{"id":857384,"date":"2026-04-06T18:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857384\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T18:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:59:14","slug":"number-of-picks-biggest-needs-draft-history-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857384\/","title":{"rendered":"Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been an interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>, and there\u2019s more to come. So here is the Steelers\u2019 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> guide to get you ready for the upcoming annual seven-round selection meeting.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ahead of this crucial week, let\u2019s look at the Steelers\u2019 picks, their biggest needs, potential targets, and recent draft history. The draft is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this year, with Round 1 kicking off on April 23. Rounds 2 and 3 happen on April 24. The festivities wrap up with Rounds 4-7 on April 25.<\/p>\n

Steelers\u2019 2026 NFL Draft picks<\/p>\n

The Steelers are loaded with five picks in the third and fourth rounds. With good scouting work and little luck, the Steelers could make quite an impact on their 2026 roster with those selections.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially true if they hit home runs on the first- and second-round selections. Here is the full list of the Steelers’ round-by-round draft picks.<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 21
\nRound 2, Pick 53
\nRound 3, Pick 76
\nRound 3, Pick 85
\nRound 3, Pick 99
\nRound 4, Pick 121
\nRound 4, Pick 135
\nRound 5, Pick 161
\nRound 6, Pick 216
\nRound 7, Pick 224
\nRound 7, Pick 230
\nRound 7, Pick 237
\nSteelers’ 2026 NFL Draft needs and targets<\/p>\n

WR: By the time the Steelers get a chance to pick at No. 21, it\u2019s likely that Ohio State\u2019s Carnell Tate and Arizona State\u2019s Jordyn Tyson will be off the board. There\u2019s a chance Makai Lemon (USC) and Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) will be gone, too.<\/p>\n

That could push the Steelers in the direction of Texas A&M\u2019s KC Concepcion. He developed more as<\/a> an outside receiver after transferring to play for the Aggies.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Concepcion) was used primarily as a slot receiver \u2014 and even in the backfield \u2014 during his time at NC State, but the Aggies deployed him more as an outside \u201cZ\u201d receiver, where he had his most productive season,\u201d Trevor Sikkema wrote. \u201cAt 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he wins with quickness.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis suddenness in both his releases and route breaks allows him to consistently create separation, and that same agility and flexibility make him a strong option in the quick game and on screens, where he can generate yards after the catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shorter arm length and stride might cap his overall ceiling, Sikkema noted. And the arm length may have contributed to minor issues with drops. But he could also be employed as a punt returner.\u201d<\/p>\n

OL: If the Steelers stay pat at No. 21, there\u2019s a clear-cut match for their offensive line needs. If Penn State\u2019s Olaivavega Ioane is still on the board, that\u2019s an obvious direction to travel. Ioane is top-notch<\/a>, according to The McShay Mock Draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIoane is the best offensive lineman in this draft class,\u201d McShay wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s a plug-and-play starter whose tape is even better than that of Tyler Booker, who was the no. 12 pick by the Cowboys last year. The problem is he\u2019s a guard who lacks elite athletic traits, so he could experience a draft-night slide that doesn\u2019t match up to his exceptional tape.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the saying goes, one man\u2019s trash is another man\u2019s treasure. In this case, 18 teams (with 20 picks) passing on Ioane would be a blessing for the Steelers, who just lost Isaac Seumalo in free agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other options for the Steelers at this spot could be tackles Monroe Freeling (Georgia) or Kadyn Proctor (Alabama).<\/p>\n

Safety: It seems like Oregon\u2019s Dillion Thieneman will be off the board by the 21st pick, so the Steelers could pivot to Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. And it\u2019s not a consolation prize because McNeil-Warren shows excellent ability<\/a>, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong, downhill safety capable of bolstering a team\u2019s run defense and playing enforcer over the middle,\u201d Lance Zierlein wrote. \u201cMcNeil-Warren is most valuable when playing near the line of scrimmage or in robber positioning. He anticipates well in coverage and is quick to close on receivers, but will need to be protected by scheme to prevent speed mismatches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s urgent in run support and has a feel for slipping blocks\/meeting runners early in the carry. He\u2019s a rangy tackler, but needs to quiet his feet when diagnosing and flowing downhill to tackle. McNeil-Warren might be pigeon-holed schematically, but he\u2019s good at his job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent draft history \u2014 top picks for the last five years
\n2025: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon (Round 1, pick 21)
\n2024: OL Troy Fautanu, Washington (Round 1, 20)
\n2023: OL Broderick Jones, Georgia (Round 1, 14)
\n2022: QB Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (Round 1, 20)
\n2021: RB Najee Harris, Alabama (Round 1, 24)<\/p>\n

The Steelers have gone heavy with linemen in recent years. Perhaps their failure on the Pickett selection steered them away from skill players. But Harmon didn\u2019t show a huge amount of NFL chops in his rookie season.<\/p>\n

Still, Fautanu and Jones have been consistent starters.<\/p>\n

Harris played out well for the team with four 1,000-yard seasons and 28 total touchdowns before moving over to the Chargers.<\/p>\n

It has been an interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there\u2019s more to come. So here is the Steelers\u2019 2026 NFL Draft guide to get you ready for the upcoming annual seven-round selection meeting. Ahead of this crucial week, let\u2019s look at the Steelers\u2019 picks, their biggest needs, potential targets, and recent draft history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has been an interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and there\u2019s more to come. So here is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2055],"tags":[18731,7,6,15,18732,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-857384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-editorials","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-nfl-draft","12":"tag-nfl-editorials","13":"tag-pittsburgh","14":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","15":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","16":"tag-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116359303529586147","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857384","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=857384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}