)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Markel Bell Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Markel Bell
OT Miami
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 89 RND: 3 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 98 RND: 3 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (PIT)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Oscar Delp Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Oscar Delp
TE Georgia
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (PIT)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Davison Igbinosun Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
Davison Igbinosun
CB Ohio State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Draft Picks Received
Monroe Freeling Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (CLE)
Monroe Freeling
OT Georgia
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 25 RND: 1 (CHI)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 54 RND: 2 (PHI)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 89 RND: 3 (CHI)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 98 RND: 3 (PHI)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (CLE)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (LAC)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (CHI)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (CLE)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Draft Picks Traded
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (LAC)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Aiden Fisher Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (NE)
Aiden Fisher
LB Indiana
Connor Tollison Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (NE)
Connor Tollison
C Missouri
Owen Heinecke Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (NE)
Owen Heinecke
DB Oklahoma
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)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Rhamondre Stevenson
RB
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C+
ValueC NeedB- TradesA+ FutureF
The Steelers won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: C+.

Boards are made to be trusted, and the Steelers shredded theirs for Patrick Payton. He came off 163 spots early, and the room will hear about it.

If one pick saves this weekend, it is Branch. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.

The Pregnon pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with running back still on the board. Leaving running back unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.

If Monroe Freeling and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.

Pick Analysis
Pick24 Rnd1 Monroe Freeling
No edge and no loss on Monroe Freeling in the 24th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick25 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
A tidy little value on Sonny Styles in the Round 1 slot, a step better than break-even. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick53 Rnd2 Emmanuel Pregnon
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick 53 on Emmanuel Pregnon with running back unsolved.
Pick54 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
Good price on A.J. Haulcy in the 54th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick76 Rnd3 Markel Bell
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Markel Bell at offensive lineman with running back open.
Pick85 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Harold Perkins Jr. in slot 85, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick89 Rnd3 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton at the 89th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick98 Rnd3 Drew Allar
A big swing on Drew Allar at slot 98, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick99 Rnd3 Zachariah Branch
Zachariah Branch at pick No. 99 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick107 Rnd4 Bud Clark
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Bud Clark in the Round 4 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick121 Rnd4 Oscar Delp
Oscar Delp in Round 4, Pick 21 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick123 Rnd4 Parker Brailsford
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Parker Brailsford adds an offensive lineman and leaves running back untouched.
Pick129 Rnd4 Zane Durant
A real head-scratcher, Zane Durant in pick 129 is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick135 Rnd4 Davison Igbinosun
Value with a capital V on Davison Igbinosun in No. 135, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick141 Rnd5 CJ Daniels
A clean, defensible pick in pick 141 with a little surplus value in CJ Daniels. It fills a real need, too.
Pick161 Rnd5 Domani Jackson
By-the-book stuff, Domani Jackson at slot 161 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick216 Rnd6 Barion Brown
A wild overpay on Barion Brown in Round 6, Pick 35, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.