Steelers Among NFL Teams Forced To Adapt Quickly As NIL Reshapes The Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers are doing everything imaginable to get back to the top of the NFL, and the first step in that process would be winning in the postseason. That's something the organization has not been able to do in nearly a decade, which is the longest streak for the Steelers since the AFL-NFL merger. General Manager Omar Khan is trying to make all the proper moves to get the franchise back to winning important games, and he is working with a new colleague in 2026 in Head Coach Mike McCarthy. The duo wants to win now, and that starts with making the right decisions in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sports are always changing, and changes at the college level do affect the professional organizations. A great example of that has been the introduction of players getting paid off of their NIL in recent years. This has allowed college athletes, football players especially, to earn thousands, and sometimes millions, while playing college football. The ability to earn at the college level has resulted in more players choosing to go back to college, which does play a role in the draft each and every year. Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach spoke about this during his media appearance at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

"When the official decision date for the underclassmen came, I believe we moved over 25 guys off our board that we had Top 75, Top 100," Veach explained. "So it really impacts, I think, the draft, and then you’re getting older, older prospects as you go on. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon and I think that’s something we have to adapt to."

Veach is essentially saying that there is plenty of "draftable" talent that is returning to the college level, and the reason in most cases is the ability to earn. Every college offseason is essentially free agency as every player can transfer if they feel the need to, and there doesn't seem to be much restrictions on schools trying to acquire talent. This means more older prospects in the draft as time goes on.

The Steelers, and the rest of the NFL, have to adjust to this. Players being older and more experienced coming from the college level likely means some more talent, which could make the difference between some Day 1 picks and some Day 2 picks very slim. Veach also spoke about this factor during his media appearance.

"Typically, the second and third round would be those guys that maybe they didn’t play a lot, but they were young," Veach said. "Well, now these guys are just bouncing and getting paid by another school and getting paid and playing. So Round 2, 3, 4, the younger developmental guys who haven’t scratched the surface yet, you’re getting more finished products, so that’s challenging, but that’s what we have to adapt to and how we position our board."

The talent pool is deeper in each year of the draft due to college players being able to play more and gain some more experience. Hopefully it also leads to more maturity as a lot of these players are making a ton of money before even making it to the NFL. 

Steelers Are In A Great Spot To Land Talent On Day 2 Of The 2026 NFL Draft

Veach's point about the talent pool being deeper is good for the Steelers. Going into the draft, teams want to find starters. It isn't all about finding superstars, and Pittsburgh is in a good spot to do that as the organization has 12 projected draft picks. On Day 2 of the event, Pittsburgh has its own second-round pick, and what should be three third-round picks. It is a good year to have five picks in the top 100, and Pittsburgh has exactly that.

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