Mock draft season is here in full force as the NFL calendar moves forward.
In just over two weeks, the NFL Scouting Combine will commence in Indianapolis, and we’ll get a better picture of prospects and which teams are looking at who based on formal interviews. But for now, the speculation machine continues, and it includes Pro Football Focus’ latest three-round mock draft Monday morning.
In Gordon McGuinness’ mock draft, the Steelers went SEC-heavy, including a double-dip from the Alabama football program with their first two picks.
McGuinness paired the Steelers with Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 21, and then Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard at No. 53 overall. Later, McGuinness paired the Steelers with Florida cornerback Devin Moore at No. 76 overall in the third round, before adding Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields at No. 85 and Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels at No. 99 overall.
Proctor is a player who continues to be connected to the Steelers due to their heavy investment in the trenches in recent years under GM Omar Khan and Andy Weidl. With Broderick Jones facing a fifth-year option decision this offseason, Pittsburgh could go back to the SEC well at offensive tackle.
“The dream scenario for the Steelers is that one of the top four wide receivers falls to this pick. That is a pipe dream in this mock, so they instead turn to the offensive line,” McGuinness writes of the selection. “Proctor is coming off his most productive season, resulting in an 86.1 PFF overall grade and 80.0-plus PFF grades in pass protection and run blocking.”
With a pair of new offensive line coaches in James Campen and Jahri Evans under new head coach Mike McCarthy, adding a big-time player up front could make some sense, especially with McCarthy placing an emphasis on building through the trenches.
Prior to his season-ending injury in Week 12, Jones was playing some good football, but the neck injury that reportedly required surgery has to be a bit concerning. Dylan Cook stepped up and played well in Jones’ absence and provides good depth moving forward.
Ideally, the selection is a wide receiver here, but in McGuinness’ mock the top guys were all off the board with Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson and Denzel Boston all going in the top 15. Omar Cooper Jr. and KC Concepcion both feel like slight reaches at 21, so a pivot to upgrade the trenches makes some sense.
Fortunately, the Steelers landed a receiver in the second round with Bernard.
Bernard started his career at Michigan State before transferring to Alabama, and he emerged as a key weapon for the Crimson Tide the last two seasons. In 2025, Bernard hauled in 64 passes for 862 yards and seven touchdowns.
In our Bernard scouting report, Jake Brockhoff compared him to Jarvis Landry and gave him an early Day 2 grade.
The third round was pretty lucrative for the Steelers in the mock draft, too. They landed Florida cornerback Devin Moore, Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields and Kansas QB Jalon Daniels, addressing needs on both sides of the football.
The 6-3, 198-pound Moore finished the 2025 season with 35 tackles and two interceptions and would be a welcome addition opposite Joey Porter Jr.
The double-dip at receiver with Fields would be massive for the Steelers, as he’s a big-play weapon down the field, one who thrives in contested-catch situations. He would give the Steelers a physical playmaker at the position opposite DK Metcalf.
As for Daniels, that’s a new name at quarterback connected to McCarthy and the Steelers in the mock draft cycle. A multi-year starter at Kansas, Daniels is a dual-threat, one who might be a better runner than passer at this stage of his career.
He had a strong week at the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl and brings a great amount of experience to the table having started more than 40 games. He was also a four-year captain for the Jayhawks and could be an intriguing name to watch late on Day 2 and early on Day 3 at the quarterback position.
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