{"id":737459,"date":"2026-02-08T06:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T06:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/737459\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T06:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T06:24:15","slug":"mccorkle-steelers-2026-mock-draft-version-1-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/737459\/","title":{"rendered":"McCorkle: Steelers 2026 Mock Draft (Version 1.0)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two teams that were afterthoughts a year ago are playing in the Super Bowl later today, a reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL. Strong draft classes and new coaching staffs helped fuel both turnarounds, which is encouraging for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who enter the offseason with a projected 12 draft picks<\/a> and a new coaching staff led by Mike McCarthy.<\/p>\n

The Steelers haven\u2019t made 12 selections in a single draft since 1992<\/a>, back when the draft still stretched 12 rounds. Even if Pittsburgh packages picks to move up, this is a rare chance to reshape the roster and lay the foundation for its next championship window.<\/p>\n

With limited information available this early in the process, mock drafts are less about predicting what the Steelers will do and more about exploring possibilities. This one reflects what I would do. And while I typically avoid trades in mock drafts, the sheer volume of Pittsburgh\u2019s selections makes at least one trade up feel like a virtual certainty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, here is my 2026 Steelers mock draft version 1.0.<\/p>\n

Round 1 \u2013 Trade Up* \u2013 Caleb Downs\/S\/Ohio State<\/p>\n

*Trade \u2013 Steelers send R1 + two R3s, Dolphins send R1<\/p>\n

Caleb Downs is a blue-chip talent, and it\u2019s not often the Steelers have the chance to land one of those. Will he make it this far? History says yes. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the highest-drafted safety dating back to 2018 at No. 11 overall. The position is severely undervalued in the league. Even if Jalen Ramsey sticks around, maybe he is better served in a slot\/safety role where he is closer to the line of scrimmage, and he isn\u2019t a long-term solution at 31. If Downs can transform the defense, then the young, two-time consensus All-American is well worth the cost.<\/p>\n

Round 2 \u2013 Omar Cooper Jr.\/WR\/Indiana<\/p>\n

If they don\u2019t go with a receiver in the first round, the Steelers can\u2019t leave the second round without one. Cooper would be a great choice as a do-it-all receiver that can get open, reliably catch the ball, and create yards after with solid burst.<\/p>\n

Omar Cooper Jr. Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 3 \u2013 Ted Hurst\/WR\/Georgia State<\/p>\n

With a transition to Mike McCarthy\u2019s offensive system, the Steelers need more receivers. Hurst is an intriguing prospect if available in the third round as a very productive, big-bodied receiver with nuanced route running and burst. He made one of the most impressive catches of the Senior Bowl week, and showed his ability to blow past defensive backs to create deep-ball opportunities.<\/p>\n

Round 4 \u2013 Nick Singleton\/RB\/Penn State<\/p>\n

Somebody is going to get a bargain with Singleton in the third or fourth round after his recent broken foot at the Senior Bowl. Why not the Steelers? He is the home-run threat they\u2019ve been lacking, and could turn into a RB1 in a year or two when Jaylen Warren and others are long gone from Pittsburgh. He can run, he can catch, he can break the big play, and he proved in Mobile he can pass block better than expected.<\/p>\n

Round 4 \u2013 Keylan Rutledge\/OG\/Georgia Tech<\/p>\n

Maybe a pipe dream that he\u2019ll be available here, but guards tend to get pushed down in the draft a bit for whatever reason. Rutledge is an ultra-aggressive guard that could be one of the final pieces of the Steelers young, up-and-coming offensive line. Coaches had to tell him to tone it down<\/a> at Senior Bowl practices because he was pancaking too many people. Yeah, I\u2019ll take one of those.<\/p>\n

Keylan Rutledge Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 5 \u2013 Domani Jackson\/CB\/Alabama<\/p>\n

A big-bodied corner with a track background sounds like a worthy developmental guy in the later rounds. He needs to develop his skills in man coverage, but he is aggressive and physical with enough traits to find intriguing.<\/p>\n

Round 6 \u2013 James Thompson Jr.\/DL\/Illinois<\/p>\n

The Steelers are sticking with the 3-4 defense, which means they need to keep stocking up on the rare body types that can play base defensive end in an odd front. Thompson is listed at 6-6, 310 pounds and has a Wisconsin background prior to his time at Illinois. The Steelers like their Wisconsin defenders.<\/p>\n

Round 6 \u2013 Barion Brown\/WR\/LSU<\/p>\n

Another big winner of Senior Bowl week, Brown had the fastest top speed of any receiver in attendance. He also proved he can separate in his routes, and make tough catches in traffic. The Steelers may not need three receivers, but Brown is good enough value here and fills another role as a return specialist. He had six kick return touchdowns in four years of college ball. With some practice, that can probably translate to the punt return game too.<\/p>\n

Round 7 \u2013 Bryce Boettcher\/LB\/Oregon<\/p>\n

Boettcher was drafted in the MLB, but is choosing to pursue football instead. And by the look of it at the Senior Bowl, football is definitely where he belongs. He is physical, athletic, and communicative with plus skills in coverage. He can contribute on special teams right away with potential to develop into more.<\/p>\n

Round 7 \u2013 Jack Stonehouse\/P\/Syracuse<\/p>\n

I normally wouldn\u2019t advocate for a punter in the draft, but I am tired of subpar and inconsistent punting in Pittsburgh. Stonehouse looks like an NFL-caliber punter with great hangtime and remarkable consistency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two teams that were afterthoughts a year ago are playing in the Super Bowl later today, a reminder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":737460,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[7479,94152,613,14287,7,106358,106359,51905,6,617,61529,520,57,2360,60932,426,103331,691],"class_list":["post-737459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-barion-brown","tag-bryce-boettcher","tag-caleb-downs","tag-domani-jackson","tag-football","tag-jack-stonehouse","tag-james-thompson-jr","tag-keylan-rutledge","tag-nfl","tag-nick-singleton","tag-omar-cooper-jr","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-ross-mccorkle","tag-steelers","tag-ted-hurst","tag-trending"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116033582808444909","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}