Steelers' Strategy Absolutely Trashed By Rival Organization As Several Moves Are Questioned

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2026 NFL Draft with a ton of excitement as the organization led the NFL with 12 selections in the event. There were a ton of possibilities as that draft capital could be moved to fly up the draft board or acquire picks for the highly anticipated event in 2027, but neither of those things really happened. Pittsburgh moved up six spots in the second round, and then traded up at the end of the third round. The team wound up selecting 10 players, but it was not arguably the transcendent draft that the fan base was hoping for.

The draft started out rough as the Steelers were publicly embarrassed when they were jumped by the Philadelphia Eagles in an attempt to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon. It was a tough look for the franchise as the city was hosting the draft, and the team bounced back by drafting offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick. Other selections included Germie Bernard, Drew Allar, Daylen Everette, Gennings Dunker, Kaden Wetjen, Riley Nowakowski, Gabriel Rubio, Robert Spears-Jennings, and Eli Heidenreich.

Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke to executives around the league regarding the draft for the league as a whole and for each individual franchise. The executives remained anonymous, but one seemed very critical of the Steelers and the franchise's approach to the draft.

"'I do not know if (Iheanachor) answers the questions that exist with Broderick Jones,' a different exec said. 'He will have a learning curve as a super athletic, super raw player. They drafted the Indiana fullback (Riley Nowakowski) and the Navy kid (Eli Heidenreich). What are you trying to do? Meanwhile, the quarterback situation is a real concern, whether or not (Aaron) Rodgers comes back.'"

The anonymous executive laid into the selection at tackle as he views Iheanachor and Broderick Jones in the same vein. He also exclaimed that the Steelers didn't seem to have any real direction with this draft, which is hard to argue against. The whole thing felt off-kilter from the start, despite the fact that the Steelers did manage to address most of their weaknesses.

Bernard was probably the most exciting pick for Pittsburgh, but the team also had some puzzling selections. Drafting a return specialist in the fourth round was bizarre, and not many fans had ever even heard of Rubio before hearing his name called in the sixth round. That doesn't mean they can't become decent players and have great careers, but for the time being, it's perplexing for many. The executive questioned some of the picks on Day 3 of the event, but the Steelers seemed to just be picking the best player available.

Pittsburgh's strategy was taking the best player available that fit the team's needs, and the organization did that. It might have seemed weird to some others around the league, but there is no way to know how the draft class turns out until the guys get on the field.

Steelers Found An All-Around Ball Player In The Fifth Round

The two names the executive directly questioned were Nowakowski and Heidenreich. Heidenreich seemed to be a pick to serve some fanfare. He attended Navy, and he had been waiting in the green room since Day 2 of the event. He is a native of Pittsburgh, and the Steelers selected him in the seventh round. He can be versatile and play both wide receiver and running back, and he had an impressive college career. Nowakowski, though, could be the steal of the draft for Pittsburgh. He should fill in at the Connor Heyward role, and he is a more impactful blocker and he is versatile in the passing game.

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