At the 21st overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, tight end hasn’t been commonly associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The position was crowded last year, and the Steelers found no way to manage all three of their top tight ends at once. However, this class has one unique talent at the position in Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq.
Sadiq hasn’t shown up on the Steelers’ radar much, but Gerry Dulac has hinted about their interest in him a couple of times. Earlier in the offseason, he suggested the Steelers would likely take a tight end by Day 2. This week, Dulac mentioned the Steelers would have to think about Sadiq if he’s on the board at 21. However, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo doesn’t think it’s in the Steelers’ best interest to take a tight end so early.
“Didn’t we just get over a season where they didn’t have enough balls to go around that tight end room? And they were playing Jonnu Smith, and they weren’t getting anything out of him. They weren’t getting anything out of Pat Freiermuth. I would like to see a coaching staff like [Mike] McCarthy’s, just work with Freiermuth,” Fittipaldo said Friday on 93.7 The Fan. “That would be my preferred scenario. I know [Sadiq]’s a top tight end in the draft, but I think they have many, many needs they could address. Receiver, guard, safety among them.”
There certainly are reasons to be against drafting a tight end. Pittsburgh couldn’t feed all three of Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington consistently last year. Smith is gone, but Freiermuth and Washington remain, and each deserve to be featured more in Mike McCarthy’s offense. The crowded position wasn’t good enough last year to make up for the lack of receiving depth, so Fittipaldo’s argument makes some sense.
On the other hand, Kenyon Sadiq isn’t a normal tight end. He’s a quality blocker and has some real upside in the passing game as well. He’s got a lot of speed, evidenced by a 4.39 40-time and a 1.54 10-yard split. Sadiq can play all over the offense, so the Steelers could have him and another tight end on the field at once. His combination of size and speed, plus his footwork and strong hands make him a real threat down the field. And he’s only 20 years old.
More than likely, the Steelers won’t have to make this decision at all. There’s a good chance Sadiq is off the board before the Steelers go on the clock. But if he is there, it should at least make the Steelers think. Pittsburgh did well to address depth in free agency, so it has the freedom to take the best player available if a top talent falls. And with four other picks in the first three rounds, there are plenty more chances to address those needs.
After the 2025 season, it makes some sense to want Freiermuth and Washington to each have bigger roles in 2026. But if Kenyon Sadiq ends up falling to the Steelers, his talent is worth considering.
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