aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 17, 2026

fell into my lap

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 100 RND: 3 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Davison Igbinosun Head Shot
PICK: 125 RND: 4 (PIT)
Davison Igbinosun
CB Ohio State
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 171 RND: 5 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Isaiah Jatta Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (PIT)
Isaiah Jatta
OT BYU
Zxavian Harris Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Zxavian Harris
DT Ole Miss
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (PIT)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Draft Picks Received
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 100 RND: 3 (JAX)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Davison Igbinosun Head Shot
PICK: 125 RND: 4 (NE)
Davison Igbinosun
CB Ohio State
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 171 RND: 5 (NE)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (CIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (CIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (NE)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (CIN)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Jakobe Thomas Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (JAX)
Jakobe Thomas
S Miami
Kevin Coleman Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (NE)
Kevin Coleman Jr.
WR Missouri
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Orlando Brown Jr.
OT
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall B
ValueC- NeedB TradesC+ FutureA+
The Steelers did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B.

The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Steelers reached some 80 spots for Patrick Payton, and value like that does not grow back. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.

Dixon at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.

Pick Analysis
Pick53 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
A.J. Haulcy in the 53rd overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick76 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
Harold Perkins Jr. at the Round 3 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick85 Rnd3 Parker Brailsford
Parker Brailsford at slot 85 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick99 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Nicholas Singleton. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick100 Rnd3 CJ Daniels
CJ Daniels at Round 3, Pick 36 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
Pick121 Rnd4 Drew Allar
They reached a country mile for Drew Allar at pick 121, and the board is aghast. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick125 Rnd4 Davison Igbinosun
A straight-up fair deal on Davison Igbinosun at Round 4, Pick 25, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick171 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
They left a pile of value on the table to take Patrick Payton this early at the 171st pick. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick214 Rnd6 Isaiah Jatta
Isaiah Jatta in the 214th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Pick216 Rnd6 Zxavian Harris
They paid sticker price for Zxavian Harris in pick 216, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick224 Rnd7 Barion Brown
A real head-scratcher, Barion Brown in No. 224 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick237 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
Thaddeus Dixon at pick No. 237 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.