Northeast
Cornell University president's retirement prompts speculation after tumultuous year: 'This is related'
Ithaca, New York-based Cornell University’s president, Martha E. Pollack, announced on Thursday that she will retire on June 30, as the campus grapples with anti-Israel protests, much like schools across the nation.
Cornell University Board of Trustees Kraig H. Kayser said in a prepared statement that Provost Michael I. Kotlikoff will step in as interim president starting on July 1, at which time Pollack will be given the title of president emerita by the Cornell Board of Trustees. She will serve in the role for two years, as a search committee looks for the 15th president within six to nine months of the end of Kotlikoff’s term.
“Serving as the president of Cornell has been an amazing privilege; there are few roles that afford so much opportunity to make a positive difference in the world,” Pollack wrote in a statement announcing her departure. “After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — capping a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I greatly appreciate the continued support of our Board of Trustees and the many faculty, students, staff and alumni who have shared words of encouragement through my time as president, especially over the past academic year.”
Pollack is credited with helping to create the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, expanding the accessibility and affordability of a Cornell education, and launching the school’s first-ever theme year celebrating free and open expression and inquiry, among other things.
MAJOR CORNELL DONOR PULLS FUNDING OVER ‘TOXIC’ DEI CULTURE, PENS LETTER CALLING FOR PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, center, joins Cornell University President Martha Pollack, left, for a visit with students at the Center for Jewish Living at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., on Oct. 30, 2023. On Thursday, Pollack announced her retirement from her post at the university. (Lindsay France/Cornell University)
She also led the university through a global pandemic and the terrorist attack in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, which sent shockwaves across the nation and in higher education.
Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacobson, who is also president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and founder of EqualProtect.org, told Fox News Digital that people typically retire because they are aging out of their role or coming toward the end of their term. He also said when someone retires, you typically expect more than two months’ notice, though he was not privy of knowing whether she submitted her resignation to the Board of Trustees much earlier.
Jacobson added that he’s also not privy to Pollack’s interactions with the trustees, though what he could say was she has been under “tremendous” pressure over the rising antisemitism on campus.
PROFESSOR CALLS ON CORNELL TO MAKE CAMPUS SAFER FOR JEWISH STUDENTS: ‘FACULTY IS EXTREMELY ANTI-ISRAEL
William A. Jacobson, a clinical professor at Cornell Law School who joined the faculty in 2007, called on the Cornell Board of Trustees to help Jewish students. (Getty/FOX)
“My personal belief is that this is related to what has happened since October 7th, which is that the university has come under severe criticism for how it handled antisemitism on campus,” Jacobson said, explaining the school has been the subject of a congressional inquiry and negative publicity over incidents on campus.
In one incident, Cornell student Patrick Dai threatened to shoot Jewish students on campus and slit their throats. The threats were made in a Cornell University discussion forum, according to the Justice Department. Dai has pleaded guilty to making the threats.
In another incident, a Cornell University professor apologized for saying he was “exhilarated” and “energized” by the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 people, including over 30 Americans.
Cornell University professor Russell Rickford later issued an apology.
“I apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish, and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression,” Rickford said in a letter published in the Cornell Daily Sun.
He added that the language he used was “reprehensible,” and did not reflect his values, while also denouncing “racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people.”
These were just two examples of anti-Israel sentiment that Pollack failed to adequately address, Jacobson said.
“There have been very aggressive protests on campus that she has tried to get a handle on without success, such as anti-Israel students in groups marching through academic buildings with bullhorns, chanting anti-Israel slogans and genocidal slogans against Jews. There is an encampment now that has persisted long beyond what has persisted on other campuses. So, this is a president, who by all appearances, is a nice person, but who is not equipped to address the aggressive campus events that took place, really starting on Oct. 7,” Jacobson continued.
GROUP OF CONSERVATIVE JUDGES VOWS TO NOT HIRE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAW STUDENTS DUE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
Cornell University students stage a demonstration on campus in Ithaca, N.Y., to raise awareness about kidnapped Israelis and Americans in Gaza on Nov. 1, 2023. (Hannah Grossman/FOX News Digital )
Along with antisemitism across campus, Pollack’s aggressive DEI initiatives have come under question, which resulted in one of the school’s major donors calling for her resignation.
In an open letter to Kayser and the Board of Trustees in January, Cornell emeritus trustee and presidential counselor Jon A. Lindseth urged the university to abandon its “misguided commitment” to DEI, claiming its embrace of such initiatives has yielded “disgrace” rather than “excellence.”
“I am proud to count myself one of several generations of Lindseths who are Cornell alumni and invested donors, but I am alarmed by the diminished quality of education offered lately by my alma mater because of its disastrous involvement with DEI policies that have infiltrated every part of the university,” he wrote.
“I have spent years hearing the stories of Cornell and its leadership, participating as a student, and sponsoring and funding some of the University’s exemplary past work, including the Library (which I continue to fund). I can no longer make general contributions until the university reformulates its approach to education by replacing DEI groupthink with the original noble intent of Cornell,” he added.
THE MOST EXTREME ANTI-ISRAEL, HAMAS-SYMPATHIZING MOMENTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES SINCE THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS
Cornell University student Patrick Dai is accused of threatening to rape and kill Jewish students on an online message board, according to a federal complaint. (Broom County Sheriff’s Office)
Jacobson has been critical of Cornell’s DEI program for a number of years.
In October 2023, he called on the school’s board of trustees to act after a series of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents left Jewish students feeling uncomfortable and unsafe on campus.
At the time, he called on the trustees to pause new DEI initiatives, adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and form a special independent commission to investigate antisemitism on campus, which he argued was among the effects of the school’s DEI programs.
Jacobson said Thursday he never heard back from the trustees on his request.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the trustees for comment on the requests, as well as Pollack’s retirement, but was deferred to the university’s publicly released statements.
Jacobson said he is calling for the trustees to do away with DEI programming and refocus the activities of the professional staff of the university away from group identity and toward the dignity of every individual without regard to race or other identities.
CORNELL PROFESSOR WHO WAS ‘EXHILARATED’ AFTER HAMAS ATTACK ISSUES APOLOGY FOR ‘REPREHENSIBLE’ REMARKS
College and university campus leaders and Jewish voices are sounding the alarm on antisemitism at U.S. colleges following Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israeli civilians. A Cornell University law professor is calling for the school to evaluate antisemitism on campus following anti-Israel events across multiple college campuses across the country. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images/Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
In a statement to the Cornell University community announcing her retirement, Pollack said she began deliberating about leaving last fall and made the decision over the December break. But each of the three times she was ready to act on her decision, she said she needed to pause because of the events occurring on her campus and other campuses across the U.S.
“There is so much more to Cornell than the current turmoil taking place at universities across the country right now, and I hope we do not lose sight of that,” Pollack said. “Local and world events have caused enormous pain for students of many backgrounds, including our Jewish and Israeli students, as well as our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim students. We have been vigilant in working to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of our community from all backgrounds, work I’ve been dedicated to long before the events of the past year.”
IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL SLAMMED AFTER PROFESSOR CALLS ISRAEL ATTACK ‘EXHILARATING’: ‘A MUCH DEEPER PROBLEM’
Anti-Israel protesters rally outside of New York University’s campus in New York on Friday. College and university campus protests have stretched into a third week as tensions rise across the U.S. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
She offered one piece of advice to the Cornell community going forward.
“We must develop more capacity to seek out different perspectives and be willing to listen to those with whom we differ, doing so with intellectual curiosity and an open mind; at the same time, we must always consider the impact of what we say to one another; and we must thoughtfully engage in debate,” Pollack said. “Yes, there are instances in which a position is so hateful that it does not deserve a response, but there are many more occasions where views we are predisposed to dislike deserve consideration, principled argument, and, if needed, refutation. A willingness to communicate across differences is the only way forward for higher education, and indeed for our democracy.”
The school, she added, has risen to challenges over the past 159 years, and will continue to do so, while also thriving.
Pollack did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
But when it came to why she was leaving, Pollack said she was ready for a new chapter.
“I understand that there will be lots of speculation about my decision, so let me be as clear as I can: This decision is mine and mine alone,” she said. “After seven fruitful and gratifying years as Cornell’s president — and after a career in research and academia spanning five decades — I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.”
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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Boston, MA
Between Providence And Boston Is A Vibrant Massachusetts Town Bursting With Diverse Entertainment – Islands
For some, New England might conjure images of skating rinks, Colonial architecture, and quaint villages. Others might picture waterfront cities like Boston or Providence, rich in history and — in the case of Boston, especially — towering skyscrapers. As you drive between these two capitals along Interstate 95 — a trip that should take about an hour — you’ll pass by towns like Foxborough. For the last few decades, this little community has developed a reputation as a hub of diverse entertainment, making it a worthwhile pit-stop as you journey along the East Coast.
If you’ve ever watched the Patriots kick off from Gillette Stadium on TV, then you’re already familiar with this Massachusetts town. The stadium, considered one of the 10 best in the U.S. for fun activities and events, was completed in 2002, but Foxborough itself has served as the home base for the Patriots since the 1970s. In the decades since, the team has attracted millions of visitors.
Foxborough — also spelled “Foxboro” — is normally home to about 6,500 year-rounders, but it floods with thousands more people on game or concert days. In total, the stadium can accommodate over 65,000 fans. When you’re not at Gillette Stadium, which is less than 4 miles from the heart of downtown, you’ll find plenty of other things to do. There’s live theater, outdoor recreational opportunities, and an eclectic mix of dining options, each deserving some exploration.
NFL games and Cranberry Bogs in Foxborough
Foxborough is located roughly 30 miles from Boston and just over 20 miles from Providence. In the area, you’ll find plenty of suburbs with historic downtowns and lush trails, like Hopedale, but Foxborough, nicknamed the “Gem of Norfolk County,” has one of the most diverse mixes of entertainment options. Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center, for instance, housed in a 1920s-era silent movie theater, offers a busy calendar of comedy and musical performances year-round.
Football fans will also enjoy visiting the Patriots Hall in Patriot Place Mall, which is open daily for $10 per standard ticket. Here, you’ll be able to watch interviews with former players and stroll through a range of exhibits. “I liked all the different memorabilia from all different players all labeled with who and what milestone they came from,” reads one review on Tripadvisor. Afterward, check out the dozens of shopping and dining options in the surrounding mall, which also has its own commuter rail station and connected hotels. Gillette Stadium is next door; along with the Patriots, the venue has hosted performers like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and The Rolling Stones.
The Ocean Spray Cranberry Bogs and surrounding nature trails are also part of Patriot Place. Planted back in the 1920s, these bogs continue to thrive. They’re typically harvested in October, when visitors can attend the annual Harvest Festival. At this fun and family-friendly local event, you’ll be able to enjoy an inflatable corn maze, a beer garden, live music, and more.
Where to eat and sleep in Foxborough
As you explore Foxborough, you’ll find a range of dining options, from classic breakfast plates at The Commons, to artisanal burgers at Union Straw. As one reviewer writes about the latter on Google, “[This is a] Gorgeous venue, one of our favorite daytime lunch or date places. All food options are 10/10, truffle burger, gnocchi bolognese, and the flatbread pizzas are delicious and the fries are perfect.”
If you’re planning to spend the night rather than hit the road after a burger at Union Straw or a long football game, you’ll have a range of vacation rentals, local inns, and chain hotels to choose from. The Rally Point Inn & Pub, for instance, is within walking distance of local restaurants and shops. It also has its own sport-themed bar, weekly trivia nights, and karaoke. Just make sure to book your stay well in advance, as places tend to fill up before popular events.
The nearest airport is also in Providence, but you’ll find more flight options at Boston Logan International. Travelers can also opt for the “Event Train,” which runs between Patriot Place and Boston’s South Station on game days, providing a convenient way to avoid the notorious traffic. Besides the I-95 drive from Providence to Boston, there are plenty of other New England road trip tours you can take through gorgeous small towns. That being said, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a destination that attracts as many annual visitors as Foxborough.
For the final time of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle, my Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft. My last predictions of what the team will do this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
A couple of things up front. Like my past mocks, I’m not predicting trades. It’s doubtful the Steelers make a dozen selections, but I’m not going to try to predict them for my mock drafts. Some of you don’t like that, and I understand why, but I’m keeping things as I always have.
Reminder, this is what I think will happen. Not necessarily what I would do if I were making the decisions.
As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Enjoy the draft. Can’t wait to see what happens.
Previous Steelers Mock Drafts
Pre-Free Agency
Post-Free Agency
Post Pro Days
Round One (21st Overall) – Omar Cooper Jr./WR Indiana: 6001, 199 pounds
Analysis: I’m doing it. I’m breaking history. For good reason. Two, actually. As I outlined this weekend, Pittsburgh’s connections to Cooper might mean they didn’t feel a pre-draft “30” visit was necessary. To wide receivers coach Adam Henry, who worked with Cooper at Indiana in 2022, and to senior offensive assistant Frank Cignetti Jr., brother of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti Jr.
It’s a rare advantage for any team. A unique opportunity that creates a unique moment for the Steelers to draft someone they didn’t host for a visit or have a decision-maker attend their Pro Day. In an offseason of changes headlined by Pittsburgh’s first new head coach in nearly 20 years, why not add another?
Mike McCarthy’s Monday answer about the wide receiver position might as well have been an advertisement for Cooper.
“Historically, when you talk about a slot receiver, the first thing you think about: can the guy run an option route?” he told reporters. “Because that’s really what slot receivers were known for. In my experience, I’ve always looked for the guy that was athletic enough and had the ability to win outside the numbers.”
That’s Cooper. He played on the outside until 2025, when a teammate’s injury shifted him to the slot. He was just as successful. Cooper has just enough size to check the box McCarthy looks for, drafting the position 6-feet or taller about 90 percent of the time. Cooper runs great routes and knows how to get open. He’s tough, successful post-catch, and came up clutch by showing his great hands to make a game-winning snag against Penn State – a game I’m guessing had Pittsburgh personnel in attendance.
Predicting Pittsburgh’s first round this year is more difficult than ever. A new coaching staff and less information, even down to Art Rooney II not conducting a true media tour outlining the team’s needs, make the picture fuzzy. The Steelers could choose several positions, let alone players, to help the team in the short and long term. But my gut says Cooper will be the guy.
Omar Cooper Jr. Scouting Report
Others Considered: My order of confidence: WR Omar Cooper Jr., WR Denzel Boston, OG Vega Ioane, OT/OG Spencer Fano, and CB Jermod McCoy (as the fly in the ointment).
Round Two (53rd Overall) – Gennings Dunker/OG Iowa: 6050, 319 pounds
Analysis: This is not about the mullet. Mostly. Dunker played left tackle at Iowa, but most scouts expect him to kick inside at the NFL level. Still, his tackle background gives him the flexibility to overlap between guard and tackle.
Dunker is big and physical, and his high school wrestling background is something Pittsburgh gravitates toward. The Steelers must be strong all across the offensive line in the AFC North, facing Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, and (now) Dexter Lawrence twice per year. Dunker will have to change positions and sides; he does have at least a tiny bit of left guard experience and will be the favorite to start Week One. Learning from two quality o-line coaches, James Campen and Jahri Evans, will help.
Last thought. Not scouting the helmet, but Mike McCarthy loves drafting Iowa players: six of them in Green Bay and one in Dallas. Three of them were in the trenches, offensive or defensive linemen.
Gennings Dunker Scouting Report
Others Considered: WR Ted Hurst, S A.J. Haulcy, CB/S Treydan Stukes, OG Keylan Rutledge
Round Three (76th Overall) – Malik Muhammad/CB Texas: 6000, 182 pounds
Analysis: Lots of box checking here. Muhammad was brought in for a pre-draft visit and fits the bill across the board. He brings a combination of youth as a third-year junior and still just 21 years old, experience with 29 starts, production with 19 career pass deflections, and athleticism with a 9.58 RAS.
Muhammad also has size, standing 6’0 with great length for his frame, 32 3/8-inch arms. His 182-pound listing at the Combine is less-than-ideal, but at his Pro Day, he bulked up to 190 pounds.
After signing Jamel Dean, I didn’t expect Pittsburgh to consider a cornerback early. But the four corners brought in for visits, plus the homework they did on the Pro Day trail, tells me they want to keep restocking the position in the AFC North, facing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins twice per season. Cleveland and Baltimore could add first-round wide receivers, too.
Malik Muhammad Scouting Report
Others Considered: OG Beau Stephens, S Bud Clark, DL Lee Hunter
Round Three (85th Overall) – Darrell Jackson Jr./DL Florida State: 6054, 315 pounds
Analysis: If there’s a lineman who looks like a Steeler, it’s Jackson. Last week, DC Patrick Graham noted the need for having “big” bodies up front. Jackson checks that box in spades.
Pittsburgh met with him at the NFL Combine and brought him in for a pre-draft visit. The Steelers need to do all they can to increase their run defense after two underwhelming seasons.
Cam Heyward signed a contract extension, and they added Sebastian Joseph-Day, but long-term, the position remains thin. Jackson will provide reinforcements and excellent depth as the ideal build for playing up front. The question is whether Jackson can develop his pass rush enough to become a future starter.
If Mike Tomlin had remained Pittsburgh’s head coach, I would’ve mentioned that Jackson’s uncle is Dexter Jackson, whom Tomlin coached during Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win. Alas, it stays just a fun fact.
Darrell Jackson Jr. Scouting Report
Others Considered: OT Travis Burke, WR Skyler Bell, WR Antonio Williams
Round Three (99th Overall) – Marlin Klein/TE Michigan: 6060, 248 pounds
Analysis: Don’t scout the helmet. That’s a scouting adage. But in scouting the conference, the Steelers sure have a type. Since 2015, Pittsburgh has drafted five tight ends. Four of them have played in the Big Ten: Jesse James (Penn State), Zach Gentry (Michigan), Connor Heyward (Michigan State), and Pat Freiermuth (Penn State). That’s not just correlation.
The Steelers like projecting the position in a conference that showcases the running game and traditional pro-style offenses compared to other conferences: the wide-open Big 12, the RPO-heavy SEC.
Sure, it’s a new coaching staff, and those ties may no longer bind as strongly. But the two tight ends Pittsburgh brought in for visits this year? From the Big Ten: Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek and Klein.
To the player, Klein has an ideal frame and is a good in-line blocker. He’s a straight-line athlete and wasn’t heavily involved in the pass game, but could find more NFL production than in college. He’ll become the No. 3 tight end, a position that may initially have little importance but will become key if there’s an injury to Darnell Washington or Pat Freiermuth.
Marlin Klein Scouting Report
Others Considered: CB Devin Moore, OT Markel Bell, QB Drew Allar
Round Four (121st Overall) – Dametrious Crownover/OT Texas AM: 6072, 319 pounds
Analysis: Monday’s story on Broderick Jones seemed to throw Pittsburgh’s plans for a loop. A Broderick Jones setback? The buzz around offensive tackle only heightened. Later that day, Omar Khan downplayed and seemingly refuted the idea that Jones suffered a setback – at least, nothing recently.
No matter his condition, the Steelers could stand to add more tackle depth. Pittsburgh took a look at hulking tackles Markel Bell and Travis Burke, and either could become the selection. But the tackle market is always hot during the draft, and the Steelers may miss out.
Crownover is a similarly big tackle with longer than 35-inch arms. A former tight end turned Texas A&M’s starting right tackle the last two seasons, he’s athletic with room to grow. Pittsburgh sent assistant o-line coach Jahri Evans to the Aggies’ Pro Day to check out the school’s four draftable linemen. I think they come away with at least one.
Dametrious Crownover Scouting Report
Others Considered: QB Carson Beck, ILB Harold Perkins, DL Chris McClellan
Round Four (135th Overall) – Zakee Wheatley/S Penn State: 6031, 203 pounds
Analysis: For most of the pre-draft process, I believed the Steelers would draft safety early. They still could. But with just two pre-draft visitors brought in, the position might be less urgent to address than I first thought.
Still, there are long-term concerns. Jalen Ramsey is likely done after 2026, Jaquan Brisker signed just a one-year deal, and there’s no guarantee the nearly 30-year-old DeShon Elliott makes it through the 2027 season. Pittsburgh needs a free safety to replace Ramsey in 2027. Wheatley could be that guy.
A rangy center fielder, he’s picked off six career passes and made plays to all levels of the field (five tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles). A slow 4.6 40 time pushes him down into Day Three, but creates good value for the Steelers, who, in this world, brought Joey Porter Jr., Brisker, and Wheatley from Penn State to Pittsburgh.
Zakee Wheatley Scouting Report
Others Considered: OG Ar’maj Reed-Adams, S Jakobe Thomas, CB Tacario Davis
Round Five (161st Overall) – Kaden Wetjen/KR Iowa State: 5093, 193 pounds
Analysis: Pittsburgh needs a returner. Badly. So they take the best one in the entire draft. Kaden Wetjen is the No. 1 returner successful on punts (four career touchdowns) and kicks (two scores). He’ll knock out Pittsburgh’s needs at both positions and make an immediate impact, even assuming his offensive role is limited.
In the two years under the NFL’s new dynamic kickoffs, the Steelers have ranked as the league’s worst returners. Punt returner Calvin Austin III departed for the New York Giants. Pittsburgh has few rostered options now and nothing that looks potent. Wetjen brings the juice.
Kaden Wetjen Scouting Report
Others Considered: ILB Jack Kelly, CB Ephesians Prysock, TE Will Kacmarek
Round Six (216th Overall) – Jaden Dugger/ILB Louisiana: 6046, 242 pounds
Analysis: A truly intriguing player, Dugger is a Pittsburgh native who played his high school ball at Penn Hills and was brought in for a pre-draft visit as a local exception. Beginning his college career as a safety at FCS Georgetown, Dugger transferred to Louisiana in 2024 and bulked up to play linebacker.
He’s raw and clearly still learning the position. But his frame is rare (35-inch arms truly make him a unicorn), his athleticism is evident, and his 125-tackle production showed he can make plays. I considered putting him even higher than this because his traits and upside will play on Day Three, but the sixth round feels reasonable, too.
Jaden Dugger Scouting Report
Others Considered: WR Kendrick Law, QB Taylen Green, EDGE George Gumbs Jr., RB/WR Eli Heidenreich
Round Seven (224th Overall) – Tim Keenan III/NT Alabama: 6010, 327 pounds
Analysis: Adding more defensive line depth to begin closing out the draft. Keenan is a plugger in the middle who may not be a true space eater, but is stout and strong and can take on blocks. He could fight for backup nose tackle snaps.
Even if he’s not needed in 2026 (Sebastian Joseph-Day or Yahya Black may occupy the role), Keenan could be an asset in 2027. He may begin his career on the practice squad.
Tim Keenan III Scouting Report
Others Considered: WR/KR Barion Brown, DL James Thompson Jr., EDGE Max Llewellyn
Round Seven (230th Overall) – Caden Curry/EDGE Ohio State: 6026, 257 pounds
Analysis: Some project Curry to be selected a tick higher than this, but a deep EDGE class, along with Curry’s lack of length and sub-par athleticism, could push him down. Still, he’s a gamer with a red-hot motor and is productive. Similar to Jack Sawyer, his floor is higher than his ceiling, and he’s a good scheme fit, comfortable playing on his feet and dropping into coverage.
Assuming Pittsburgh doesn’t make a major draft weekend trade, the Steelers are stocked at the position and can’t draft it too early, given the tough path any rookie will face.
Caden Curry Scouting Report
Others Considered: NT Dontay Corleone, RB Desmond Reid, TE Khalil Dinkins, DL Uar Bernard
Round Seven (237th Overall) – Joey Aguilar/QB Tennessee: 6032, 229 pounds
Analysis: Surprising myself by waiting until the final round to mock a quarterback. I expected to, like most others, shoehorn in Penn State’s Drew Allar or Miami (FL)’s Carson Beck in the third or fourth round. But looking at the landscape and seeing the other needs, it just doesn’t make enough sense.
Pittsburgh’s shown plenty of interest in the position, and that is a serious sign they plan on drafting one. But that crowds the room under an assumed Aaron Rodgers return. Mason Rudolph would become the odd man out, and does Pittsburgh want to go into the year with Will Howard and a rookie backing him up? There’s a case to be made that the answer is yes, given that McCarthy has seldom mentioned Rudolph since being hired, and that Howard is apparently QB1 to begin voluntary minicamp.
But I think Pittsburgh waits. Their quarterback search will continue into 2027, making 2026 an exercise in “keeping the knife sharp” in scouting and evaluating the position.
For all of Mike McCarthy’s focus on drafting quarterbacks, he’s drafted six of them during his stints with Green Bay and Dallas. Five of them came in the fifth round or later. Having Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott helps, but McCarthy has never selected a “mid-round” quarterback before, defined as selected in the third or fourth round.
Why the seventh? As explained in my previous mock, this prevents Pittsburgh from having to compete to sign one in the UDFA pool. Waters that the Steelers don’t compete well in, offering tiny signing bonuses, as top names get $100-200k in partial base salary guarantees. Aguilar has the size Pittsburgh likes and is tough and poised in the pocket. He’ll enter the camp as the No. 4, and if he gets cut and goes to the practice squad, no one will bat an eye.
Joey Aguilar Scouting Report
Others Considered: NT Deven Eastern, CB Malcolm DeWalt IV, P Ryan Eckley
Final Thoughts/Recap
A recap of my 12 picks:
Round One – Omar Cooper Jr./WR Indiana
Round Two – Gennings Dunker/OG Iowa
Round Three – Malik Muhammad/CB Texas
Round Three – Darrell Jackson Jr./DL Florida State
Round Three – Marlin Klein/TE Michigan
Round Four – Dametrious Crownover/OT Texas &M
Round Four – Zakee Wheatley/S Penn State
Round Five –Kaden Wetjen/KR Iowa
Round Six – Jaden Dugger/ILB Louisiana
Round Seven – Tim Keenan III/NT Alabama
Round Seven – Caden Curry/EDGE Ohio State
Round Seven – Joey Aguilar/QB Tennessee
The final positional tally: six on defense, five on offense, and I’m counting Wetjen as a special teamer (of the two sides, he’s obviously an offensive player). Good draft balance, especially with offense dominating the first two picks and three of the first five.
Even though I didn’t mock any, where could a trade happen? Somewhere on Day Two is an obvious place. Take a pair of those third-round picks and move up into Round Two, still giving the Steelers three total Day 2 selections (two in Round 2, one in Round 3). I still like the idea of trading down with Buffalo from No. 21 to No. 26 to pick up more capital, especially if it involves 2027 selections.
To increase the challenge and play probabilities, I limited myself to picking no more than *five* of the team’s pre-draft visitors. We know a chunk of the picks will come from that list, but not every pick will. Or even the clear majority. In the end, I ended with four: Muhammad, Jackson, Klein, and Dugger (a local visit).
I went back and forth on this mock a dozen different ways. The picture this year feels fuzzier than ever. But it’ll be a fun weekend, and it’s an honor for Pittsburgh to play as the host city, where so many lives will change over the next three days.
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