aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
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aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 20, 2026

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  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (PIT)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (PIT)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Chris Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (PIT)
Chris Johnson
CB San Diego State
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (PIT)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 98 RND: 3 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (PIT)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (PIT)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
De'Zhaun Stribling Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
De'Zhaun Stribling
WR Ole Miss
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 204 RND: 6 (PIT)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Isaiah Jatta Head Shot
PICK: 215 RND: 6 (PIT)
Isaiah Jatta
OT BYU
Nick Barrett Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Nick Barrett
DL South Carolina
Raylen Wilson Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (PIT)
Raylen Wilson
LB Georgia
Brett Norfleet Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (PIT)
Brett Norfleet
TE Missouri
Keyshaun Elliott Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
Keyshaun Elliott
LB Arizona State
Draft Picks Received
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (BUF)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (SF)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Chris Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (KC)
Chris Johnson
CB San Diego State
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (LAC)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (BUF)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 98 RND: 3 (PHI)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (CHI)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (CLE)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 204 RND: 6 (LAC)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Isaiah Jatta Head Shot
PICK: 215 RND: 6 (PHI)
Isaiah Jatta
OT BYU
Draft Picks Traded
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (LAC)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Tacario Davis Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (KC)
Tacario Davis
CB Washington
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)
 
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C+
ValueC NeedB TradesA+ FutureF
The Steelers turned the phones into found money: C+.

The Steelers treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending the Round 3 slot on Patrick Payton a full 154 spots early.

The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Getting Elliott where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.

So much rides on Caleb Lomu that the real verdict is a season or two away.

Pick Analysis
Pick26 Rnd1 Caleb Lomu
In slot 26 they get an anchor for the offensive line. More want than need.
Pick27 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
In the Round 1 slot they get a green-dot type in the middle at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick40 Rnd2 Chris Johnson
The board had Chris Johnson higher than pick No. 40, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick53 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
A.J. Haulcy in the 53rd overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick76 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
They reached a country mile for Nicholas Singleton at pick 76, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick85 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
A real head-scratcher, Harold Perkins Jr. in Round 3, Pick 21 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick86 Rnd3 Parker Brailsford
Value said wait; Parker Brailsford in the 86th pick says they were not listening. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Pick91 Rnd3 Malik Muhammad
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Malik Muhammad. It fills a real need, too.
Pick98 Rnd3 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton at the Round 3 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick99 Rnd3 Drew Allar
Drew Allar at No. 99 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick129 Rnd4 Zane Durant
Zane Durant at slot 129 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick135 Rnd4 CJ Daniels
They took CJ Daniels at par in Round 4, Pick 35, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick141 Rnd5 Domani Jackson
This one needs a full-page explanation: Domani Jackson in the 141st overall pick, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick161 Rnd5 De'Zhaun Stribling
A swing that ignored the value entirely, De'Zhaun Stribling well ahead of where he belonged. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick204 Rnd6 Barion Brown
They reached into another round for Barion Brown, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
Pick215 Rnd6 Isaiah Jatta
Isaiah Jatta at Round 6, Pick 34 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Pick216 Rnd6 Nick Barrett
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nick Barrett. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick224 Rnd7 Raylen Wilson
A reasonable price with a little left over, Raylen Wilson in slot 224. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick230 Rnd7 Brett Norfleet
A wild overpay on Brett Norfleet in pick No. 230, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick237 Rnd7 Keyshaun Elliott
Keyshaun Elliott at pick 237 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.