Steelers Are Guaranteed To Make A Certain Selection In The 2026 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been hard to pin down when it comes to the 2026 NFL Draft, especially at the 21st overall selection. General Manager Omar Khan has done a great job building out the roster throughout the first part of the offseason, and there are no major concerns at any position group as of right now, aside from the quarterback spot. This allows the Steelers to select the best player available. That could be an offensive lineman, a safety, a wide receiver, or even defensive tackle. However, one spot that is going to be addressed during the event is punt returner.

The Steelers had been using wide receiver Calvin Austin III as a punt returner over the last several seasons, but the organization decided to let him walk in free agency during the 2026 offseason. He had a few decent seasons in Pittsburgh, but it was time for the franchise to focus on rebuilding the wide receiver room in an attempt to give the offense a boost. Austin signed with the New York Giants, and that leaves a hole for the Steelers on special teams, specifically at punt returner. Beat writer Brian Batko believes that this is a position that will absolutely be drafted, which he spoke about in a recent mailbag for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"The Steelers don’t really have a punt returner right now projected to make the 53-man roster," Batko wrote. "Max Hurleman did it in college. Donte Kent did too, but he could never get fully healthy last year as a rookie. I would think, with 12 draft picks as of now, you might as well use one of those to find a potentially dynamic returner. That could be your No. 1 pick, or your 7C pick, but there’s a need for that skill set. Calvin Austin III was always a threat in that role."

The two in-house candidates to replace Austin that Batko mentioned were two second-year players in Max Hurleman and Donte Kent. Neither have played in a meaningful NFL game, and Kent missed his entire rookie season in 2025 due to injury after being a seventh-round pick for Pittsburgh. Kent and Hurleman have experience returning punts at the college level, and either player could perform well enough in training camp to win the job.

After being a seventh-round pick in 2025 under a different head coach, it is fair to say that Kent's roster spot for 2026 is very much in question, especially since the Steelers have 12 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. Hurleman is in the same boat, although he has been a fan favorite on the practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2025.

Batko noted that a punt returner could be drafted with any of Pittsburgh's picks. The Steelers could draft a talented wide receiver in Round 1 or Round 2 and that player could compete for the role of punt returner. Any rookie wide receiver has the chance to slide into the third or fourth wide receiver role, and it might make some sense for that player to take over the return duties as well. The Steelers want players that can do more than one job.

Steelers Have Perfect First-Round Prospect To Fill Role

It seems like there is a good chance that the Steelers might want to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Denzel Boston out of Washington is certainly an option with the 21st overall pick. It also happens to be that he has returned punts for the last three seasons. 

Pittsburgh has already had Boston in for a pre-draft visit, so there is definitely interest.

What do you think the Steelers should do at punt returner? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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