The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft, and it is going to be a huge event for the city. Pittsburgh is hosting, and the Steelers happen to have 12 selections. The organization should not be expected to make all of those picks, and some of them will likely be dealt to move around the draft board this year, while some may be used to acquire draft capital in 2027. The main pick that everyone is going to be focused on is the selection in the first round, which is the 21st overall pick. The Steelers can go a few directions with this, and it is hard to get a read on what the franchise is thinking.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has a conversation in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Steelers have a few areas on the roster that could be addressed in the first round. There should be a few wide receivers available when the team is making its pick, and two of the top three safeties in the event could still be on the board by this time. The left side of the offensive line also needs to be addressed, and the top prospect when it comes to that would be guard Olaivavega Ioane. He played his college football at Penn State, and the Steelers definitely have their eyes on him as the organization had him in for an official visit on Tuesday.
Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently hosted a mailbag, and he suggested that the franchise would be jumping with joy if Ioane was on the board when the Steelers are making their selection. A fan in his mailbag asked if the organization would be running to the podium with the card to pick Ioane.
"Yes, I think so," Fittipaldo wrote.
Pittsburgh has a pressing need on the left side of the offensive line. There are questions at left tackle with Broderick Jones' health status and Dylan Cook's experience, and the Steelers have a hole to fill at left guard. Isaac Seumalo chose to sign with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, and he was Pittsburgh's starter at the position for the last three seasons.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A9199-544x306.jpg "Steelers Isaac Seumalo")
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Steelers offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo walks on the field at St. Vincent College as the team works out during a 2023 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Seumalo was the lone veteran presence on the offensive line for the Steelers, and now he is gone. Filling the void with a rookie is a bit of a risk just when it comes to the overall youth of the offensive line in Pittsburgh, but it could work out. The Steelers have really been investing in the trenches through the draft in recent years, and the organization would be lucky if Ioane were to fall to the Steelers with the 21st overall pick. He is the level of prospect that it might be worth considering moving up the draft board as the pick grows closer, just to ensure no other team can steal him.
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Olaivavega Ioane during his time at Penn State after winning a game in the College Football Playoff.
Steelers May Miss Out On Top Offensive Line Prospects
The Steelers will be hoping that a player like Ioane or Spencer Fano can fall to the 21st overall pick, but it feels unlikely. Unless there is an early run on wide receivers or safeties, it feels like a team will see the value in either one of those players and they will be selected before Pittsburgh has a chance to pick. This is why it could be good to have 12 selections in the event, as the Steelers could look to leap up in the first round and grab one of their guys. The Steelers could also just to be patient and address one of the other needs on the roster.
What do you think about the Steelers potentially landing Ioane? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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