The Pittsburgh Steelers finalized the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh two weeks ago now and have complemented their roster after a strong free agency this offseason. General Manager Omar Khan has been busy since January, having to find a new head coach and staff, as well as plug holes on the roster ahead of the 2026 campaign. The organization made some interesting selections in the draft and have spoken about those picks on several occasions as of late. Khan recently spoke on Movin' The Chains on Sirius Radio with Pat Kirwan and Jacob Hester where he mentioned what excited them about one draft pick specifically.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaking with members of the media.
The team selected Kaden Wetjen, a wide receiver that also doubles as a kickoff and punt return specialist from the University of Iowa with the 121st overall pick in the fourth round. During his appearance on the show, Khan revealed exactly when Wetjen jumped out at them, which may have directly led to them taking him. While Wetjen makes his biggest impact on special teams, Khan's comments suggest they may have plans to use him beyond that in 2026.
"He's been primarily a really good returner," Khan said. "But we saw when you watch his film at the East/West practices and some of the stuff he was doing, he just stood out and kind of got you excited about the possibilities of what he could bring to the offense in certain scenarios."
Wetjen could be one of those players that adds an interesting wrinkle to the offense for the Black and Gold in 2026. With his athleticism, he has the looks of a guy that can complement Germie Bernard underneath to keep defenses honest while also opening up DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.
This is a category in which their offense lacked in 2025, as they were 25th in the league in total offense. Behind Metcalf, guys like Calvin Austin III and Marquez Valdes-Scantling struggled to produce to take attention off him and allow the offense to succeed.
Justin Guido / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf celebrating a first down with teammates in the 2025 season.
Metcalf had one of his least productive NFL seasons in 2025 out of the seven seasons he has played in the league. However, even with that noticeable decrease in his production, Metcalf was the best wide receiver on the team, and it was not particularly close. With new versatile playmakers in Bernard in Wetjen from the draft, that should change in 2026 in the Steel City.
Steelers Have The Pieces To Turn The Offense Around
With the trade for Pittman with the Indianapolis Colts, the offense now has a running mate for Metcalf. Both guys are big, physical wide receivers that can get down field and make the splash plays that Pittsburgh desperately lacked in 2025.
With new head coach Mike McCarthy being offensive-minded, the moves made by Khan this offseason set the team up with a chance to flip the script in 2026. Wetjen's play-making ability on special teams made instant impacts in his games played during his time at Iowa. In 2025 at Iowa, Wetjen had 16 kick returns for 476 yards and a touchdown, good for an average of 29.8 yards per return.
On punts, Wetjen also had a big impact with 21 returns for 563 yards and three touchdowns, which was good for 26.8 yards per return. Wetjen also won the Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers Award, which is handed out to the most outstanding return specialist each year.
Rob Howe / HawkFanatic
Steelers newly drafted kick returner/wide receiver Kaden Wetjen awaits a kickoff during his college days at Iowa.
It is unclear what exactly the scenarios and situations Khan referred to in which Wetjen will be used based off his comments. However, even with the vague mention of it, Wetjen's athleticism and play-making ability give him the chance to be a Swiss Army knife type of player that can be used in several facets of the game. Given his huge impact at Iowa and Khan's comments about him, the Steelers have a chance to take a drastic step forward on offense in the 2026 season.
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