As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, much has been made — as always — about who the Steelers should target in the first round. However, with the bulk of the team’s pre-draft visits still to be announced and just under a month until the event kicks off, it’s still too broad of a subject to discuss with much confidence.
But when you narrow it down by position, it gets more interesting.
If the Steelers take a WR in the first round, who should it be?
Sure, you might prefer other positions here, but wide receiver is undeniably in the running, and there are a lot of names
to sort through. Of the names likely to make sense if available at No. 21, I’d roughly rank them as follows:
- Jordyn Tyson
- Carnell Tate
- Makai Lemon
- KC Concepcion
- Omar Cooper Jr.
- Denzel Boston
Those six are the names I could see going in the first round, and chances are not all will be available when the Steelers are on the clock.
And before you quibble with me with how I rank the top three, just know it varies by the day and I think it greatly depends on scheme fit — and in Tyson’s case, health. Either way, there’s a pretty clear tier difference between the top three, the next three, and the rest of the draft, in my opinion.
For Pittsburgh, I’d expect two to three of Tyson/Tate/Lemon to be gone by No. 21 — with the Ohio State product almost certainly going in the top 10. Even then, I’d almost prefer Tyson in the black and gold if the team is confident in his health.
To me, Tyson carries the most upside of the class, and for a team such as Pittsburgh that already has a solid — but aging — wide receiver duo, it’s better to take the risk on a potential superstar WR1. Either way, any of that top tier would be an excellent choice if available.
As for the last three, who I do expect to be still on the board when Pittsburgh is on the clock, I’d likely go for Concepcion. He’s not without concerns as he comes with a worrying drop problem, but he’s the perfect complement to D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. with his elite quickness and route-running ability. He also has high-end upside.
Concepcion moves differently than most of the rest of the wide receiver class. His build (6’0, 196 pounds) is just OK, but separation is the name of the game.
Either way, while the 2026 wide receiver class might be lacking a true superstar, there shouldn’t be a shortage of talent by the time the Steelers are on the clock for the first time.
Which wide receiver would be the Steelers’ top first-round target. Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
