Steelers Land "Good Value" With Robert Spears-Jennings As Pittsburgh Adds Quality DB Depth

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an offense-heavy 2026 NFL Draft, where the front office spent seven of 10 draft picks on offensive players. However, the team added some depth on defense in the draft; of the three defenders selected, two were defensive backs. The Black and Gold wanted to add some much-needed depth at cornerback and safety, and took a chance on two young SEC players. In the third round, the Steelers took Daylen Everette, a highly touted cornerback out of the University of Georgia. With one of its two seventh-round picks, the team selected Robert Spears-Jennings, a safety from Oklahoma. 

Spears-Jennings will enter a safety room that has seen some key additions throughout the 2026 offseason. He tested very well at the NFL Combine and is coming off of two years of starting experience as a Sooner. He spent most of his first two years primarily as a special teams player and reserve. His 40-yard dash speed (4.32 seconds) and his nearly 6'2" frame give him the intangibles to be a highly athletic defensive back. His continued growth at the collegiate level points to his ability to develop, and that could be something that Pittsburgh saw in him during the draft process.

Steelers insider Bob Labriola gave his take on Spears-Jennings on his Asked and Answered, where he answers fan-submitted questions. Labriola gave his favorite pick of the draft and explained why. 

"I'm going to point to Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings, who came to the team in the seventh round (224th overall). Based on things I had read about him, I saw him as a good value at that point in the draft, and he plays a position the team needed to address at some point during the weekend," Labriola wrote. 

The Steelers needed to add some depth at the spot in the Draft. While some believed that this would have been addressed in some of the earlier rounds, Pittsburgh went cornerback first and waited until the final round to nab a safety. Labriola added a way that Spears-Jennings could make his way onto the roster, and another reason why the pick is considered a value. 

"The other thing I like about him is that he will be a contributor on special teams early in his career, which is the kind of thing that can buy time for a young guy to improve the skills he will need to contribute as a position player," Labriola added. 

The Steelers' special teams unit needed some more insurance, as multiple players there left in free agency. Spears-Jennings has experience there, and with his estimated fifth-ranked athletic score at the combine, he could be a high-impact player on the roster, should he make the team. Pittsburgh would really benefit from solid safety depth, as that was an area that the team really lacked in 2025.  Spears-Jennings plays at a high level in the box with hard-hitting run-stopping abilities. His speed and nose for the football could make him a great gunner on punt returns and a star on kick return coverage teams. 

Pittsburgh's coaching staff will hope to develop Spears-Jennings because there is no doubt he has the traits to be a solid run-stopping, box safety in the NFL. He just needs some polishing, as he is a very raw prospect. 

The Steelers' Special Teams Unit Has Gotten A Huge Boost Through The Draft

The franchise lost its longtime special teams coordinator, Danny Smith, along with multiple key special teams players throughout the 2026 offseason. The Steelers brass seem to have made it a point of emphasis in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft to add some players who have experience on that side of the ball. Pittsburgh added a two-time Jet Award winner (the nation's best returner award), Kaden Wetjen, in the fourth round, who could completely change the tides of the return game.

Pittsburgh seems to have invested in speed and athleticism in the Draft, and a focus on special teams is a good thing, especially with a major coaching change. The addition of these two rookies, among the rest of the class, could flip the script for the special teams unit. 

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