The 2026 NFL Draft is in Pittsburgh! This draft season, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital, and their fit with the Steelers.
The Steelers let Isaac Seumalo leave in free agency, creating an opening at left guard. Chase Bisontis is an intriguing former tackle who was highly recruited coming out of high school and who is an early-declare prospect
who started three years in the SEC.
He’s my OG3 in this draft behind Vega Ioane and Emmanuel Pregnon, both prospects who could reasonably be expected to be drafted in the first round. If that’s too rich for the Steelers’ tastes, could Bisontis be a value for them on Day 2?
The basics on Chase Bisontis
- Position: Guard
- Class: Junior
- Size: 6‘5, 315 pounds; 313/4” arms, 787/8” wingspan
- Age: 21 (06-10-2004)
- Projected draft round: 2nd
Offensive stats via Sports Reference
Chase Bisontis scouting report
When looking for blue-chip offensive line talent, one of the easiest and earliest indicators is looking for players who stepped on campus and started right away. That was the case with Bisonstis, a 21-year-old true junior with 1,962 career snaps across three college seasons. Bisontis was a starting right tackle for the Aggies as a freshman, but kicked into left guard for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
While it’s nice seeing the experience at tackle on his resume, moving to the interior was probably a wise choice for his career, as his arms are well below the 34-inch threshold the NFL covets. While his arms are still shorter than average for an NFL guard (331/3”), Bisontis makes up for that with superb strength, quick feet, and disciplined hand placement.
Bisontis’ early history as a tackle shows up in pass protection, the phase of his game I currently view as his most polished and impressive. Bisontis consistently gets his hands inside and to the defender’s chest, which allows him to control the flow of movement. He also shows a cool head and great recovery ability when a defender manages to beat him early in a rep (1:01 in the video below is a great example of this), finding ways to redirect the pass rusher out of harm’s way of the quarterback. Bisontis also has a knack for using defenders’ length against them, with a chop move that has seen plenty of defensive linemen landing face-first in the dirt.
Since switching to guard in 2024, Bisontis has had two straight seasons of allowing only a single sack. Across 721 pass blocking snaps in that span, he’s given up just 22 total pressures.
Bisontis shows plenty of upside as a run blocker, too, though I think he needs more refinement in this part of his game. As you can see from the two clips below, Bisontis appears to be able to find his assignment while both on the move and in space.
If there is one area as a run blocker I’d like to see Bisontis improve in, it’s his leg drive. For a player who at times flashes incredible power, that element can be lacking as a run blocker. Bisontis can seal off lanes and displace defenders while he’s on the move, but he can at times leave you wanting more of the bully ball he shows in other phases of his game. I do think this is something he can develop further with coaching, given his young age, athleticism, and promise in other areas of his game.
And for those who look for indications of character in prospects, Bisontis is one of only six prospects to fully participate in each drill at this year’s NFL Combine.
Strengths
- Powerful punch with a high accuracy rate and tight, inside placement
- Quick feet
- Great balance, especially in pass protection
- Asset in screens, pulls, and run designs that ask him to climb and get downhill
Weaknesses
- Below average length, can lead to lunging
- 16 penalties against over the past two seasons
- Can get tripped up against spin-counters
What others are saying about Chase Bisontis
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Bisontis is a tough, well-schooled guard. He lacks ideal length, but he brings heavy hands, good footwork and plus core strength to the table. He plays with ideal strain and stickiness to sustain blocks. He has plenty of nasty when he needs it, too. He’s consistent as a move/zone blocker and when working downhill. He can be outreached, stacked and shed when his hands aren’t first, though. In general, his protection meets the mark and pairs nicely with his run blocking. Bisontis projects as a future starter with plenty of upside.
Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports
Bisontis was a delight to watch throughout the season — an impactful pass protector with good feet and spatial awareness. The Aggies had him involved in a number of run block concepts, from combinations to skip pulls to zone concepts. He has appeal in all of these usages and appears to be a scheme diverse talent. Given his pass protection appeal in true pass sets, he’ll have allure to teams that trend towards more true drop-back passing concepts and lower play pass usage. Pro comparison: David DeCastro.
Brandon Thorn, Bleacher Report
Chase Bisontis is a light-footed guard prospect who creates quick leverage and has good balance to stay centered, sustain and steer blocks. Bisontis needs to clean up his positional leverage to not open too early or lean into blocks but has the movement and recovery skills to start as a rookie and develop into a quality starter within his first contract. Quality move blocker who can intersect and kick out smaller targets on climbs, screens and pulls.
More from Thorn discussing Bisontis with The Athletic’s Dane Brugler:
Chase Bisontis’ fit with the Steelers
Following free agency, there isn’t a more glaring need — beyond quarterback — than left guard on the Pittsburgh roster. The Steelers still have former seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson on the roster, and they finally agreed to terms with free agent Brock Hoffman after a bit of a false start, but neither of those players should discourage the Steelers from bringing in a high draft pick to compete for the job.
If the Steelers draft Bisontis — likely in the second round — I would expect him to compete to start Day 1. His ability as a pass blocker would be a welcome addition for any Pittsburgh quarterback, but especially the increasingly immobile Aaron Rodgers, should the veteran quarterback return in 2026 as we expect. With Rodgers proclivity to throw to running backs in his later years, Bisontis could be an asset on screen pass designs.
Better still, Bisontis will turn just 22 this year. In a draft class where a lot of the top prospects are on the older side, his relative youth provides a larger runway for development. Paired with Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick, he would give the Steelers an intriguing core of young linemen to build around in the coming years.
TL;DR: A sound pass blocker with a mean streak and plus-movement skills, Bisontis is an enticing combination of talent and opportunity cost at a position of need for the Steelers.
What are your thoughts on Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
