The 2026 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, and we still don’t have a great idea of what the Steelers are planning in the first round. In this week’s Read & React, we complied a short long list of who we thought the most likely picks would be at No. 21, talking not just player evaluations but also why the team might be interested in those particular names.
Plus, we go over some burning questions regarding the upcoming first round as a whole:
Who are the top candidates to be the Steelers’ pick in the first round?
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo safety
RB: McNeil-Warren is
one of the few Steelers’ top-30 visits announced so far who has a good shot at going in the first round, making him one of the prime candidates to actually be the pick at No. 21. Safety is an underrated but reasonable roster need for Pittsburgh in 2026 – Jaquan Brisker is just on a one-year deal, Jalen Ramsey still probably fits best covering the slot, and DeShon Elliott is coming off a major injury, is nearing 30, and has always had some limitations in coverage. While I’d probably prefer Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman here as he can best fill the pure free safety role Brisker, Ramsey, and Elliott aren’t best equipped for, EMW is a versatile defender who still makes a good amount of sense in the first.
RP: One of the guys I have had circled as in the “Steelers” mold since December. The Steelers showed interest last draft cycle in Nick Emmanwori, and while it isn’t a one-to-one comparison – I think EMW is a more well-rounded player but not quite the athletic freak – they check a lot of the same boxes. Ryland already covered a lot of the reasons why safety is a reasonable need Pittsburgh could look to fulfill in the first. I know safety isn’t viewed as a premium position, but I do think we’re seeing an evolution in the NFL on defense. Having a player that play across the formation in a variety of coverages without sacrificing something against the run is gaining value in a league where teams are using heavier packages to exploit the pass or run based on what the defense puts on the field. Kyle Hamilton bandages a lot for the Ravens defense, and we saw during the Seahawks Super Bowl run how they were able to weaponize Emmanwori. McNeil-Warren is a turnover generator who could be a skeleton key for the multiple types of defense new coordinator Patrick Graham wants to install.
Chris Johnson, San Diego State cornerback
RP: Since the first announcements of the Steelers top-30 visits started to trickle in, the early lack of first-round talent and the position groups the Steelers were bringing started to tip me off that the fans biggest wishes – seemingly wide receiver and offensive line are the two most popular choices among fans – might be positions the Steelers would rather take on Day 2 when they have four picks. I made a shortlist of guys I thought would require our attention if the Steelers brought them in for visits, especially later in April.
Johnson is one of those guys. An All-American this past season, Johnson just has the look of a top corner. He’s shown great instincts and speed in reacting from press and off coverage, zone or man. He has good hands and knows how to do something on the return once he’s turned it over, scoring twice in 2025. His value is a bit all over, but I’ve seen as high as CB3, including in Dane Brugler’s The Beast, and that’s he’s my favorite corner after Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy. He idolized Ike Taylor when he was a kid. I’d be thrilled with this pick, either at 21 or if Pittsburgh pulls off a trade back.
RB: Like safety, cornerback is another one of those sleeper first-round needs for the Steelers. Sure, Joey Porter Jr. looks like a long-term CB1 (*cough cough* let’s get an extension done, Omar Khan), and the newly-signed Jamel Dean likely has several good years left and is a high-end CB2. But cornerback is such a volatile position. They fall off quickly with age. They get injured a lot. And you need a lot of depth there to succeed as an NFL defense (and Johnson can play inside/outside). Like McNeil-Warren, Johnson may not fill the most immediate need for Pittsburgh, but as the team enters Season 2 of “Treading Water with Aaron Rodgers,” I don’t mind them prioritizing the future a bit more.
Denzel Boston, Washington wide receiver
RB: I’m not the highest on Boston even if I am confident he’ll more than outplay some of the pessimistic Keon Coleman and Hakeem Butler pro comparisons I’ve seen get thrown around this draft cycle. In fact, he reminds me (and other analysts) a bit of new Steeler Michael Pittman Jr. when it comes to size, toughness, and good hands. Ultimately, I’d prefer the Steelers add more of a separator to the receiving room this offseason, but if the team doesn’t have long-term plans for the duo of D.K. Metcalf and Pittman, Boston could serve as a potential replacement. But I won’t pretend that the Steelers’ jumbo-sized receiving room with a Boston pick wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun in 2026.
RP: Boston isn’t a flashy separator, but he’s smoother than people give him credit for. I got to see him play twice this year, and UW relied on him heavily. Truthfully, he’s a player I would love more in the second round, but I would understand the pick. I think some of the fanbase would be disappointed because they have their hearts set on some flashier options like Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, or Omar Cooper Jr., but I actually think his fit with Pittsburgh would make a ton of sense and give Pittsburgh a lot of versatility in 11 personnel packages. Plus if Aaron Rodgers returns like we expect, he’d finally have a player that excels at hauling in the back shoulder fades he loves to throw.
Vega Ioane, Penn State guard
RP: Love the player, but I would be shocked if he wasn’t Baltimore’s pick at 14. He just feels like an AFC North type of player, and unfortunately I’ve called the Ravens pick three years in a row, so I’m steeling my heart so it won’t hurt so bad when he becomes a bitter division rival on draft night.
RB: More or less what Ryan said. Ioane has been wishcast to the Steelers more than there’s been actual interest so far this year, but keep in mind that Pittsburgh didn’t meet with Derrick Harmon until mid-April last draft cycle when everyone agreed he made the most sense for the team. Ioane would be a plug-and-play starter at left guard who would put the Steelers offense in great shape for whichever quarterback the team takes a chance on in 2027. Sure, he would be another trenches pick, but they are that important.
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State wide receiver
RB: I’ve had a tough time sorting out who I like the most of Tyson, Carnell Tate, and Makai Lemon, but I am fairly confident that Tyson is my favorite fit of the three for the Steelers. Pittsburgh already has a capable starting duo in Metcalf and Pittman, so I’m most interested in taking the name with the highest upside and potentially giving the offense a true, high-end WR1 down the road. Of course, Pittsburgh will have to sort through the medical issues, but Omar Khan has had no issues picking players with supposed health concerns in the past.
RP: Tyson is my WR1 in this draft if he can stay healthy, I just have this gut feeling that Pittsburgh will pass on him even if he’s there at 21. There is the Hines Ward connection, but I think even Khan, who has bet on players with medical concerns before, will be a little gun-shy this time. This is the first pick of the McCarthy era, and I think they don’t want to bet high on a wide receiver with those medical concerns.
Top offensive tackle available (Spencer Fano/Max Iheanachor/Monroe Freeling/Blake Miller/Kadyn Proctor/Caleb Lomu)
RP: This idea has been growing in popularity, but the Steelers seem to be telling us they view tackle as a potential idea in the third-round or later with the prospects they’ve brought in so far. I would be thrilled with an Iheanachor pick, but unless he or another one of these potential first-round options comes in for a visit, I think the Steelers are content to wait. And while he still might be eventually replaced, Broderick Jones participating in Day One of the Steelers offseason program is a good sign for his health.
RB: I’d be surprised if the pick is an offensive tackle unless Jones’ recovery timeline puts him out for a substantive part of the 2026 season. I think most signs point to the team being willing to invest one more year in that experiment, especially as Dylan Cook has proven to be a capable backup when called upon. However, some names such as Kadyn Proctor could be seen as a guard at the next level by the Steelers and still be in that first-round conversation, although there hasn’t been much chatter about that either.
Wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana/KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
RB: Cooper has been gaining some Steelers buzz lately, with insider Tony Pauline noting he was in play at No. 21. It just makes sense. Cooper is the sort of savvy, versatile, instant contributor that will be attractive to veteran offensive mind Mike McCarthy. I’m also a big fan of Concepcion, whose separation ability is special and perfectly complements what Pittsburgh currently has in its receiving room. But I think Cooper has the better odds of landing in the black and gold (and would still be a great pick).
I’m of the belief wide receiver is still very much in play for the Steelers’ first-round pick this year – the team doesn’t have a ton of glaring holes besides left guard (can be fixed on Day 2) and quarterback (we all know it’s Aaron Rodgers), leaving receiver as arguably the best position to prioritize for both long- and short-term purposes. But I’m far from dead set on that opinion.
RP: I’m a fan of Cooper more than Concepcion, but I don’t know how high either are on the Steelers radar. I’m still not convinced the Steelers would go wide receiver in the first round, and Boston would be my bet today if they did. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Steelers took one of these two, but right now it feels like these are only popular options with the “wide receiver or bust” crowd.
An edge defender?
RP: It wouldn’t be my favorite, and T.J. Parker definitely wouldn’t be my top choice, Peter Schrager. But Ryland can vouch that I’ve been saying edge might be a sneaky Day 2 pick for the Steelers, so I’m open to the idea that the Steelers might swing earlier at this premium position than we expect. I’ve heard plenty argue this is the position the Steelers need least, but I’m constantly reminded that teams often draft a year ahead for needs. TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith have both had struggles with injuries the past couple of seasons, and Nick Herbig’s future is uncertain. That Herbig will have a big market next offseason is one of the NFL’s worst kept secrets. With the Steelers likely needing to target a quarterback or tackle highly in the next draft, that means it would be harder to replace one or more of those players if they needed to in 2027. I remain skeptical the Steelers would do this in the first round, but it’s certainly not out of the question.
RB: I’m one of the people who believes edge rusher is Pittsburgh’s smallest need this offseason, but Ryan is right in that it could change in an instant. As a result, a first-round pick there isn’t completely out of the question. But the Steelers still have Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig all under contract for 2026 and seem to like all three – I find it hard to believe that two of them won’t be around in 2027. The team just invested in Jack Sawyer as a solid backup as well.
Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon guard
RB: I have no doubts that Pregnon will be a good NFL player, but this would feel like a reach at No. 21. He’d be 25 for most of his rookie season and is at best the No. 2 guard in the class. Remember that the Steelers got Zach Frazier in the second round back in 2024 – quality interior offensive linemen can consistently be found in Day 2. I still wouldn’t be mad at a Pregnon pick in the first as having a good left guard is always a good thing, but I don’t think he’d be the best value there in most scenarios.
RP: Would fill a huge need for the Steelers and is not that far behind Ioane as a prospect. I think he’d be an incredibly safe pick and a plug-and-play starter. That said, like most of the guys on this list, if the Steelers don’t bring him in for a top-30 visit I’ll remain skeptical. The Steelers could be changing tendencies with McCarthy in town, but I don’t think he’s really going to be overruling Khan and Weidl’s philosophies. Since Omar took over, his first round picks have all checked the top-30 visit box. That’s a trend, folks.
Any dark horses we should add?
RB: Georgia’s C.J. Allen deserves a mention here. It’s the Steelers and an inside linebacker, after all, and there’s been some smoke with a formal combine meeting and pro day attendance. Pittsburgh also seems set on adding an inside linebacker this year – there was chatter of a Patrick Queen trade during free agency and there have been plenty of top-30 visits at the position. I wouldn’t love the value here, and to be fair, the Allen-to-the-Steelers train has slowed down quite a bit. But he still is a name to keep an eye on.
RP: The only one I can think to conjure is Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. Like every other name on this list, I’d need to see that top-30 visit to take it more seriously, but I can talk myself into the front office thinking they’d be getting a surplus value capitalizing on his tumble down draft boards. Likely? Probably not, but, hey, that’s what a dark horse is.
What’s one burning question you have about how the first round will play out as a whole?
RB: This is more of a Day 2 question, but I’m curious to see when the top guards go off the board. Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane seems to be the only consensus Round 1 name, but even he’s been falling on boards as of late. Ultimately, the positional value just isn’t that strong even if quality offensive linemen remain a hot commodity.
And as mentioned earlier, the way teams view top tackles will also factor into that conversation.
The top four at guard this year – Ioane, Pregnon, Chase Bisontis, and Keylan Rutledge – seem set in stone by the consensus this year, and there has been some Round 1 buzz with each. That said, I’m confident a run will start sometime around early Day 2, and everyone who thought Rutledge would be a great value pick in Round 3 will be very disappointed.
I hope the Steelers nab one of those four names, and to do so, I wouldn’t be surprised if a trade up on Day 2 is in the cards.
RP: I’m very interested in how many wide receivers end up going in the first round, and how that impacts the shape of the second half of the first round, and the early stages of Round 2. In drafts you often see runs on position groups. Ryland already laid out the intriguing dominoes surrounding the top guards in the draft, a starting position the Steelers could stand to add more competition for. There’s bound to be a tackle run, and there will also eventually be a cornerback run as well, with a large number of cornerbacks being valued in that late-first round to early-second round bucket. There are up to six cornerbacks and six wide receivers who I think have a reasonable shot at being selected in the first round.
How many wide receivers are truly first round picks I think will be fascinating. This year’s class is talented and has depth, but I don’t think the top of this group has quite the same ceiling as some of the top pass catchers in recent drafts. I can see scenarios playing out where only two wideouts were selected Day 1, but I also wouldn’t bat an eye if each of Tate, Lemon, Tyson, Cooper Jr., Boston, and Concepcion heard their name called Thursday.
How the Steelers approach it will be fascinating. I’m just hoping they come away with at least two in this class.
Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or email us at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.
