B
Pittsburgh Steelers
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Steelers a B.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 8 reaches
The Steelers clearly saw something nobody else did in Patrick Payton, taking him 86 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
The Branch steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but cornerback.
Pick-by-Pick
Dillon Thieneman in the Round 2 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value with a capital V on Zachariah Branch in pick 76, a genuine coup. It fills a real need, too.
A slide stopped in the 85th overall pick, with Malachi Fields worth more than the price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They liked Nicholas Singleton enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 99. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Harold Perkins Jr. at pick No. 118 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Drew Allar in No. 121 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Zane Durant this early at slot 135. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A wild overpay on Patrick Payton in the 161st overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Isaiah Nwokobia in the Round 6 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than Xavier Nwankpa at Round 7, Pick 6, and it noticed. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Logan Taylor in pick 224 says they were not listening. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jimmy Rolder at the 230th pick is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Owen Heinecke in pick No. 237 is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.