Bad News Heads The Steelers' Way As First Round Plans May Officially Be Ruined

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the few teams that could truly go in a handful of different directions when on the clock with their first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. There have been very few leaks to come out of the organization, so that has led many to believe that quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, safety, inside linebacker, and even edge rusher, are possibilities with the 21st overall selection. A trade up might also be considered given the fact that General Manager Omar Khan has a plethora of draft capital that could prove to be very valuable.

The clear mission for the Steelers in recent years has been beefing up the trenches. Unfortunately, there is still work left to be done on that front, which is why an interior offensive lineman has to be considered in round one. However, what Pittsburgh has also done is thrown a ton of money at veteran defenders, and that has led to some serious youth gaps on that side of the ball.

It would serve the franchise well to go after a dynamic playmaker and ballhawk early on, but no one is quite sure if the first round is the right time and place to go after a potential All-Pro safety. There are going to be some options; however, the Steelers may not even get the opportunity to take one of the top prospects after a recent report.

NFL insider and ESPN analyst Peter Schrager joined the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to go into a ton of detail about what fans can expected when the big event occurs in the Steel City. One underrated piece to Pittsburgh's potential draft strategy is going after a safety rather early on, a position that has been a little bit inconsistent for the team in recent years. Unfortunately, there are only three who really stand out, and they all may be gone by the 21st overall pick.

"If Caleb Downs goes, that bumps the other two safeties in this draft; where suddenly — we've never had this — a safety run in the first round of a draft," Schrager said. "The Oregon Duck [Dillon Thieneman], that guy could go as high as 10, 11, 12, and then you've got the Toledo kid, McNeil-Warren, who every likes; he could go Top 15. So, if you take Caleb Downs off the board, two of the best players overall, besides Caleb Downs, are safeties as well. We might see that this year."

Caleb Downs, Dillion Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are a cut above the rest. Pittsburgh would likely have to make a very aggressive move up in order to get someone like Downs, but it has been anticipated that Thieneman would be available at 21, and McNeil-Warren could possibly even be there for the taking in the second round. Suddenly, adding a young and dominant safety just got a lot more difficult for Khan and co.

McNeil-Warren is the only one of the three safeties that has done a prestigious Top 30 visit with the Steelers, so the signs would point to Pittsburgh initially expecting that the defender could fall to round two. The only other one at the position that has completed one of these is Jakobe Thomas, who will likely end up being a Day 3 selection.

Not only is the front office getting some bad news from Schrager, but now it might need to actually trade up to even snag McNeil-Warren, who originally was not supposed to go so high. The Steelers might value another position more and simply put off the situation for another year with DeShon Elliott, Jalen Ramsey and Jaquan Brisker holding down the fort.

Steelers Might Have To Get Very Creative To Bolster Safety Room

Pittsburgh technically isn't required to take a safety at any point, specifically if the team ever announces the reported signing of Darnell Savage. However, with that still up in the air, it would be ideal to have four at the position, and maybe even five given Ramsey's versatility. Overall, the front office doesn't necessarily have to go after a prospect at the position in round one, but if all three guys end up going elsewhere before the 21st pick, it won't even matter.

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