The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially wrapped up their 2026 draft class, bringing in 10 rookies along with a wave of undrafted free agents to begin the next chapter of their careers in Pittsburgh. It was the first time since 1992 that Pittsburgh entered the draft with at least 12 picks, and the first time since 2010 that they made 10 selections by the end of the event.
We have been tracking along with expert and analyst draft grades from the start of the event, so now let’s take a look at the various opinions on the Steelers draft class as a whole.
For a more zoomed-in perspective on the picks, check out draft grades for each day below.
Here’s a quick recap of the draft class:
– R1:21 – OT Max Iheanachor/Arizona State
– R2:47 – WR Germie Bernard/Alabama
– R3:76 – QB Drew Allar/Penn State
– R3:85 – CB Daylen Everette/Georgia
– R3:96 – OG Gennings Dunkers/Iowa
– R4:121 – WR/RET Kaden Wetjen/Iowa
– R5:169 – FB Riley Nowakowski/Indiana
– R6:210 – DL Gabriel Rubio/Notre Dame
– R7:224 – S Robert Spears-Jennings/Oklahoma
– R7:230 – RB Eli Heidenreich/Navy
Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN) — Final Grade: B
He gave them worse marks last year after they passed on his beloved Shedeur Sanders, but he actually liked their quarterback plan this time around.
“Adding Drew Allar—a big, strong-armed passer from down the road at Penn State—in Round 3 was a good hedge, with one eye to the future,” he wrote.
Quarterback’s draw headlines, so it makes sense to start there, but that was far from the Steelers’ top priority in this class. They bolstered the offensive line, added another weapon to the receiving corps, and plugged other overlooked needs throughout the event.
“He keeps getting better,” Kiper wrote on Iheanachor. “He’s just scratching the surface of what he can be.”
He had nothing but good things to say about the class, including the selection of WR/RET Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round. Some had issue with the value, but Kiper included it in his list of picks before summing up “it was a pretty good few days for the Steelers.”
Chad Reuter (NFL.com) — Final Grade: A-
With a low of a B+ on Day 2, Reuter averaged out to straight A- grades.
“Missing out on receiver Makai Lemon could prove to be a blessing in disguise if the physical, quick-footed Iheanachor keeps things intact up front,” Reuter wrote. “And Bernerd’s strength, route-running skills and elusiveness after the catch give him a chance to be just as good as Lemon in the long run.”
People will closely compare the career paths of both Lemon and Iheanachor after what transpired on the first day of the event. But perhaps they should instead compare Bernard and Lemon. Is there really that big of a gap between the two? Only time will tell, but Pittsburgh may have gotten a long-term starter at one of the most premium positions due to the Eagles’ last-second trade to jump them in the order.
For a late-round steal, Reuter highlighted Robert Spears-Jennings, calling him a “top-150 value pick.” Pittsburgh somehow got a safety at No. 224 overall who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash with 47 games of college experience.
Pro Football Focus — Final Grade: C+
PFF’s Wins Above Average metric gave the Steelers a 0.984 score for the entire draft, which was ranked 20th out of 32 teams.
According to their metric, seventh-round RB Eli Heidenreich was the best pick of the event for Pittsburgh with a 92.9 college PFF grade. They had generic pre-written blurbs on each player, but they notably left out Rubio from the analysis. I’m not sure if that was an oversight, or if they just didn’t have him a blurb ready to go for him due to the pick being completely out of left field on most people’s big boards.
Matt Verderame (SI.com) — Final Grade: C
Pittsburgh’s draft class was sure to bring mixed opinions, and a lot of that is painted by the optics of wanting Lemon and pivoting to Iheanachor. Verderame’s grades steered heavily into that narrative.
“The Steelers had an odd draft with their city playing host. Iheanachor is a terrific talent and could be pressed into duty depending on Broderick Jones’s neck injury. Still, it’s well-known they wanted slot receiver Makai Lemon at No. 21 before he was scooped by the Eagles, leading to the Bernard pick on Friday. At Alabama, Bernard amassed 1,656 yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons. Finally, selecting Allar to compete with Will Howard was a luxury selection for a team with far bigger needs. There’s talent here, but also plenty to fret about.”
Bryant McFadden (CBS Sports) — Final Grade: B+
McFadden called the Steelers one of the draft’s biggest losers after Day 1, but he seems to like the full picture after giving the rest of the draft time to develop.
“They faced a lot of criticism when we found out what happened,” McFadden said. “But then when I look at the board, getting big Max with your first pick, I’m okay with that. Because big Max is gonna be a heck of a ball player.”
He gave the Bernard pick high marks, and then offered a new way to look at the Steelers’ third round for those with questions about using the top third-round pick on QB Drew Allar.
“They had three third-round picks. What if I told you Drew Allar was No. 96 instead of 76, and they got Daylen Everette and Gennings Dunker?” McFadden asked. “They trust their board instead of doing what the consensus might’ve considered they should do…They got better.”
Just like any draft class, you can play the game of “If x player works out, this will be a good class.” But consider the upside for the Steelers. What are the most premium positions in today’s game? Quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver, edge rusher, and cornerback. Pittsburgh used their first four picks on those premium positions, and then plugged a need at left guard.
If even half of those first four picks pan out into something good, it will be reflected on as a pretty good draft class.
He said his favorite pick was CB Daylen Everette. McFadden originally submitted a B grade, but upped it slightly to a B+ after having more time to sit with the picks.