NFL Executives May Suddenly Be Having 2nd Thoughts About 1 Of The Steelers' Top Draft Prospects

All signs are starting to point toward the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. A lot can change, specifically for a team that has so many needs on both sides of the ball, but the organization hasn't selected the position in the Top 32 since Santonio Holmes back in 2006. It may be time to finally invest in the position early, rather than hoping to find a diamond in the rough at some other time. General Manager Omar Khan will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to put together a dynamic offensive unit that scares opposing defenses.

Pittsburgh will have plenty of options at its disposal. Khan could move up in the first round if he wants to be aggressive and grab one of the top pass-catchers in the draft. He also could elect to take a pair of wideouts using two of the four selections that he is set to have on day two. Aside from all of that, there's always the opportunity that he uses some draft capital to acquire a formidable starter with experience.

There have consistently been three names brought up when taking a look at the draft class. Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon seem to be a cut above the rest; however, Lemon had some questions marks come up during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, as did Tate. Pittsburgh will continue to follow these three as the big day inches closer.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette fielded questions from fans about the Steelers. Specific to the wide receiver position, Tate came up in a discussion regarding his 40-yard dash time. His was officially clocked over 4.5, which typically doesn't sit well with executives. Fittipaldo confirmed that the number surprised him, and that it's not out of the question for some teams to start wondering about Tate's prospects moving forward.

"Well, slow 40 times for receivers will make GMs and scouts think twice about a player. Usually they have a pretty good idea of what these guys will run, so perhaps they're not all that surprised, but I surely was," Fittipaldo wrote. "You have to be able to get open, and I'm sure there are some in the NFL who wonder if Tate was always open because of the other great weapons on the Ohio State offense."

Ohio State is a collegiate powerhouse. Plenty of successful NFL pass-catchers have come from the respected university, but it's always fair to wonder if that could cloud the judgement of analysts. It's easy to overreact right after the Combine; however, fans will want to keep an eye on how Tate performs at his Pro Day at the end of March. A slower-than-expected 40 time could be just enough to get front offices thinking about what they could be missing regarding his upside, or lack thereof.

It is not time to hit the panic mode for Tate. He had 51 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025. Those are impressive numbers, especially for an offense that spread the ball around quite often. He was efficient and proved himself to be a very reliable route-runner and teammate.

There are always going to be critics this time of year for top-end prospects, but the pass-catcher will have to make sure that he silences the doubters during his Pro Day. It has happened way too often that first-round players slip down the board out of nowhere due to testing inefficiencies and the evaluations and assumptions that follow..

Steelers Would Be Happy If Tate Fell To 21

While there has been some talk since the Combine about Tate's 40-yard dash time and potential luck in college, he remains a phenomenal prospect. Pittsburgh would be getting handed a potential superstar with the 21st overall selection if the wide receiver ended up falling down draft boards. All of these scenarios could mean absolutely nothing, with there still being a strong possibility of him going into the top-10 as was expected originally.

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