The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be one of the more interesting teams going into the 2026 NFL Draft, and there is a few reasons for that. One is the obvious quarterback uncertainty, especially if Aaron Rodgers does not make a decision on his future by that time. A few other reasons are that the draft is being hosted in Pittsburgh, and no one seems to really have any clue what the franchise plans to do in the first round. The organization holds 12 selections in the event as well. In a way, the Steelers control the draft because of the sheer amount of capital the franchise currently has.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan and Owner Art Rooney II on the field at a team practices while having a discussion.
The Steelers' 12 picks leads the way in the NFL as of right now, while some other teams have 11 selections. These picks that Pittsburgh has also have decent value as the franchise has five picks in the top 100. It has been assumed that some of the Steelers' selections will be dealt on draft night to either move up in the event at various spots, or to acquire more 2027 draft capital. Either way, making 12 picks in the draft would be absurd. No team likely wants to have 12 drafted rookies on the roster.
Draft analyst and expert Field Yates actually believes the Steelers should make every one of their picks, which is certainly not a popular opinion. He spoke on NFL Live about how this might be the smartest thing to do when considering the overall age of the roster.
"I think the question is, do you truncate those picks, try to move up and navigate the draft board, or do you try to use all 12 of them?" Yates asked. "I definitely lean towards the latter. Because while the Steelers' defense at its best had brilliant moments this past season, it's not even sneaky anymore. They're just getting old. They need to find ways to get a pipeline of talent on the defensive side of the ball that's younger. I'm in on building out the depth, rather than just going for three or four difference makers this upcoming draft."
Yates believes Pittsburgh would benefit when it comes to depth by making all 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there is no guarantee that that is true. The Steelers have a sixth-round pick and three seventh-round selections. Players picked in those spots usually don't even make the final roster, especially with 11 other drafted rookies on the team. If the organization can move those picks, it has to.
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Steelers' Art Rooney II at league meetings in Arizona during the 2026 offseason.
Yates has a point in that the defense is getting older for Pittsburgh, but the Steelers have already started the process of preparing to get younger. The organization drafted Derrick Harmon in 2025, along with Yahya Black and Jack Sawyer as the other rookies that made decent impacts on the defensive front last season. The cornerback spot seems to be taken care of for now, while safety and inside linebacker are probably the biggest question marks. The Steelers are out in front of the aging defense, and that is a reason not to draft 12 rookies in 2026.
General Manager Omar Khan has been pretty good at making trades during the NFL Draft, and the Steelers need to use that skill to their advantage once again. That can look a couple different ways. If a top prospect like Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles is sliding in the first round, the team should move up to get them. If that isn't the case, they should find a way to acquire 2027 draft capital with the goal of eventually landing a franchise quarterback.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy during a return to Green Bay for an offseason event.
Steelers Need To Land High-Impact Players
Pittsburgh has been stuck in this weird spot where the organization wants to "win now," but the roster is nowhere near competitive when it comes to the postseason. A way to fix that is by landing high-impact rookies through the draft, and the Steelers could do that with these first five selections within the top 100. Moving up to secure a top defensive prospect or an offensive lineman like Vega Ioane could be an impactful move.
What do you think about Yates' thoughts on Pittsburgh's draft strategy? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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