The Steelers have the 21st pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The last time they had the 21st pick in the annual Roger Goodell Lollapabooya? Well, hey there last year.
The Steelers patiently waited before filling a need and getting their guy in Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. The early returns on Harmon are good.
But recent history shows it is too early to say he is the worthy heir to the ageless Cam Heyward. It also provides some clues to what the Steelers will get in late April, assuming GM Omar Khan does not trade out of the 21st pick.
If the last quarter century is any indication, the Steelers should get a player who will be pretty good at the next level. Maybe even a franchise cornerstone.
The Patriots sure did in 2004. They drafted massive nose tackle Vince Wilfork with the 21st pick. He made five All-Pro teams in 11 seasons with the Patriots and helped the Fightin Tom Terrifics win a pair of Bowl Bowls.
Eight years later, they hit big again with the 21st overall pick. Chandler Jones did not really blossom until after he left New England, but he still racked up 50 sacks in four seasons before the Patriots traded him to the Cardinals for a second-round pick. They flipped that pick, ultimately netting G Joe Thuney. He became the first player to start in the Super Bowl in his first three seasons and was a stalwart along the Patriots’ offensive line.
The Browns also found an anchor up front after they drafted Alex Mack 21st overall in 2009. He would have been the gold standard for AFC centers had the Steelers not drafted Maurkice Pouncey a year later. Sometimes the Browns make it too easy.
The Bengals picked 21st four times from 2010-18. Their best 21st overall pick this century was actually made by the Jaguars in 2007. Safety Reggie Nelson had three solid seasons in Jacksonville, but really came into his own after the Jaguars traded him to the Bengals. Nelson tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions in 2015.
The Steelers could target safety with their first-round pick. But wide receiver is really the position to watch, given they’ve been deficient there for far too long.
This draft is as deep at wide receiver as it is shallow at quarterback. And mock drafts consistently pair the Steelers with a wide receiver at No. 21 overall. Hopefully, recent history is not a factor if the Steelers do indeed draft a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since Santonio Holmes in 2006.
Will Fuller and Quentin Johnston are the best of the five wide receivers taken 21st overall. Jalen Reagor is arguably the biggest bust of all players drafted 21st overall since 2000. He has four career touchdown catches and is on his fourth team. Justin Jefferson, selected by the Vikings one pick after the Eagles took Reagor, has been a first-team All-Pro selection four times. Yikes.
There is another oops that links the Steelers and the 21st pick of the draft.
In 2022, the Chiefs selected CB Trent McDuffie after trading three draft picks to the Patriots to move up eight spots in the first round. All McDuffie has done in his first four NFL seasons is win a pair of Super Bowl rings while becoming one of the league’s top cornerbacks.
The players taken one spot before McDuffie? QB Kenny Pickett.
Here is the complete list of No. 21 overall picks since 2000.
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