With six practices including two padded sessions in the books, it’s worth taking inventory of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie draft class. There’s still a lot more to learn and evaluate and three preseason games will tell us a lot. By no means are my below thoughts final and etched in stone.
Nonetheless, here are my early thoughts on all 10 draft picks from this April’s class.
OT Max Iheanachor
Primary Role: Second-Team Right Tackle
Judging trench players is especially difficult until the pads come on. That’s why some of the chatter about Iheanachor looking like an unrefined rookie during the padless sessions felt early and frankly, silly.
Still, Iheanachor changed that narrative Monday. He was strong in his first padded practice. In the 1v1 OL/DL rush drills, Iheanachor was excellent and showed all the traits that got him drafted in the first round. His size, strength, lateral agility and overall athleticism. He was also patient in his set and showed no fear facing top names in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Jack Sawyer. It’s hard to remember a rookie lineman looking that strong out of the gate.
It’s always difficult to think back and compare, but Max Iheanachor’s first time through 1v1s today was one of the better showings I can remember from a rookie OL.
He was impressive. Patience in his set, his athleticism, his redirect, his punch. Whew. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 3, 2026
Run blocking might be more challenging. He’s shown some trouble sticking and driving to create a push, losing one rep to T.J. Watt later in the day. Of course, Watt makes plays like that against any caliber of tackle, and Iheanachor learning some of those hard lessons early on will make things easier once he sees game action.
He’s primarily worked as second-team right tackle but occasionally logged first-team snaps. Under Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh loves mixing and matching its offensive linemen to different positions and combinations. However, I’ve yet to see Iheanachor log any time at left tackle.
Troy Fautanu is going to start at left tackle. Write that in pen. Will Dylan Cook or Iheanachor start on the right side? It’s still too early to say. Speaking to our Dallas and Green Bay friends before camp, they agreed McCarthy prefers leading with veterans and rookies need to look a “tier above” to win the job out of the gate. Iheanachor isn’t there yet but he’s making up ground on any space he entered behind Cook, who is older but doesn’t even have 300 offensive snaps. He’s not a traditional “vet.”
Early Summary: Iheanachor is looking like the player Pittsburgh drafted him to be, but there’s a lot more to watch. Especially once the games kickoff.
WR Germie Bernard
Primary Role: Second-Team Slot Receiver
Bernard’s yet to have a day capturing the buzz Iheanachor created Monday. In fact, it’s been a quiet start for him. Bernard’s receptions have been on short and intermediate routes though in fairness, he hasn’t received many downfield opportunities.
He’s had a couple miscommunications with his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers and backups, and the occassional drop. On the first day, Rodgers wanted Bernard on a 7/corner route and Bernard didn’t run it at the right depth, leaving the pass well short and incomplete.
Athletically, he just looks average and hasn’t wow’d in any one moment. I have missed some passing sessions, I watched OL/DL instead of 7 on 7 and 1v1 WR/DB drills the past two days, so maybe Bernard made some plays there. In team drills, though, it’s been uneventful.
Roman Wilson opened up clearly ahead of Bernard as the No. 3 receiver. Bernard has rotated in some since, but it’s still fair to say Wilson is in the lead. Wilson’s also made plenty more plays, especially on Tuesday. Bernard has shown a bit more inside/outside flexibility, but a strong end to the week for Bernard will serve as a good boost as he nears his preseason debut.
Early Summary: Bernard’s yet to make many big plays, and he’s clearly still working to get on the same page as his quarterbacks. A learning curve was expected, however, and progression from the start of the summer until the end is the key focus.
QB Drew Allar
Primary Role: No. 4 Quarterback
All eyes on Allar. Perhaps no Steelers’ rookie is under the microscope more with every good – or bad – play scrutinized to unfair levels.
Positively, Allar’s had his moments. The physical talent is undeniable. His “arm talent” is second-best on the team only behind Aaron Rodgers, and he’s clearly ahead of Will Howard in that regard. When Allar opens it up, the ball jumps out of his hand. He trusts his arm, too, and is willing to air it out. He hit 30 yard back shoulder completion to A.T. Perry on fourth down during Day Four’s two-minute drill sums it up. He passed on an underneath throw for Eli Heidenreich to the sticks and gave his receiver a chance 1-on-1. It paid off.
Allar’s best moments have been throwing vertically. Watching live makes it difficult to judge his footwork and mechanics, but you can tell he’s trying to apply what he’s learned. On one rep, Allar felt pressure around him and hitched-hitched-hitched up into the pocket. Allar is routinely the first quarterback on the field each day and he puts in the work.
Operationally, he’s been pretty clean for a rookie, too. Not many pre-snap issues of botched exchanges and he’s commanded the line of scrimmage. His hard count needs more oomph to sell it, but that can come with time. His interceptions have been minimal, if any, too.
Allar’s biggest weak point is consistency, especially in the short and intermediate game. A problem he had at Penn State, his accuracy hitting receivers in stride on crossing patterns is spotty. He’s missed behind and short throwing what should be “easy” completions. It’s hard to tell if that’s a footwork, timing, or some other issue.
In one drill that summed things up, quarterbacks were throwing into netting with pockets as “targets” during an individual period. It looks similar to this. Will Howard went first and was pinpoint with a throw in the pocket. Allar went next and threw over the net entirely. In context, Allar hit the pockets to close out the drill and every quarterback had their share of misses, but that sorta sums the two up.
Who has been better between Howard and Allar? The first couple of practices, I’d give the edge to Allar. The last few, it’s been closer to even. Allar has the fastball. Howard throws a great changeup.
But I’m not trying to declare day-by-day winners and like every rookie, the progress from the start point (first day of camp) to the end point (final practice before cutdowns) is what matters.
Early Summary: Allar’s been great at hitting Steph Curry-range three pointers, but needs to iron out and make the layups to begin making real progress beyond his draft profile.
CB Daylen Everette
Primary Role: Second-Team Left/Right Corner
Pittsburgh’s first defensive pick and the only one taken in the Top 150, Everette has split time on the left and right side. He’s played both outside spots without a clear majority on either side.
Everette is competitive on the football. He hasn’t backed down and has been in the hip pocket of receivers. He’s just had trouble finishing the play. DK Metcalf Moss’d him for one early camp touchdown, though McCarthy defended Everette’s positioning on the play. He’s also the corner who gave up the fourth down completion to Perry I noted above with Allar, too.
Like a lot of young corners, Everette is finding the balance between playing aggressive and playing reckless, picking up a couple of penalties on end zone fades. Coverage busts have also popped up, once leaving Joaquin Davis wide open for a pitch-and-catch on Day Two. Veteran Brandin Echols talked to him about the bust after the play.
He’s shown a short memory. On Monday, Everette was flagged for pass interference against Perry. Two plays later, he batted away a final-play pass for WR Brandon Smith to prevent the touchdown and end practice. Run defense has been hard to evaluate, but Everette seems willing.
On special teams, Everette has logged plenty of reps at gunner. He may not start there Week One, WR Ben Skowronek and CB Brandin Echols are the current leaders, but Everette figures to get plenty of burn this preseason and be a potential next-man-up if injuries impact that position.
Early Summary: Everette is competitive and plays hard, but he’s taken his lumps on vertical throws against big-body wideouts.
OG Gennings Dunker
Primary Role: Third-Team Right Guard
Dunker has largely run with the third-team throughout training camp with limited mixing and matching, a contrast to most others. Pittsburgh may be wanting to keep the rookies put and get into a groove. Dunker bumped up to second-team right guard for the back half of Tuesday’s practice, though it could be because Steven Jones got hurt. I’ll need to check that when the team returns Thursday.
The padless practices made evaluations meaningless. I watched the starters for the bulk of Monday’s session but got eyes on Dunker Tuesday. He looked good in 1v1 with good play strength to handle bull rushes and sitting in his stance without much forward body lean. There’s enough athleticism to slide and mirror, too.
He’s a big guy with his stomach peeking out from underneath his jersey. My evaluation on him still feels a little incomplete, but it’s fair to say he’s nowhere close to competing for a starting right guard spot. Spencer Anderson remains the leader with Brock Hoffman challenging. Dunker is shaping up as a Week One inactive, but his own play in exhibition action plus injuries can always change that.
Early Summary: Dunker’s focus is on adjusting to playing guard, not winning the starting job.
WR/RET Kaden Wetjen
Primary Role: Kick/Punt Returner
At a listed 5093, 193 pounds, no one expected Wetjen to look like DK Metcalf. Still, getting eyes on Wetjen reminds you how small he is. He’s legitimately the tiniest guy on the field and just standing on the sidelines, he looks out of place. Still, appearances can be deceiving. That’s just the eye test.
Wetjen was drafted to be Pittsburgh’s returner, and he’s worked as a punt and kick returner during every special teams period the team has repped it. So far, the emphasis has been on punts with kickoffs only being introduced in camp yesterday. These periods aren’t full plays. On punts, it’s fielding and first steps. On kicks, they’re just working on setting up the blocking scheme. Wetjen’s caught the ball cleanly, but there’s no useful evaluation to make beyond that.
At receiver, Wetjen’s had a hard time finding reps and even more difficulty seeing the ball. Pittsburgh’s gotten him involved in other ways like a jet run during Tuesday’s session for a couple of yards. It’s hard to think Pittsburgh will design much for him once the regular season begins, especially since Roman Wilson has a similar (but bigger) body type and plenty of speed with a more prominent role on the depth chart.
Preseason action will be most telling and interesting for Wetjen. He should receive plenty of opportunities and start on kicks and punts (likely with Eli Heidenreich next to him on kicks). In camp, it’s been pretty uneventful.
Early Summary: A quiet start for Wetjen but one expected given the structure of practices; Pittsburgh clearly plans on using him on kick and punt returns.
TE/FB Riley Nowakowski
Primary Role: Versatile H-Back
Nowakowski is an early contender for our annual “Mr. Versatile” award. Wearing plenty of hats, Nowakowski has split time between fullback and tight end. Once Pittsburgh put the pads on and focused on the ground game after opening up camp with emphasis on the passing game, that’s offered Nowakowski more snaps. Especially at fullback.
Nowakowski has rotated between tight end and fullback during individual drills and team periods. His lead blocking might need some work, but he’s done less of that at Indiana than he saw at tight end. There’s an adjustment blocking in space and hitting more mobile targets.
He hasn’t caught many passes in team drills, but he’s showing secure hands in individual periods. Catches the ball clean away from his body without body or double-catching. In team periods, Nowakowski is seeing some stand up slot snaps, too. That highlights his versatility all the more.
Expect him to play plenty on special teams, too. He opened camp as first-team right wing on the punt protect/coverage unit, and he’s also switched with Cole Holcomb as a blocker on the line of scrimmage. Nowakowski will likely play on other units, too.
Nowakowski’s offensive role will ebb and flow each week, but he has a chance to make an impact out of the gate.
Early Summary: Versatile and fitting Pittsburgh’s offensive identity, Nowakowski is approaching “lock” status to the 53-man roster.
DL Gabriel Rubio
Primary Role: Second/Third-Team Nose Tackle
Over the first few practices, Rubio worked as second-team nose tackle behind Yahya Black as Keeanu Benton primarily played defensive end in Pittsburgh’s base 3-4. This week, Benton shifted back to nose tackle which has bumped Rubio down the ladder. What’s important, though, is that Rubio is playing nose tackle instead of defensive end. He’s also rotating in at d-tackle in Pittsburgh’s nickel and sub-packages.
Rubio passes the eye test. He’s a massive human being who looks like a Steelers’ defensive lineman. Like the offensive linemen, the trenches can’t be talked about to any credible degree until the pads come on, meaning there’s only been two “real” practices for evaluation.
In Tuesday’s 1v1 session, Rubio showed some power on his bull rush but didn’t particularly stand out during the session. Watching him in team, even in some of the lighter periods, you can see the power in his hands and the jolt he sends at the point of attack. He’ll be a fun film study during the preseason.
Early Summary: Rubio is big and powerful but remains in a fight for one of the final d-line roster spots.
S Robert Spears-Jennings
Primary Role: First-Team Free Safety
No player has benefitted more from injuries around him than Spears-Jennings. With Jalen Ramsey opening up and remaining on Active/PUP, DeShon Elliott only a partial participant, and Darnell Savage already out the door, Spears-Jennings has taken daily first-team reps. He won’t keep that spot for Week One, not even close, but he’s getting quality and quantity that wasn’t expected a week ago.
Safeties can be tougher to evaluate because their chances aren’t as frequent. There’s plenty of snaps where they’re simply not involved in the play. His angles in coverage could use some work, but that’ll come with reps as he adjusts to the speed of the game. He looks eager to hit and had he been permitted to tackle, could’ve dished out a few big hits already. When he drives downhill, he comes with plenty of size and has the bulk to make runners and receivers feel it.
He’s worked as a gunner on special teams and could get reps there during the preseason, though the team has plenty of other options to cycle through. Spears-Jennings will play a ton of defensive snaps, especially in the preseason opener, and the team may concentrate his work there.
Early Summary: There’s been plenty of opportunity for him, and he’ll be as happy as anyone to finally hit someone come August 13th’s preseason opener.
RB Eli Heidenreich
Primary Role: Reserve Running Back
Heidenreich is running near the back of the running back pack. One concern I had about him in camp was showing his skillset on far fewer chances than he had at Navy. In college, he was the guy. In Pittsburgh, he’s a deep reserve without consistent touches.
If there was any question, he’s being used as a true running back. Pittsburgh has taken a look at his receiving chops, he ran some routes split out during the third day’s walkthrough and caught a couple of uncontested touchdowns, but in alignment and position groups, Heidenreich is a running back. As he should be.
Tuesday’s practice was the first time he got a couple of true backfield carries, and he found daylight on one of them.
What’s interesting is seeing Heidenreich’s work on special teams. He opened came as second-team personal protector, the quarterback of the unit. A key role to consider a rookie for, but it’s a positive for his roster chances as the 10th man drafted in a 10-man class. The only problem is the man ahead of him is running back Travis Homer, a veteran Heidenreich is competing directly with. Kaleb Johnson remains in the mix and is running ahead of him while Lew Nichols shouldn’t be slept on, either. He’s working with the “1’s” group during practice.
Heidenreich also worked in the kick return lines, opening up as the starting pair opposite fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen.
Early Summary: Heidenreich hasn’t done much “wrong” but will have to maximize his limited opportunities and make plays on special teams. He has plenty of plates to spin to make the 53.
Undrafted Free Agents
Bonus notes on the original undrafted free agent class. Defensive back Devan Boykin has helped fill in some gaps at safety while playing a little nickel corner, too. Defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. has a little juice in his game, but reps have been hard to find. Rubio has logged considerably more. Tight end Lake McRee has been quiet, especially in team periods. I don’t think I’ve even yet noted him in those sessions.
Kicker Laith Marjan has been frozen out of most activity and went only 1-of-3 during the lone day he kicked. He was short from 51 yards, an ominous sign. Most of his time has been spent watching and being ball boy/equipment manager for the others. I’d still expect him to kick plenty in the preseason while Pittsburgh saves Chris Boswell’s leg.