Way to Early Steelers 2026 NFL Draft Needs

This one’s for the draft sickos like myself—those of us who spend months deep in tape, mock drafts, and scouting reports… only to take a single day after the draft ends before diving headfirst into next year’s class.

In this article, I’m taking a way-too-early look at what potential holes the Steelers could be facing on their roster by the time the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around. Of course, this is all pure speculation, with zero insight into how the 2025/26 season or free agency will play out.

Still, I’ll toss out a few names at each projected position of need—keeping in mind that, as always, things can change fast. Just look at where we were a year ago, when Georgia’s Carson Beck was widely considered a potential No. 1 pick. Now? He’s transferred to Miami and will be hoping to starting fresh in 2025.

Let’s dive in anyway.

Quarterback:

As it stands post-draft, the Steelers’ quarterback room consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and sixth-round pick Will Howard. There’s also continued buzz about the team potentially bringing in Aaron Rodgers for the 2025 season. If that move materializes—and Rodgers is indeed on a one-year deal—the Steelers could enter the 2026 offseason with the exact same QB situation they have now, minus a long-term solution.

That would make it pretty easy to connect the dots: if Rodgers is a short-term fix, most of Steelers Nation will be expecting the team to go quarterback in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

It’s worth noting the Steelers are projected to have 11 picks next year, thanks in part to the four compensatory selections they earned from 2025 free agency losses. Add to that the fact that the city of Pittsburgh will be hosting the 2026 NFL Draft, and you’ve got quite the storyline brewing—a potential opportunity for the team to select the future face of the franchise on their home turf.

Some of the names who could be coming out: Arch Manning (Texas), Nico Iamaleava (UCLA), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnick (Clemson), Carson Beck (Miami) and John Mateer (Oklahoma)

Wide Receiver:

The 2025 receiver class hasn’t had huge hype at the top of the draft, so teams around the NFL who need playmakers on the outside will be hoping that the 2026 class carries some more high-end talent and depth through Days 2 and 3.

The Steelers, come this time next year, could be one of those teams. Two of their top three current players at the position — Calvin Austin and George Pickens — are going into the final year of their rookie deals with the franchise. This is coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Roman Wilson, who was clearly injured for the majority of last season. This could leave them in a position where, if they don’t re-up either Pickens or Austin III, the Steelers may be in need of some serious reinforcements alongside DK Metcalf.

Some of the names who could be coming out: Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Nyck Harbor (South Carolina), Eugene Wilson III (Florida), Kevin Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State)

Corner Back:

The Steelers didn’t really address the cornerback position in the 2025 class, outside of seventh-round pick Donte Kent, who is viewed primarily as a slot corner. With the signing of Darius Slay this offseason being a one-year deal, the Steelers will likely head into 2026 with just Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice on the outside.

When it comes to Porter Jr., we believe he’s probably good enough to be a CB1 in the NFL, but he’ll need to show a resurgence in form during the 2025 season. As for Trice, it’s all about health. Coming out of the 2023 draft — where he fell to the seventh round due to injuries — he’s shown flashes of promise in his limited time on the field. However, he has sustained multiple injuries during his tenure with the Steelers so far which has limited progression. These factors leave the clear possibility that corner could be a position of need come 2026.

Some of the names who could be coming out: Jermod McCoy (Tennessee), Avieon Terrell (Clemson), Malik Muhammad (Texas), A.J. Harris (Penn State) and D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana)

As I’ve said already — but I’ll say it again — these are just names we know of based on information from the 2024 college football season, and in some cases, they’re purely projections. The same goes for the Steelers’ potential needs — it’s all early speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.

But for anyone out there who loves the process like I do, let me know if there are any names at these positions you think could be early picks! Or even different potential needs the Steelers might have 365 days from now?