Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top four tight ends departed in free agency, creating a depth concern that could push the position higher on their draft board than expected. Adding depth could be viewed as a luxury pick, but Pittsburgh has 12 picks for the first time since 1992 and that luxury could quickly become a necessity if Pat Freiermuth or Darnell Washington miss time.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac thinks the Steelers could draft a tight end relatively early next month.
“Not surprised if they take a TE on day 2, so long as they keep all of their picks,” Dulac wrote in his weekly Steelers chat. “But likely by round 4.”
My recent mock draft had the Steelers taking Stanford TE Sam Roush at pick No. 99 in the third round, the final of four Day 2 picks. That idea got a lot of pushback as a “luxury pick.”
I’ll remind you that the Steelers did something similar with Jack Sawyer a year ago when they took one of the best players remaining on the board at No. 123 despite a well-stocked OLB group. Sawyer ended up playing way more than expected at times due to all three of the other edge rushers dealing with injuries last season.
A player like Roush would be well worth the investment, even if he would be the third tight end in the room for a season or two. He’s one of the best all-around TEs in the class with 49 receptions for 545 yards and two TDs in 2025.
Other third- and fourth-round options include Ohio State’s Max Klare, Baylor’s Michael Trigg, NC State’s Justin Joly, Georgia’s Oscar Delp, and Texas’ Jack Endries.
Even with Mike McCarthy’s offense using less tight ends than Arthur Smith, it’s still a critically important position in both the run and pass game. Just look at the Cowboys’ TE1 production throughout McCarthy’s tenure. Dalton Schultz and later Jake Ferguson combined for 328 receptions, 3,255 yards, and 22 TDs as TE1 over five years with McCarthy.
According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, this is one of the deepest tight end drafts of the last several years. The Steelers should use their luxury of having 12 draft picks to make a “luxury” selection at tight end over the first three or four rounds.
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