NCAAF · 8 hours ago

Steelers Full Mock Draft

Bo Marchionte

Host · Writer

NCAA Football: Senior Bowl Practice
Sunday Selections

Round 4, Pick 121 | T Kage Casey, Boise State

Depth becomes starters faster than you think in this league. Injuries, contracts, in time it all catches up. Casey, give you swings at stability. Long frame, developmental upside, and the understanding that games are still won at the edges of the line.

Round 4, Pick 135 | S Bud Clark, TCU

Real value in the fourth round to get the type of player Clark can possibly develop into. It’s worth noting that I regret not seeing another defensive back already on the board, but circumstances of other options have led us here.

Round 5, Pick 161 — WR Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati

Allen is physical, competitive, a chain-mover with edge. Not the flash of Brazzell, but the kind of guy who sticks.

Late Rounds — The Quiet Insurance Policies

CB TJ Hall (Iowa) - long, disciplined, depth in a room that could shift quickly, plus Steelers like Hawkeyes of late

G Micah Morris (Georgia) - more trench muscle, because you can never have enough

WR Dane Key (Nebraska) - size, red-zone presence, matchup piece

Edge Vincent Anthony Jr. (Duke) - developmental pass rush, the kind that blooms late

Because the truth is, every pick here is shadowed by a contract.

Every selection carries the quiet understanding that football is temporary, windows close, and even the best players eventually cost more than you can pay.

So, they draft like this.

Not for today.

Not even fully for tomorrow.

But for that moment and two years from now.

Stay locked in on the Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL Draft

For more exclusive NFL Draft coverage, scouting reports, and interviews, visit College2Pro.com⁠

Follow on X: @BoMarchionte
NFL: AFC Wild Card Round-Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
The annual NFL Draft arrives in conjunction with spring. It’s an opportunity for all the NFL’s 32 teams to delve into the collegiate ranks and build a roster with hopes of reaching a championship level.

Is it pure talent? Is it team needs? Sometimes teams are lucky enough to acquire both in one selection. The bottom line is production and turning these selections into contributors regardless of how they were valued on draft day.

Pittsburgh isn’t alone in the fact that several free agents are on the horizon in 2027 that have some significant value to the current roster.

It’s the realization that names you’ve grown comfortable with players like Patrick Queen, Joey Porter Jr., Keanu Benton, Nick Herbig, and Darnell Washington. Even the steady right foot of Chris Boswell all could be walking toward the exit doors when 2027 rolls around.

One swift stroke of fresh ink could change the outlook instantly with a new contract offered and signed by the list of players above but that reality to think all the names mentioned above will remain Steelers when the 2027 season begins is a bit hard to imagine.

And so, the Steelers sit at the draft table in 2026, not just picking players.

They’re hedging against the eventual goodbye.

If an elite edge rusher is on board when Pittsburgh in the clock and they pass for another position it may be the fact they feel confident in keeping Herbig long-term.

The scenarios are endless and predictions.

I’ve become unglued at the seams due to the oversaturation of mock drafts and the multiple outcomes that lie unknown but awaiting us on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

TEAM NEEDS

Defensive Line

Cam Heyward has eluded father time, but he’ll find the former 2011 first round pick (31^st overall) eventually. Derrick Harmon looks like the real deal, but this unit is a ticking time bomb on depth and starting potential.

Wide Receiver

DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman are the top options for receivers, and they are the only true options for receivers. Both are 29 years old and will turn 30 before Christmas of 2026. The only caveat is obvious that this position must be addressed as well. However, let’s remember it’s the one position in the NFL where they always seem available via a trade. Hence how both Metcalf and Pittman Jr. were acquired. Receivers are always available.

Quarterback

Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to get off the carousel of rotating quarterbacks since Ben Roethlisberger retired from the league in 2022. A first-round pick (Kenny Pickett) and two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have done little to cure the position.

It leads us back to the draft and the direction Pittsburgh may take.
NFL: Scouting Combine
This is where it gets interesting.

Because this draft doesn’t just belong to the prospects. It belongs to Omar Khan.

Armed with twelve picks and a gunslingers mentality, Khan could be as bold as GM during the NFL Draft.

And Khan has already shown he’s not afraid to use it.

Since taking over the front office, the longtime Steelers executive has operated with a different kind of urgency. Calculated, but aggressive. Whether it’s swinging for proven talent or reshaping the roster with bold decisions, Khan hasn’t been content to sit back and let the board fall to him.

This is also Pittsburgh’s stage.

The 2026 NFL Draft arrives in the Steel City, right outside the doors of Acrisure Stadium. A home crowd. A national spotlight. A franchise that prides itself on stability suddenly sitting in a position to make noise.

Because energy matters. Optics matter. And sometimes, momentum inside your own building turns into action at the draft table.

Khan also will have to tame the excitement of possibly letting loose on emotion and deal the reality of the roster and filling holes before they become gapping wounds on the team.

He’s not an outsider stepping into the role. He’s been part of the Steelers’ foundation for over two decades, learning under Kevin Colbert, understanding how this organization values continuity but also recognizing when it’s time to evolve.

Twelve picks. A roster with looming contracts.

A draft in their own backyard.

Everything is aligned for Pittsburgh to do more than just select players.

They can shape the room.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Omar Khan so far, it’s that he won’t hesitate when the moment calls for it.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
If the betting markets are any indication, the Pittsburgh Steelers are leaning offense when they step to the podium in Round 1.

Being part of the local media who covers the team, the consensus appears to be them drafting a receiver and rumors lead many to think Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. would be the selection of choice.

Draft prop odds from sportsbooks like DraftKings have wide receiver and offensive line tied as favorites at +175 to be Pittsburgh’s first selection. That puts both positions well ahead of the rest of the board, signifying where the market believes the franchise is headed.

DraftKings places defensive options off pace with the offense. Edge or defensive line sits around +650, while quarterback follows at +700, with secondary help even in the back at +900.

Even after acquiring DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver remains a position with long-term questions. Meanwhile, the offensive line continues to be in flux, particularly with departures and uncertainty along the interior.

Right now, the market says offense, but I feel differently.
NFL: Scouting Combine
Thursday and Friday NFL Draft Selections

Round 1, Pick 21 | DE Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

This is a pick that smells like the future. McDonald is a space-eater with violence in his hands. Not flashy, not polished but disruptive in the way that ruins a Sunday before it starts. This is Pittsburgh remembering who they are: big men inside, swallowing the run, squeezing the pocket until quarterbacks feel ghosts. A very underrated prospect who might not even be there when Pittsburgh drafts.

Round 2, Pick 53 | WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee

You can feel the offense stretching and I’m very hesitant about Brazzell II, I think of the bust in Jaylin Haytt by the New York Giants a few years ago who was the identical prospect coming out of Tennessee. Brazzell brings juice along with vertical pressure, long strides, a guy who makes safeties turn and run. Pittsburgh’s receiver room has always been a revolving door of production.

Round 3, Pick 76 |G Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

Rutledge is grit. Every team needs as much talent and depth in the trenches on both sides of the football. Rutledge is a power guy who thrives in the physical style Pittsburgh fans should embrace.

Round 3, Pick 85 | TE Sam Roush, Stanford

Another of the more talented prospects who isn’t exactly a household name but given his size and ability he fits the mold of what Mike McCarthy values at the position.

Round 3, Pick 99 | QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nussmeier here says the Steelers are still searching even if they won’t admit it out loud. Arm talent, confidence, a little edge to him. Not a finished product, but something worth investing in.
NCAA Football: Senior Bowl Practice
Sunday Selections

Round 4, Pick 121 | T Kage Casey, Boise State

Depth becomes starters faster than you think in this league. Injuries, contracts, in time it all catches up. Casey, give you swings at stability. Long frame, developmental upside, and the understanding that games are still won at the edges of the line.

Round 4, Pick 135 | S Bud Clark, TCU

Real value in the fourth round to get the type of player Clark can possibly develop into. It’s worth noting that I regret not seeing another defensive back already on the board, but circumstances of other options have led us here.

Round 5, Pick 161 — WR Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati

Allen is physical, competitive, a chain-mover with edge. Not the flash of Brazzell, but the kind of guy who sticks.

Late Rounds — The Quiet Insurance Policies

CB TJ Hall (Iowa) - long, disciplined, depth in a room that could shift quickly, plus Steelers like Hawkeyes of late

G Micah Morris (Georgia) - more trench muscle, because you can never have enough

WR Dane Key (Nebraska) - size, red-zone presence, matchup piece

Edge Vincent Anthony Jr. (Duke) - developmental pass rush, the kind that blooms late

Because the truth is, every pick here is shadowed by a contract.

Every selection carries the quiet understanding that football is temporary, windows close, and even the best players eventually cost more than you can pay.

So, they draft like this.

Not for today.

Not even fully for tomorrow.

But for that moment and two years from now.

Stay locked in on the Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL Draft

For more exclusive NFL Draft coverage, scouting reports, and interviews, visit College2Pro.com⁠

Follow on X: @BoMarchionte
NFL: AFC Wild Card Round-Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
The annual NFL Draft arrives in conjunction with spring. It’s an opportunity for all the NFL’s 32 teams to delve into the collegiate ranks and build a roster with hopes of reaching a championship level.

Is it pure talent? Is it team needs? Sometimes teams are lucky enough to acquire both in one selection. The bottom line is production and turning these selections into contributors regardless of how they were valued on draft day.

Pittsburgh isn’t alone in the fact that several free agents are on the horizon in 2027 that have some significant value to the current roster.

It’s the realization that names you’ve grown comfortable with players like Patrick Queen, Joey Porter Jr., Keanu Benton, Nick Herbig, and Darnell Washington. Even the steady right foot of Chris Boswell all could be walking toward the exit doors when 2027 rolls around.

One swift stroke of fresh ink could change the outlook instantly with a new contract offered and signed by the list of players above but that reality to think all the names mentioned above will remain Steelers when the 2027 season begins is a bit hard to imagine.

And so, the Steelers sit at the draft table in 2026, not just picking players.

They’re hedging against the eventual goodbye.

If an elite edge rusher is on board when Pittsburgh in the clock and they pass for another position it may be the fact they feel confident in keeping Herbig long-term.

The scenarios are endless and predictions.

I’ve become unglued at the seams due to the oversaturation of mock drafts and the multiple outcomes that lie unknown but awaiting us on April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

TEAM NEEDS

Defensive Line

Cam Heyward has eluded father time, but he’ll find the former 2011 first round pick (31^st overall) eventually. Derrick Harmon looks like the real deal, but this unit is a ticking time bomb on depth and starting potential.

Wide Receiver

DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman are the top options for receivers, and they are the only true options for receivers. Both are 29 years old and will turn 30 before Christmas of 2026. The only caveat is obvious that this position must be addressed as well. However, let’s remember it’s the one position in the NFL where they always seem available via a trade. Hence how both Metcalf and Pittman Jr. were acquired. Receivers are always available.

Quarterback

Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to get off the carousel of rotating quarterbacks since Ben Roethlisberger retired from the league in 2022. A first-round pick (Kenny Pickett) and two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have done little to cure the position.

It leads us back to the draft and the direction Pittsburgh may take.

Steelers Full Mock Draft

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