The Pittsburgh Steelers did well in free agency to shore up some of their bigger roster needs ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. With acquisitions at receiver, the offensive and defensive lines, as well as the defensive backfield, a couple of positions that seemed like major needs a few weeks ago aren\u2019t quite as dire with the draft less than a month away.<\/p>\n
An offensive lineman is still a popular pick<\/a> for the Steelers in the first round in recent mock drafts, though. There\u2019s some uncertainty with Broderick Jones, and with Dylan Cook having little experience, tackle is one spot that\u2019s starting to gain momentum in the media. But to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u2019s Brian Batko, it\u2019s probably not a position the Steelers will consider in the first round.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t spent a ton of time really combing through the tackles. Because I just don\u2019t think the Steelers are going to use their first-round pick that way. And once you get to a lot of the second- and third-round tackles, they\u2019re either projects to a degree, or they\u2019re someone who might actually make more sense for the Steelers to get them inside to guard,\u201d Batko said recently on the North Shore Drive podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reasons for the Steelers taking a tackle are there. Jones hasn\u2019t been consistent enough through the first three seasons of his career. Now a serious neck injury suffered late in the year makes his Steelers future very uncertain. Dylan Cook did well in relief of Jones to end the season. However, that was on a very small sample size. And if Aaron Rodgers returns, that inexperience is risky to have protecting an older quarterback\u2019s blind side.<\/p>\n However, just drafting a tackle might not be that simple. There are some names that might be available at 21st overall who played left tackle in college, like Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Lomu. But others, like Blake Miller and Max Iheanachor, played on the right side.<\/p>\n