The Pittsburgh Steelers have been stuck in mediocrity for years now, and they suffered another first-round playoff exit, losing to the Houston Texans 30-6. Head coach Mike Tomlin decided to leave the organization after 19 seasons, leaving the door open for new head coach Mike McCarthy to take over.  

​It’s been a strong offseason for the Steelers, signing cornerback Jamal Dean, running back Rico Dowdle, defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day, and safeties Darnell Savage and Jaquan Birsker. The team also traded for receiver Michael Pittman Jr. The front office has attacked this offense well, and with the obvious need at quarterback, but it’s expected that Aaron Rodgers will return. This team doesn’t have many needs.

​With all that said, here’s my 7-round mock for the Pittsburgh Steelers to try to attack some sneaky needs this team has.

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Round 1, Pick 21: WR Omar Cooper Jr.

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This may be a surprising pick to some, but even with the addition of Pittman, the Steelers can still add weapons. Cooper has the versatility to line up in the slot if needed, and he just gives McCarthy another weapon to work with on the offensive end.

I think offensive tackle is a very real possibility here for Pittsburgh, but I look at an offense with Cooper, DK Metcalf, Pittman and Dowdle – on paper, it looks like fun. If Rodgers were to come back, he’d have a much more complete supporting cast around him, which, quite frankly, the Steelers haven’t had in recent years.

Round 2, Pick 53: OG Keylan Rutledge

​The interior offensive line is a sneaky need for the Steelers with the loss of Isaac Seumalo to the Arizona Cardinals; the current projected stars are Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick.

Rutledge is one of my favorites in this class, and I think his range starts around where the Steelers pick in Round 2. He’s 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds with a knack for just wanting to hit people. He’ll drive his man 20 yards down the field and look for targets in pass pro. Loved how he could work up to the second level efficiently, and he is an efficient puller.

Protecting the quarterback has to be a point of need for Pittsburgh, and Rutledge is a good step toward that.    

Round 3, Pick 76: SAF Genesis Smith

Safety isn’t a pressing need for the Steelers, but they could use some youth in the room. The team moved All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to safety last season and already has DeShon Elliott, but it still went out to sign Brisker and Savage.

There’s nothing against those players, and honestly, the Steelers are fine going into next season with that room. Smith just brings youth. He’s a rangy safety who thrives in pass coverage and has tremendous hip flexibility to change his course and cover the back-end at an elite level. Smith would go earlier than this if he could tackle more efficiently.

Round 3, Pick 85: OT Markel Bell

The Steelers are on the clock just nine picks later and address the potential need for an offensive tackle. I talked about it in my article ranking the Steelers best draft prospect in the first round, but with a new regime, players don’t have much leeway.

Left tackle Broderick Jones hasn’t been what the Steelers envisioned, and if he struggles early in 2026, Bell could take over. Bell is just a huge man at 6-foot-9 and 346 pounds with over 36-inch arms. People may remember him getting run over at the Senior Bowl, but that’s just one poor rep.

Throughout the season, his strength was on display in every game. Could move defenders with one arm, had a strong base throughout his reps, and kept his feet moving. Just struggled to keep his chest up, tighten his arms and maintain his overall bend.

Round 3, Pick 99: Keyshaun Elliott

With what I say about every single pick at this point, linebacker isn’t a need, but depth is needed. Elliott doesn’t truly “wow” with any aspect of his game; he’s good at doing everything. Mirrors at the line well, has good speed, strong run defender and is decent in pass coverage.

Gives the Steelers a rotational piece at linebacker who, at worst, can play special teams.

Round 4, Pick 121: DL Zxavian Harris

The first thing about Harris is that he has off-field issues. I don’t know if any team is comfortable taking him here in the fourth round, but it’s worth noting. Regardless, just looking at the player and talent, he’d be a fun addition to the Steelers defense.

Harris is big at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, who just uses that size to be a force on the interior. It is a mismatch for smaller centers and can two-gap decently well in the run game. Needs to work a lot on getting lower in his reps and agility throughout his pass rushes, but for the Steelers, Harris helps them get younger along the defensive line.

Round 4, Pick 135: TE Justin Joly

The one place the Steelers could use some juice on offense is the tight end position. They have Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth, but Joly gives them some mismatch potential with his receiving upside.

He’s a physical player who is a real red zone threat, and that’s where he popped on tape. Doesn’t have natural speed to separate, but is a decent route runner who can just use his size to overpower smaller corners. Catches passes with his hands and not his body, and I thought he was a better blocker than I anticipated. I think he has a real tight end upside in the NFL.

Round 5, Pick 161: Edge Quintayvious Hutchins

This pick gives the Steelers some extra edge rusher help and serious juice off the edge when TJ Watt isn’t on the field.

Hutchins first got on my radar during the Senior Bowl. He played with an explosive first step that just kept jumping out to me while watching him. He’s a smaller edge defender at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, but in the fifth round, he’s a fine gamble to take.

​Has good length even for his size, really loves using swipes in his tape, and has excellent bend. He is a strong run defender and understands where to be on certain run looks, but he is smaller and struggles to really hold his ground. Needed more of a plan in his pass rush game when speed and quickness didn’t work.

Round 6, Pick 216: DL Deven Eastern

This again is just the Steelers trying to get some younger pickers along the defensive line. Eastern is a bigger lineman at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, but felt he set the edge really well with his 34-inch arms. With veterans like Cameron Heyward there, Eastern can learn from them to hopefully become a rotational piece for the Steelers in the future.

Round 7, Pick 224: OT Travis Burke

The Steelers already selected a giant at tackle earlier in this draft, so why not again? Burke is 6-foot-8 and 325 pounds, who ran a 5.17 40 at the combine. He has a motor that just drives defenders off the ball and moves them when he’s engaged. Strong in pass bro as well, good quickness off the ball.

Struggled in the agility portions of his game, though, and it’s expected at that size. Felt like his feet were a little bit behind him at times and would lose his leverage when driving in the run game. It’s the seventh round, and this isn’t a bad swing for the Steelers to take with Burke.​

Round 7, Pick 230: CB Andre Fuller

Pittsburgh could go corner earlier in this draft, because they could use some depth there, but in round seven, they address it here with Fuller. Has good size on the outside and great speed, running a 4.49 at the combine. He just relies on his hands way too much. He has good hips and should trust them more while in coverage, but he’s the type of athlete teams take swings on in the seventh round.

Round 7, Pick 237: QB Taylen Green

We assume Rodgers will be back, but he’s up there in age. McCarthy likely would love to work with a younger quarterback, and here the Steelers get one with Green.

The Steelers already have quarterback Will Howard on the roster, so maybe that’s the young quarterback McCarthy could work with, but Green just gives another option. Green took over the combine, showcasing his athleticism at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds. He ran a 4.36 40 and jumped 43.5 inches – those numbers just scream dual threat.

Has a good arm and can really drive the ball down the seams. Just felt like the Jets and his accuracy limited him as a quarterback.

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