Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
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Steelers 2026 NFL Draft prospect, Emmanuel Pregnon.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are now approaching the 2026 NFL Draft and there’s plenty of questions about who they will select with the 21st overall pick.
For starters, it’s a very familiar spot for the Steelers. They’ve picked no higher than 14 in the last six drafts. And needless to say, there’s been quite a few duds come out of those first-round picks.
The belief going into this year’s draft is that Pittsburgh will attempt to find their next franchise quarterback. The problem is, there’s only two true top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft in Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson.
Mendoza should be gone by the time Pittsburgh makes their selection, even if they somehow manage to trade up. That leaves Simpson. However, if they lose out on the Alabama quarterback, then they’ll likely focus on that position in 2027.
That said, they could easily start preparing for that quarterback in this year’s draft by selecting one of his protectors.
Steelers Pass on QB, Bolster OL in Latest Mock Draft
In CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s latest mock draft, he has the Steelers passing on Simpson, who later falls to the Arizona Cardinals. Instead, he has them improving the offensive line with Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 21.
“He is the perfect Steelers player. He is nasty in the run game and good in pass protection. He’s just scratching what he can become as a left guard, which is a position of need for the Steelers,” Prisco wrote.
Pregnon is coming off his best collegiate season after transferring from USC to Oregon. According to Pro Football Focus, his 88.4 overall offensive grade ranked second among guards. Prisco’s evaluation holds up — Pregnon graded 88.3 as a run blocker and 88.0 in pass protection, allowing no sacks, one QB hit and just two hurries.
He spent most of his time at left guard, playing 698 snaps there, with just 55 at right guard, and was called for only one penalty all season.
Emmanuel Pregnon’s Stock Rising Ahead of NFL Draft
Pregnon also caught the attention of NFL scouts during Oregon’s Pro Day, but his stock had already been trending upward following the NFL Scouting Combine.
He recorded the best vertical jump (35 inches) among all guards and ranked No. 2 at the position in the broad jump (9 feet, 3 inches).
“If any team requires an immediate starting offensive guard, look no further than Pregnon. He’s on the cusp of either being a late Day 1 or early Day 2 draft pick,” Sports Illustrated’s Arden Cravalho wrote.
There’s a reason for that, though.
There’s never a shortage of teams in need of offensive linemen when it comes the NFL Draft. Protecting the quarterback is at a premium in today’s NFL, and landing a rookie with starting potential on a team-friendly deal is always appealing.
For the Steelers, this type of pick would make a lot of sense — especially if Aaron Rodgers returns. But it also helps whoever ends up being the long-term answer at quarterback, whether that’s Ty Simpson or one of the projected top prospects in the 2027 class like Texas’ Arch Manning.