The best available players for the Steelers on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft

The first two days of the draft are in the books, with the Steelers wheeling and dealing on Day 2 to complete their haul in the top 100: tackle Max Iheanachor, receiver Germie Bernard, quarterback Drew Allar, corner Daylen Everette, and guard Gennings Dunker.

Up later today are Rounds 4-7, where there’s still some good value to be had, but teams will start looking not just for future starters, but strong depth and special teams options. The Steelers have remaining picks at Nos. 121, 161, 224, 230,

and 249.

Here’s where your knowledge of draft prospects might start to falter, but there are still plenty of interesting names across several positions for Pittsburgh to consider:

Wide Receiver

1. Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
2. Skyler Bell, UConn
3. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
4. Deion Burks, Oklahoma
5. Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri
6. Malik Benson, Oregon
7. Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
8. Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati
9. Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati
10. Kendrick Law, Kentucky

RB: The only carryover from yesterday’s top 10 is Lance — who was always going to be a dart throw as a high-upside FCS product — as there was a substantial wide receiver run on Day 2. Still, there is some intriguing variety here, from a back-shoulder specialist such as Sarratt to a speed threat such as Benson or a slot weapon such as Coleman. Keep an eye on Steelers pre-draft visits Bell, Caldwell, and Law, as this is a position Pittsburgh could easily double up on with its remaining picks.

Safety

1. VJ Payne, Kansas State
2. Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh
3. Genesis Smith, Arizona
4. Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
5. Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
6. Kamari Ramsey, USC
7. Louis Moore, Indiana
8. Skyler Thomas, Oregon State
9. Michael Taaffe, Texas
10. Cole Wisniewski, Texas Tech

RP: VJ Payne has been a “My Guy” for me this cycle. I’ve thought he’d be available at least into the fourth round, and there’s a chance he’s around longer. If you were a fan of Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Payne is of a similar ilk. Kyle Louis is a linebacker/safety hybrid and is featured in both lists for us here. He was a pre-draft visit, and we know the Steelers love a guy with local ties. I’ll also shout out Ryland’s guy, Oregon State’s Skyler Thomas, who could fill in on special teams early and has shown the ball skills that could contribute to a secondary in some capacity.

Defensive line

1. Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
2. Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
3. Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss
4. Rayshaun Benny, Michigan 
5. Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
6. Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech
7. DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
8. Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
9. Zane Durant, Penn State
10. James Thompson Jr., Illinois

Steelers top-30 visit Darrell Jackson Jr. headlines a list that isn’t all that exciting after Day 2, but still offers some intrigue. Van den Berg tested off-the-charts athletic (10/10 RAS) and is a sky’s-the-limit late-round option. Proctor and Durant are undersized but also testing wonders, while Capehart is a sixth-year senior with translatable length, athleticism, and run stuffing ability. Thompson, another Steelers visit, rounds out the list as an experienced defender who can play all over the line.

Tight end

1. Justin Joly, North Carolina State
2. Jack Endries, Texas
3. Carsen Ryan, BYU
4. Khalil Dinkins, Penn State
5. Riley Nowakowski, Indiana
6. Dallen Bentley, Utah
7. Dae’Quan Wright, Ole Miss
8. Josh Cuevas, Alabama
9. Lake McRee, USC
10. Bauer Sharp, LSU

RP: Dinkins was a pre-draft visitor and could be set to reunite with college teammate Drew Allar on the Steelers. He was not involved much in the passing game, but was a plus-blocker and converted roughly 19% of his receptions into touchdowns. A lot of the better blocking tight ends came off the board surprisingly early on Day 2, but Nowakowski is a player I’ll highlight for his blocking and potential to convert to a fullback. With the Steelers’ offensive line trending more toward a gap/power scheme, having a bully at fullback feels like a must.

Cornerback

1. Jermod McCoy, Tennessee 
2. Keith Abney II, Arizona State
3. Keionte Scott, Miami
4. Malik Muhammad, Texas
5. Will Lee III, Texas A&M
6. Devin Moore, Florida
7. Ephesians Prysock, Washington
8. Hezekiah Masses, Cal
9. Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin
10. Chandler Rivers, Duke

RB: The cornerback class remains remarkably deep even after quite a few went on Day 2. McCoy is still the headliner — his injury has clearly scared teams — but there’s still plenty of value behind him. After selecting a lengthy corner in Daylen Everette in the third round, Pittsburgh might pivot to smaller slot types if they decide to double up on Day 3. With that mold in mind, Abney presents great value as a compact, instinctual cover corner, while Scott brings an infectious downhill mentality. Rivers is a quick, athletic talent who will probably slide to the slot due to size worries. Muhammad is the lone Steelers pre-draft visit on the list, but he projects as a boundary corner in the NFL.

Linebacker

1. Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State
2. Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh
3. Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
4. Harold Perkins, LSU
5. Jack Kelly, BYU
6. Deontae Lawson, Alabama
7. Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU
8. Red Murdock, Buffalo
9. Jaden Dugger, Louisiana
10. Aiden Fisher, Indiana

RP: Elliott didn’t sneak into Round 3, which was his projected ceiling, but as a run-stuffing backer with Green Dot experience and good explosion metrics, he could become a steal on Day 3. Bryce Boettcher and Harold Perkins are both undersized but athletic players who could be starters if developed correctly. Boettcher has the better instincts of the two, while Perkins, a pre-draft visitor, has the better athletic upside. Red Murdock is an Elandon Roberts-style thumper who could be an interesting pick in Round 6 or 7.

Edge

1. Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
2. Max Llewellyn, Iowa
3. Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan
4. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
5. LT Overton, Alabama
6. Mason Reiger, Wisconsin
7. Trey Moore, Texas
8. Tyreak Sapp, Florida
9. Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College
10. Zach Dufree, Washington

RB: The Steelers are not pressed to take an edge, but if they are trying to plan ahead for any future moves at the position, they have a few options on the board. Joshua Josephs is a twitchy athlete who is probably only a designated pass rusher at this point in his development. Max Llewellyn is a solid edge with a sick spin move, and the Steelers seem to have an affinity for Iowa players in recent years. Nadame Tucker is an older prospect with great production in 2025. And Mason Reiger is an older prospect with freaky athleticism that could be a fun ball of clay to mold.

Best of the rest

It’s Day 3, so don’t be surprised if the Steelers select just about any position. As a result, here are the best players not listed above — except at quarterback, because the odds are incrementally low Pittsburgh adds another one — still on the board.

1. Connor Lew, center, Auburn
2. Jonah Coleman, running back, Washington
3. Mike Washington Jr, running back, Arkansas
4. Sam Hecht, center, Kansas State
5. Emmett Johnson, running back, Nebraska
6. Billy Schrauth, guard, Notre Dame
7. Brian Parker II, offensive tackle, Duke
8. Jalen Farmer, guard, Kansas
9. Kaytron Allen, running back, Penn State
10. Dametrious Crownover, offensive tackle, Texas A&M

RB: The Steelers certainly don’t have a need on the offensive line anymore after selecting two in the top 100, but you can never have too much depth and I wouldn’t rule out the team returning to the well if the value is good in Round 7. The same could be said of running back, where it looks like there will be good value late with few coming off the board in the first two days of the draft.

Steelers pre-draft visits still available 

Read our scouting reports on each player on BTSC’s pre-draft visitor big board HERE. 

1. CB Malik Muhammad, Texas
2. OT Travis Burke, Memphis 
3. LB Kyle Louis, Pitt
4. OG Beau Stephens, Iowa 
5. DL Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
6. WR Skyler Bell, UConn
7. QB Taylen Green, Arkansas
8. QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
9. LB Jack Kelly, BYU
10. CB Ephesians Prysock, Washington
11. LB Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
12. TE Khalil Dinkins, Penn State
13. WR Kendrick Law, Kentucky
14. LB Jaden Dugger, Louisiana
15. WR Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati
16. DL James Thompson Jr., Illinois

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Who are your top targets for the Steelers on Day 3? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!