With 12 picks to work with in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers under GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have a chance to plug some key holes on the roster, especially with five of those picks inside the top 100.
Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, left guard, and safety remain key needs for the Steelers, and in ESPN’s latest seven-round mock draft from Matt Miller, the Steelers plugged some of them — just not in a way that many have seen so far in the pre-draft process.
In Miller’s mock draft that published Monday morning, here’s the haul the Steelers came away with:
Round 1 – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Round 2 – Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Round 3 – Gennings Dunker, iOL, Iowa
Round 3 – Tyler Onyedim, iDL, Texas A&M
Round 3 – Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee
Round 4 – Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami (FL)
Round 4 – Trey Moore, OLB, Texas
Round 5 – Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
Round 6 – Collin Wright, CB, Stanford
Round 7 – Kaleb Proctor, DL, Southeastern Louisiana
Round 7 – Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas
Round 7 – Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
In total, the Steelers selected three offensive linemen and two defensive linemen in Miller’s latest mock draft, shoring up the trenches even further.
At No. 21 overall in the first round, Miller pairing the Steelers with Proctor isn’t surprising. Broderick Jones’ health is in question moving forward, and the big, physical Proctor is an athletic specimen who could be a nice, moldable ball of clay for new offensive line coaches James Campen and Jahri Evans to work with.
“Left tackle Broderick Jones hasn’t played like a former first-rounder, giving the Steelers room to draft a replacement,” Miller writes. “Proctor is a powerful mover at 6-7 and 352 pounds. Though he had an up-and-down final season, he ended on a high note and impressed with his pre-draft testing at the Combine and his pro day. Proctor had three sacks allowed and only two penalties last season.
“Pittsburgh is rumored to be out on the quarterbacks in Round 1, so it makes sense to bolster the offensive line for Aaron Rodgers’ potential return.”
Proctor measured in at 6065, 352 pounds at the Combine with 33 3/8-inch arms. He has some good tape, but he needs to continue to develop and find that consistency to his game. The tools are all there though, and he projects as a franchise left tackle.
After landing Proctor in the first round, Miller paired the Steelers with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, hitting on his connection to new head coach Mike McCarthy.
“Aaron Rodgers hasn’t announced his 2026 plans, but the Steelers’ lack of urgency in free agency likely points to his return. But Rodgers is 42 years old, and there’s no clear-cut successor on the roster,” Miller writes. “Nussmeier is ideal for Mike McCarthy’s West Coast offense, with good arm talent and accuracy on the move that would allow him to thrive in a short-to-intermediate passing scheme.”
Though Nussmeier had a rough final season at LSU — he dealt with injuries that tanked his play and lacked high-end talent around him — his draft stock has fluctuated. He was projected as a first-round QB entering the 2025 season, and he’s been firmly entrenched as a Day 2 guy since, though many see third-round material.
No. 53 overall feels too rich for Nussmeier, but if the Steelers used one of their three third-round picks on him, that would make more sense.
Instead, with the first of those three third-round selections, the Steelers added more beef to their offensive line.
At No. 76 overall, Miller paired the Steelers with Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, giving Pittsburgh a potential answer at left guard after losing Isaac Seumalo in free agency. At No. 85 overall, Miller addressed the defensive line’s future with the selection of Texas A&M interior defender Tyler Onyedim, who hasn’t been linked much with the Steelers during the pre-draft process.
Rounding out the third round, Miller added speed to the receiver room with Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II at No. 99 overall.
“The Steelers need a field-stretching speed receiver. Brazzell has 4.37 speed and averaged 16.4 yards per catch last season with nine touchdowns,” Miller writes.
Brazzell falling this far in Miller’s mock is a surprise, considering Brazzell clocked that 4.37 40-yard dash and measures in at 6040, 198 pounds. With DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. already on the roster and providing that physical element, Pittsburgh needs that guy who can take the top off defenses and threaten vertically. Brazzell can do that.
Day 3 of the draft was a bit curious for the Steelers in Miller’s mock draft.
Miami (FL)’s Jakobe Thomas fills a need at the safety position, but the addition of Texas OLB Trey Moore is puzzling, considering the Steelers have a deep, talented room in 2026. Spending a fourth rounder on the position doesn’t make much sense.
Neither does the selection of Penn State RB Kaytron Allen in the fifth round, since he’s more of a plodding runner and doesn’t add a new element behind Jaylen Warren and free agent signee Rico Dowdle.
Stanford CB Collin Wright had five interceptions in his college career, including one last season, and brings good size to the position as a developmental piece, Meanwhile the selection of Southeastern Louisiana DL Kaleb Proctor would be a nice feel-good story after the Steelers drafted his brother in the first round.
Arkansas CB Julian Neal is a nice swing late. His size and length would make him a fun developmental piece in the room to replace a player like Cory Trice Jr., hopefully with better health, and another OT in Oregon’s Isaiah World to close out the draft would be a bet for the future. World has elite-level size but is coming off a tough season with the Ducks and suffered a torn ACL late in the season.
Overall, it’s not a bad draft from Miller, but it raises some questions, especially in the fourth and fifth rounds and the positions the Steelers addressed.
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