B
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers let Branch fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by TT56 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Zachariah Branch slide, and the Steelers were the ones holding the card at No. 99. Highway robbery. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
They will need Allar to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain. Job largely done: quarterback settled and 6 of 9 of the wish list covered.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 21st overall pick they get a building block for the line. Need was not the driver here.
Anthony Hill Jr. in the 60th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.
Germie Bernard at No. 85 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Zachariah Branch in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
Drew Allar in Round 4, Pick 21 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kage Casey in pick 161 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
TJ Hall at slot 216 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They will replay Miles Kitselman at pick No. 237 for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
They read the board right and Isaiah Nwokobia was the payoff at pick 239. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.