{"id":471552,"date":"2026-02-16T07:27:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/471552\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T07:27:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:27:11","slug":"potential-steelers-draft-targets-named-boom-or-bust-prospects-by-pff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/471552\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential Steelers Draft Targets Named ‘Boom Or Bust’ Prospects By PFF"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a few directions that the Pittsburgh Steelers could go in the 2026 NFL Draft, particularly as it pertains to the team\u2019s first-round pick. With needs at quarterback, wide receiver and in the secondary, the Steelers will have to decide how they want to attack the draft. Multiple players linked to the team, many in the first-round range, were named \u201cboom or bust\u201d prospects<\/a> by Pro Football Focus\u2019 Max Chadwick.<\/p>\n

WR Jordan Tyson, CB Jermod McCoy and QB Ty Simpson are all players that have been linked to the Steelers in some form or fashion. All three made Chadwick\u2019s list, as well as WR Zachariah Branch and DL Caleb Banks, two other players Pittsburgh could potentially have interest in.<\/p>\n

Of the five players listed, McCoy could wind up being out of reach for the Steelers. He\u2019s viewed as a potential top 10 or 15 pick, but he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL. He\u2019s going to have to test well medically at the Combine and show he\u2019s back to full strength for him to reach those heights. He could be a tantalizing prospect if he winds up falling to the Steelers. Alex Kozora compared him to Cleveland Browns CB Denzel Ward<\/a> in his scouting report.<\/p>\n

As for Tyson, he was once considered to be the top receiver in the draft class, but he\u2019s been injured throughout his career, including suffering a torn ACL, MCL and PCL. He missed time this season with a hamstring injury, and Tyson is a prospect who seems slated to fall out of the top 10 after being considered a potential top five selection. There\u2019s a chance that he falls all the way to the Steelers, and after being coached by Hines Ward at Arizona State, that would make for quite the storyline.<\/p>\n

Like McCoy, his medicals could be a reason why he slides and what makes him a risky selection. Nate Kosko wrote in his scouting report<\/a> that if he stays on the field, Tyson could be a \u201cplus starter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s issues are less linked to medical and more to inconsistency. He struggled late in the season for Alabama, but he\u2019s still likely going to be the second quarterback off the board and a first-round pick in April. Pittsburgh\u2019s long been searching for their quarterback of the future, and Simpson is someone who has been linked to the team in numerous mock drafts. He might not be ready to start off the bat, and Chadwick writes that any team drafting Simpson \u201cwould be wise\u201d to let him sit for a year. He could be a tantalizing option for the Steelers if they think he can be a future starter, but there\u2019s plenty of bust potential if they take Simpson in the first.<\/p>\n

Jim Hester compared Simpson to Marc Bulger<\/a> as a ceiling and Jimmy Garoppolo as a floor in his scouting report.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to see the Steelers addressing defensive line in the first round unless Cam Heyward calls it a career, but Banks is another prospect with some medical red flags. He missed nine games with a foot injury. His upside is immense, as Ross McCorkle chronicled<\/a> in his scouting report, but injuries and some run defense concerns could hold him back.<\/p>\n

Branch doesn\u2019t feel as likely as a first-round pick for Pittsburgh, but he possesses elite speed. He needs to show he can be more than a gadget player at the next level though, as Chadwick noted that 51 of 93 targets came behind the line of scrimmage. He could be a mid-round target for the Steelers, and his speed would add an exciting element to the team\u2019s offense. But taking players who primarily rely on speed is always a risk, hence his inclusion on this list.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s very rarely a home-run prospect available at the No. 21 overall pick. The Steelers might have to be willing to take on some risk for a player who could potentially break out into a star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are a few directions that the Pittsburgh Steelers could go in the 2026 NFL Draft, particularly as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[39922,218840,63184,218841,349,89364,99,3795,79383,218842],"class_list":{"0":"post-471552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-caleb-banks","9":"tag-jermod-mccoy","10":"tag-jordyn-tyson","11":"tag-max-chadwick","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-pff","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-trending","16":"tag-ty-simpson","17":"tag-zachariah-branch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}