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.
San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) talks to San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali (18) after tagging out Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley (27) at home in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
