My first Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft of the 2026 cycle. This is a unique season in so many ways. A brand-new coaching staff risks changing our \u201cBlue\u2019s Clues\u201d for how the franchise has drafted, even if GM Omar Khan remains in place. And as of now, there are a dozen projected picks Pittsburgh will use. Will the Steelers ultimately use them all? Probably not. But for now, we\u2019ll act as if they will, in what could be a substantial roster shakeup.<\/p>\n
A reminder, these mocks are in the spirit of what I think the team will\u00a0do as opposed to my own rooting interests, but they will be more informed the closer we get to April\u2019s draft. Normally, I consider an \u201cothers considered\u201d for each selection, but I won\u2019t do that until later mock drafts.<\/p>\n
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.<\/p>\n
Round One \u2013 Avieon Terrell\/CB Clemson: 5-11, 180 pounds<\/p>\n
Analysis:\u00a0It\u2019s certainly possible the Steelers could land a wide receiver, the most popular position mocked here, or even a quarterback. But here, Pittsburgh selects a cornerback with the 21st overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
Even with Mike Tomlin gone, the assessment of the team\u2019s needs hasn\u2019t changed. Pittsburgh needs answers for stopping in-division wideouts, especially the Cincinnati Bengals\u2019 Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who are in Cincy for the long haul. These two guys cooked the Steelers in the Bengals\u2019 primetime Week 7 win.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh\u2019s answer was supposed to be Jalen Ramsey. He ended the year at safety, and should he return in 2026, it won\u2019t be as an outside cornerback. Joey Porter Jr. made real progress by the end of the year, and James Pierre had a career season. But Pierre is also a pending free agent with a new coaching staff evaluating him. He might not be back.<\/p>\n
Terrell could form one heck of a duo with Porter. He\u2019s an easy-moving cover corner with an alpha mentality. Terrell isn\u2019t a big-framed cornerback, but he is active around the line of scrimmage with nine career tackles for a loss and four sacks. Eight career forced fumbles really stick out on Terrell\u2019s resume, including five in 2025. That comes from his effort and aggressive play on the football.<\/p>\n
The Steelers love first-round bloodlines: Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Terrell Edmunds, and Devin Bush are all examples. Terrell is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, and the two are close.<\/p>\n
He checks plenty of boxes of need and talent. He\u2019s the answer to divisional opponents\u2019 passing games, and the pick for Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Avieon Terrell Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n Round Two \u2013 Omar Cooper Jr.\/WR Indiana: 6-0, 204 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0One of my draft crushes, the depth at receiver in this year\u2019s class is strong enough to allow Pittsburgh to wait. Cooper may lack high-end wheels, but does everything else at a high level. He\u2019s a strong route runner who gets open, something the Steelers desperately need. Cooper breaks tackles, blocks, and he plays outside and in the slot.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh can gain hidden insight into Cooper\u2019s background and makeup. New wide receivers coach Adam Henry spent the 2022 season coaching a then-freshman Cooper at Indiana. He barely played, but as former Steelers\u2019 receiver Demarcus Ayers told us, Henry was influential in Cooper\u2019s development<\/a>, which\u00a0paid off years later.<\/p>\n Cooper can start Day One and make an impact in 11 personnel, assuming the Steelers sign a veteran receiver in free agency.<\/p>\n Omar Cooper Jr. Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n Round Three \u2013 Zakee Wheatley\/S Penn State: 6-3, 200 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0Safety is a need even if Jalen Ramsey makes it through the 2026 offseason. Pittsburgh\u2019s secondary is older and needs more collective speed. Ramsey is, at best, a one-year option. Wheatley is a big body with free and strong versatility, though most of his snaps came at the former.<\/p>\n In 2026, he can play in dime packages (assuming they\u2019re used after going all of 2025 without) and transition into a full-time starter for 2027. He\u2019s a solid addition to the defensive backfield under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.<\/p>\n Zakee Wheatley Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n Round Three \u2013 Garrett Nussmeier\/QB LSU: 6-1, 205 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0Quarterback is the tricky position to project. But with 12 picks, at least in this current mock form, it\u2019s hard to see Pittsburgh\u00a0not\u00a0draft the position. Nussmeier has ties to Mike McCarthy. His father, Doug, coached alongside McCarthy in Dallas from 2020-2022. Doug also played quarterback<\/a> in the NFL, and McCarthy may like the \u201cson of a player\/coach\u201d box Garrett will check.<\/p>\n The younger Nussmeier entered 2025 as a potential first-round quarterback. But poor play sent his stock spiraling. Perhaps that\u2019s attributed to a core muscle injury he played through. Healthy at the Senior Bowl, he shone his way to being named the game\u2019s MVP and was regarded as the top quarterback in Mobile. Physically, he shows enough tools, and if he can capture his 2024 form, the Steelers might have something here.<\/p>\n How does the quarterback depth chart shake out? That\u2019s hard to say. Perhaps Mason Rudolph becomes the odd man out. But McCarthy likes drafting the position, and the Steelers need options until and unless they discover a long-term answer. I normally don\u2019t like drafting quarterbacks past the Top 50, but with a dozen selections, it\u2019s worth using one on the most important position in sports.<\/p>\n Garrett Nussmeier Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n Round Three \u2013 Dontay Corleone\/NT Cincinnati: 6-2, 335 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0Pittsburgh is missing a true run stuffer in the middle. The Steelers actively searched for one after Daniel Ekuale went down to a torn ACL. Though it\u2019s a new coaching staff, the calculation remains the same.<\/p>\n Keeanu Benton had his best year in 2026, but his run defense was far from perfect. Corleone is a plugger listed at 335 pounds (he didn\u2019t <\/a>weigh in at the Shrine Bowl). His production fell off in 2025, but for his career, he recorded 123 tackles (17 TFL) and nine sacks.<\/p>\n Corleone will slot in behind Benton and rotate his way through his rookie year.<\/p>\n Round Four \u2013 Ar\u2019maj Reed-Adams\/OG Texas AM: 6-5, 317 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0Guard is an interesting spot for Pittsburgh. Will the team re-sign Isaac Seumalo? He had a solid 2025 season, but turns 33 in October and won\u2019t be cheap to keep. If he walks, is Spencer Anderson the slam dunk answer? Given the new coaching staff, competition \u2013 or at least, depth \u2013 is needed.<\/p>\n Reed-Adams is well-built and a strong run blocker with pop out of his stance. At Texas A&M, he played both guard spots, although his recent work came on the right side. Offensive line coach James Campen has a history of transforming mid-round linemen into gems, and Reed-Adams could be the next.<\/p>\n Ar\u2019maj Reed-Adams Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n Round Four \u2013 Kaden Wetjen\/WR-RET Iowa: 5-10, 191 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis: Following Ryan Paglia\u2019s lead of suggesting Wetjen<\/a>, though I am slotting him a couple of rounds higher. As Paglia pointed out, the increasing value of the kick return game makes the position far more valuable than it was five years ago. In 2023, teams averaged 18 kick returns in a season. Last year? Almost 65.<\/p>\n No player in the draft has been as effective in the return game as Wetjen. Over the past two years, he has four punt-return scores and two on kick returns. He\u2019ll boost a Pittsburgh kick return unit that\u2019s finished bottom-five in average over both years of the NFL\u2019s dynamic kick return model and hasn\u2019t returned a kick for a touchdown since 2017, JuJu Smith-Schuster\u2019s rookie year. Yeah, it\u2019s been a while.<\/p>\n Round Five \u2013 Red Murdock\/ILB Buffalo: 6-1, 240 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0The future of the inside linebacker position is murky. Does Patrick Queen stay? How about Malik Harrison? What is Payton Wilson\u2019s future? He\u2019ll be in Pittsburgh, but can he be trusted to play the run?<\/p>\n Murdock excelled at Buffalo. His 17 forced fumbles broke the NCAA record held by fellow Buffalo Bull Khalil Mack and his 16. In 2025, he tallied 142 tackles (13.5 TFL) with five sacks and six forced fumbles. He profiles as a downhill player, but that could replace Harrison, who may become a cap casualty under Mike McCarthy. If Wilson can\u2019t improve his game, Murdock might even see base snaps as a rookie, though Carson Bruener shouldn\u2019t be forgotten, too.<\/p>\n Round Six \u2013 Sam Roush\/TE Stanford: 6-5, 260 pounds<\/p>\n Analysis:\u00a0With 12 picks, the Steelers can address virtually every position group. Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth are clearly the team\u2019s top two tight ends, but there are valid questions behind. Connor Heyward is a pending free agent who may not fit in Pittsburgh\u2019s new system. Roush is a big body at 260 pounds with good career production, including a single-season best 49 receptions and 545 yards last season on a bad Cardinal team.<\/p>\n If Heyward doesn\u2019t return, Roush will begin as the Steelers\u2019 No. 3 tight end.<\/p>\n