{"id":811404,"date":"2026-03-14T06:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T06:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811404\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T06:28:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T06:28:38","slug":"fittipaldo-updates-steelers-first-round-draft-priorities-after-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811404\/","title":{"rendered":"Fittipaldo Updates Steelers’ First-Round Draft Priorities After Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple weeks before free agency, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u2019s Ray Fittipaldo listed three positions the Pittsburgh Steelers could address<\/a> in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Their priorities have shifted in his eyes after recent roster shuffling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think right now, if you kind of look at what they\u2019ve done in free agency, I\u2019m gonna say it\u2019s either a guard, a safety, or a receiver in the first round. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised right now if it\u2019s any of those positions,\u201d Fittipaldo said Friday on 93.7 The Fan\u2019s The Pomp and Joe Show<\/a>. \u201cAnd really what they\u2019ve done, they\u2019ve kind of set themselves up to say, \u2018Okay, best player available at any of those three positions. We\u2019ll sit there at 21 and we\u2019ll take whoever\u2019s there.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety and wide receiver made the pre-FA list, but Fittipaldo swapped cornerback out for guard. The reason why is obvious as the Steelers re-signed CB Asante Samuel Jr. and signed CB Jamel Dean to a three-year deal.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, OG Isaac Seumalo departed in free agency, and they haven\u2019t backfilled his starting spot yet. Earlier this week Jordan Schultz had Hoffman signing with the Steelers but quickly deleted his report<\/a> leaving Hoffman\u2019s status in question. Hoffman is more of a backup option anyway.<\/p>\n

They Steelers have made major moves at both WR and S but need to continue adding at both. S Jaquan Brisker is reportedly signing but to just a one-year deal. Jalen Ramsey will still be under contract but turns 32 next season and is overpriced at his new safety position. The Steelers need to ensure the future of the position as well as additional depth for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

With DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. on the roster for the foreseeable future, the Steelers are better off than they previously were at wide receiver. But Mike McCarthy\u2019s system features the position much more than Arthur Smith ever did, and Pittsburgh just lost Calvin Austin III, Adam Thielen, and likely Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Metcalf, Pittman, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek are nowhere near enough for McCarthy\u2019s system. Expect another two or three additions this offseason.<\/p>\n

The Steelers met with many of the top safeties, cornerbacks, and wide receivers at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, but curiously did not meet with Vega Ioane or many of the other top guards. Perhaps they expected Seumalo\u2019s market to be cheaper.<\/p>\n

If you take Fittipaldo\u2019s list at face value, here are a handful of players who could be considered at pick No. 21.<\/p>\n

\u2013 WR Makai Lemon
\u2013 WR Denzel Boston
\u2013 WR Carnell Tate
\u2013 WR Jordyn Tyson
\u2013 WR KC Concepcion
\u2013 WR Omar Cooper Jr.
\u2013 S Caleb Downs
\u2013 S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
\u2013 S Dillon Thieneman
\u2013 OL Vega Ioane
\u2013 OL Spencer Fano
\u2013 OL Kadyn Proctor<\/p>\n

Many of those players will be off the board when the Steelers are on the clock at No. 21, but they should have their pick of at least two or three on that list if their mind is set on those three positions. Alternatively, they can use some of their 12 draft picks<\/a> to move up for a player they really covet.<\/p>\n

If not in the first round, cornerback should still be a top priority to add youth and depth. The Steelers met with plenty at the Combine<\/a> to back that idea up, and it\u2019s a top-heavy draft at the position.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A couple weeks before free agency, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u2019s Ray Fittipaldo listed three positions the Pittsburgh Steelers could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775426,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[4955,8740,7,6,520,57,2360,7827,426,8883],"class_list":{"0":"post-811404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-93-7-the-fan","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-pittsburgh","13":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","14":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","15":"tag-ray-fittipaldo","16":"tag-steelers","17":"tag-the-pomp-and-joe-show"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116226117281589259","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811404","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=811404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}