Pittsburgh Steelers list of 2026 NFL Draft picks, biggest needs going into Round 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Draft day is finally here and we can put to bed all of the rumors and speculation surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2026 NFL Draft.
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It has been an interesting offseason for the Steelers, to say the least. There’s a new head coach in town in Mike McCarthy after Mike Tomlin stepped down, and the Aaron Rodgers saga is dragging on into the 2026 NFL Draft.
But the Rodgers saga also adds a potential interesting wrinkle to things for Pittsburgh and it comes in the form of a question: will the Steelers draft a quarterback?
“I don’t have a problem with the Aaron Rodgers project, in terms of this year. “But I do believe you go maybe in the latter rounds — in the third, fourth, fifth rounds — and maybe you get one of those quarterbacks,” franchise great Jerome Bettis said.
There are a few reasons to have some extra excitement for the Steelers in this year’s draft, with the first reason being the draft is being held in Pittsburgh.
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Another reason is the Steelers are absolutely loaded with picks, as general manager Omar Khan has compiled five extra to give Pittsburgh a grand total of 12.
Let’s see where the Steelers will be picking in each round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Steelers 2026 NFL Draft order
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Round 3, Pick 76 (via DAL)
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Round 3, Pick 99 (comp pick)
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Round 4, Pick 135 (comp pick)
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Round 7, Pick 224 (via NO)
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Round 7, Pick 230 (via IND)
Steelers biggest NFL Draft needs
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Quarterback will always top the list as long as the Steelers remain without a locked-in long-term solution. Sure, Rodgers will probably be back, but the 42-year-old is currently a year-to-year option and chances are he’ll retire in 2027 even if he decides to play in 2026.
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Maybe Will Howard will be the next franchise quarterback, but the jury is still very much out on him after he didn’t play at all in 2025. Mason Rudolph fills out the room, but we already know his ceiling is a backup quarterback.
Elsewhere, the Steelers have an emerging need at left tackle thanks to the setback suffered by left tackle Broderick Jones in his recovery from neck surgery. Guard remains another offensive line position Pittsburgh should address following the departure of Isaac Seumalo in free agency.
Another offensive position that needs to be addressed is wide receiver. Pittsburgh is very thin on depth behind its top two, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.
On defense, more help is needed on the interior of the defensive line as Cameron Heyward‘s career winds down. We would also keep an eye on linebacker and safety as positions that could get a pick. Patrick Queen is on the final year of his contract and Jaquan Brisker is only on a one-year deal.
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