B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
More right than wrong for the Steelers, and a B- to prove it.
by ayemac ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Steelers did exactly that with J.C. Davis in slot 99. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
Getting Golday where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
It is not that Davis is a bad player; it is that the Steelers had louder needs to answer first. On the needs board they went 6 of 9, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with cornerback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
Olaivavega Ioane at the 21st overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 53 with a little surplus value in A.J. Haulcy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A tidy bit of business in slot 76, where Zachariah Branch graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Circle this one: Jake Golday at Round 3, Pick 21 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They bypassed pressing needs at cornerback, linebacker and other spots to take J.C. Davis, an offensive lineman that was not the priority.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Mike Washington Jr. in the 121st pick. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
DeMonte Capehart in the Round 4 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Drew Allar at the 161st pick is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.