The Steelers are going to be in the wide receiver market during the 2026 NFL Draft. After a shaky season from the position outside of D.K. Metcalf, adding talent early seems to be a priority for the team, judging off their player meetings.
Yahoo Sports and NFL Networks’s Nate Tice seems to be on board with that idea, placing receivers at the top of the Steelers’ draft needs.
“George Pickens would get hurt, the whole offense cratered. D.K. Metcalf isn’t on the field, the whole offense craters,” Tice said to Steelers Nation Radio. “Not having that receiver two to take some of the help off… the Steelers have to address the receiver room.”
One of the most frequent matches for the team has been University of Washington’s Denzel Boston. The massive 6’4, 212-pounder profiles as a traditional X-receiver. His superpower is his ability to win jump balls, showcasing great box-outs and late hands to make contested catches.
Tice is one of the few analysts to rank Boston as the second-best receiver in the class. He’s not crazy about the fit with Mike McCarthy’s offense, though.
“The McCarthy offense, which is more quick-hitting and more tempo, D.K. is going to be fine in that. Boston, to me, isn’t the one I would go pair with him,” Tice said. “There’s some hat-on-a-hat there… they are a team that I can justify going to a Makai Lemon.”
He went on to profile Lemon, the 2025 Biletnikoff award winner from USC, as a slot player who can win quickly on routes. For McCarthy’s West Coast offense, that could be more appealing to the Steelers.
Lemon certainly did get open a lot last season, tallying 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 scores. He also played more than just in the slot for the Trojans last year, lining up at multiple receiver spots. In short, Lemon would be a slam-dunk pick for the Steelers that would fit well in McCarthy’s scheme.
Tice did say that if the Steelers were to pick Boston at No. 21, it would be a great selection, noting he’s “scheme-proof” thanks to him being an X. He said that if the Steelers were still playing in an Arthur Smith offense, the pick of Boston would make more sense. Still, he held Lemon to being a better fit for the team than Boston.
Frankly, I would be open to just about anyone lining up on the opposite hash as Metcalf who isn’t the ghost of Adam Thielen or Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Sign me up for either of these players in the draft.
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