Steelers Unlikely To Select Polarizing Prospect In First Round Of 2026 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a playoff drought that has stretched almost a decade. Their last playoff win came in January of 2017, a Divisional Round victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite the overall success from the Mike Tomlin era, which included a Super Bowl victory and a major part of an NFL record 22-straight winning seasons, the franchise is hungry for more. The Steelers' recent playoff failures became too much for them to stomach, and new head coach, Mike McCarthy, will have to make some tough decisions in order for the team to get over the hump.

Many around the NFL assumed the Steelers would enter full rebuild mode for the first time in almost two decades, bottom out to secure a top draft pick, and begin the rebuild. However, the Steelers' hiring of McCarthy quickly put that narrative to bed. They believe that their winning seasons and recent AFC North title indicate they're close to contending for a Super Bowl, and they could be onto something. The Black and Gold looked dominant at times last season, but lacked the consistency of a true contender. With the Steelers going for it again next season, look for offseason acquisitions and draft picks to be indicative of a team that wants to not only win, but win now.

With that in mind, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo recently had some thoughts on the team possibly selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.

"I could be dead wrong, but I'll say 1%," said Fittipaldo. "I just don't see them taking another chance on a QB with questionable first-round talent. They cannot afford to make that mistake again, especially with the 2027 class looking much more promising."

The Steelers are currently waiting on 42-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make his decision on whether to return to Pittsburgh. It was initially thought that Rodgers would either retire or go to another team after the Steelers parted ways with Tomlin. However, McCarthy was perhaps the only other coach that Rodgers would come back for, as McCarthy was the long-time coach of Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers, including winning a Super Bowl together. The two have combined to form some of the most high-powered offenses in NFL history, and the chance to do that again with the Steelers may be too much for Rodgers to pass up on.

With the Steelers' win-now aspirations in mind and a Rodgers return looming, it would seem to be against what the Steelers are trying to build to draft a player in the first round who is likely not to play at all in his first season. In all likelihood, Simpson would be backing up Rodgers in his rookie year and the team is already developing last year's sixth-round pick, Will Howard, whom many around the organization have spoken highly of.

Steelers Drafting Ty Simpson In First Round Doesn't Make Sense

Unless you feel that Simpson is a can't-miss prospect, the Steelers will opt to use their first-round pick on a player who will give them an immediate boost for next season. Something important to note about Simpson is that there's no guarantee that he'll be selected in the first round. Mock drafts are all over the board on Simpson currently, with him going anywhere from the first round to the middle rounds. If he falls past the first round, it would become more likely that the Steelers select the Alabama quarterback.

The Steelers have made their intentions clear for 2026: contend for a Super Bowl. Last season showed the potential of this Steelers team, but also that they're still very far away from truly contending. With Rodgers likely returning and Howard developing behind him, drafting a quarterback that's not a blue-chip prospect in the first round would be ill-advised.

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