aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
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aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 15, 2026

HeavyTrader

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 16 RND: 1 (PIT)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Emmanuel Pregnon Head Shot
PICK: 33 RND: 2 (PIT)
Emmanuel Pregnon
OG Oregon
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 36 RND: 2 (PIT)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 69 RND: 3 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 103 RND: 4 (PIT)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 117 RND: 4 (PIT)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (PIT)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Keagen Trost Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Keagen Trost
OT Missouri
Oscar Delp Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (PIT)
Oscar Delp
TE Georgia
Dane Key Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Dane Key
WR Nebraska
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 225 RND: 7 (PIT)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Zavion Thomas Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
Zavion Thomas
WR LSU
Draft Picks Received
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 16 RND: 1 (NYJ)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Emmanuel Pregnon Head Shot
PICK: 33 RND: 2 (NYJ)
Emmanuel Pregnon
OG Oregon
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 36 RND: 2 (LV)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (LV)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (PHI)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 69 RND: 3 (HOU)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 103 RND: 4 (NYJ)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (TB)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 117 RND: 4 (LV)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (ARI)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 225 RND: 7 (DAL)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (DAL)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (TB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (TB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Carnell Tate Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (NYJ)
Carnell Tate
WR Ohio State
Drew Shelton Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (LV)
Drew Shelton
OT Penn State
Josiah Trotter Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (NYJ)
Josiah Trotter
LB Missouri
Taurean York Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (TB)
Taurean York
LB Texas A&M
Will Lee III Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (DAL)
Will Lee III
CB Texas A&M
Connor Tollison Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (HOU)
Connor Tollison
C Missouri
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players traded away
Head Shot
Alex Highsmith
LB
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C+
ValueC- NeedB- TradesA+ FutureF
The Steelers worked the phones like thieves and earned a C+.

The rest of the league had time to spare on Patrick Payton; the Steelers did not wait, grabbing him 135 spots ahead at pick 116.

They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They banked enough surplus on Delp to cover a lot of smaller sins. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.

Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.

In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.

Pick Analysis
Pick16 Rnd1 Caleb Lomu
In the 16th pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front, reach and all. Need was not the driver here.
Pick33 Rnd2 Emmanuel Pregnon
They paid sticker price for Emmanuel Pregnon in pick No. 33, and that is fine. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Pick36 Rnd2 Sonny Styles
Sonny Styles at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick67 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
A big swing on Harold Perkins Jr. at No. 67, well ahead of any board in the building. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick68 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
A wild overpay on Nicholas Singleton in the 68th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The roster fit checks out.
Pick69 Rnd3 Drew Allar
A real head-scratcher, Drew Allar in Round 3, Pick 5 is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick85 Rnd3 CJ Daniels
CJ Daniels at the Round 3 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick103 Rnd4 Malik Muhammad
Malik Muhammad slipping to pick 103 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick116 Rnd4 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton at No. 116 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick117 Rnd4 Zane Durant
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Zane Durant well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick121 Rnd4 Bud Clark
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Bud Clark in slot 121, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick143 Rnd5 Domani Jackson
Domani Jackson in pick No. 143 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It fills a real need, too.
Pick161 Rnd5 Keagen Trost
Keagen Trost at the 161st pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Pick214 Rnd6 Oscar Delp
They robbed the room for Oscar Delp here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick216 Rnd6 Dane Key
Dane Key at pick No. 216 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick225 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Thaddeus Dixon at the Round 7 slot is the proof. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick237 Rnd7 Zavion Thomas
Zavion Thomas at Round 7, Pick 21 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.