The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft came and went in the blink of an eye. There was plenty of movement with some teams trading up to land key talent, while other teams traded out of the first round, adding more picks later to try and take advantage of the depth of the draft.

For the host Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a bit of a rough night as the Philadelphia Eagles shockingly jumped one spot ahead of them and stole USC wide receiver Makai Lemon right out of their grasp. That caused the Steelers to pivot and draft Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor in a surprising move.

Though they addressed offensive tackle, adding a raw player with a high ceiling, the Steelers still have more questions than answers at key positions of need, including receiver. ESPN’s Matt Miller and The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner tried to answer those questions in their second- and third-round mock drafts posted Friday morning.

The Steelers have four picks on Day 2 at No. 53 overall in the second round and picks No. 76, 85 and 99 overall in the third round.

Miller has the Steelers taking the following:

Second Round, 53rd overall: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Third Round, 76th overall: Gennings Dunker, OL, Iowa
Third Round, 85th overall: Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina
Third Round, 99th overall: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia

Not a bad haul for the Steelers in the second and third rounds, though it feels like Nussmeier is a round too early. Still, the need is there at quarterback for the Steelers, and he makes a lot of sense for Mike McCarthy’s offense, though he’s not among the two names Miller’s colleague Mel Kiper Jr. threw out there.

“The Steelers are betting that Aaron Rodgers returns in 2026, but what’s the long-term plan?” Miller writes. “Nussmeier’s 2024 tape, when he threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns, looked like a first-round-caliber player. If he can get back to that, the Steelers have a franchise quarterback.”

Nussmeier dealt with injuries during the 2025 season and most recently had a procedure done to clean up one reason he was having abdominal pain, hindering his ability to throw the football properly. With a clean bill of health, he could get back to that 2024 level at which he played.

If he can, and does so on a second-round value, that would be massive for a team like the Steelers.

Landing Gennings Dunker two rounds after adding Iheanachor would solidify the Steelers’ offensive line, especially if Dunker can kick inside to guard. Jalon Kilgore would give Pittsburgh another big, physical, versatile safety, while Zachariah Branch would give Pittsburgh a legitimate game-breaking pass catcher, one who can do damage with the football in his hands.

Branch was recently arrested though, which could cause his stock to drop just a bit. The Steelers did have dinner with him before the Georgia Pro Day, so that’s a name to watch.

In Baumgardner’s mock draft, he has the Steelers going in a different direction than Miller.

Here’s who he has in his second- and third-round mocks:

Second Round, 53rd overall: A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU
Third Round, 76th overall: Tyler Onyedim, DL, Texas A&M
Third Round, 85th overall: Jalen Farmer, OL, Kentucky
Third Round, 99th overall: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

This one doesn’t feel as good compared to Miller’s mock draft.

While Haulcy is a versatile, talented safety with tremendous ball skills, he’s a bit undersized. He comes off the board to the Steelers with Louisville WR Chris Bell, Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt, Texas A&M offensive lineman Chase Bisontis, and Oregon offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon still on the board, and all are better fits for Pittsburgh.

“Another player with hybrid potential, Haulcy is a 215-pound safety with great burst and a ton of power. He can play either safety spot or in the box,” Baumgardner writes. 

The Steelers have touted versatility and position flexibility throughout the pre-draft process, so he could be a fit there. But after that, Baumgardner’s second- and third-round mock falls apart.

Tyler Onyedim isn’t quite a seamless fit for the Steelers’ 3-4 defense. He has good tape at A&M and showed he can play up and down the line of scrimmage, but he projects as a ‘tweener in Pittsburgh’s defense. Jalen Farmer is a mauler on the interior and would be a nice addition to Pittsburgh’s offensive line, but wide receiver would have been a better play there with Branch, Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II and tight ends like Stanford’s Sam Roush and Georgia’s Oscar Delp still on the board.

Rounding it out with Cole Payton is perfectly fine. He checks a lot of the boxes the Steelers look for. But coming out of the first three rounds without a wide receiver would be very concerning and deflating for the Steelers.

Things get started at 7 PM/EST Friday, and the Steelers will be very busy with four picks. Let’s see how GM Omar Khan attacks things on Day 2.