B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Steelers a B-.
by wvumick ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 1 reaches
Hard to follow the map here. The Steelers bypassed edge rusher and running back to take J.C. Davis at slot 135, a spot they had covered.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. They are betting Payton proves the room right and everyone else wrong. However the rest shakes out, Stribling at that price is a win they earned.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 22 they get a blindside protector. More want than need.
A tidy little value on Lee Hunter in Round 2, Pick 21, a step better than break-even. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jacob Rodriguez in the 76th overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Bryce Lance in pick No. 85 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They did well to land Devin Moore in slot 99, just ahead of his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with De'Zhaun Stribling worth more than the price. A need, and now a little less of one.
No drama and no debate, Jack Endries went about where he belonged in No. 123. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose offensive lineman. J.C. Davis in the 135th pick leaves edge rusher and running back for later.
By-the-book stuff, Louis Moore at pick 161 squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They jumped the gun on Cole Payton, taking him earlier than his grade liked. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.