There have been big changes in the Pittsburgh front office this offseason. With longtime head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down and the Steelers hiring Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy in his place, the team is starting a new era of Steelers football.
For those who have followed the Steelers’ approach to the NFL draft over the years, this draft cycle has felt unusual. The Steelers have always had a way of doing things. Your opinion on whether those were the right way of doing things may vary, but they
were recognizable to fans and are a reason I’ve always felt the Steelers community feels more informed and closer to shared opinions than a lot of other NFL fan bases around the draft.
During the Tomlin years, the head coach and Omar Khan were regularly sighted on the Pro Day circuit. Not the case with McCarthy, who only attended Georgia’s event this year. Does this really impact the Steelers’ draft all that much? Hard to say. Some organizations, like the Rams, have their top brass skip these events, and you can’t argue that it’s hurt their football team too much. But it is one less clue for us fans.
The Steelers’ top-30 visits have also been a key indicator in recent years about who and what position the team might be selecting with its top pick. Last year, Derrick Harmon was considered to be a strong contender among the fanbase, and Harmon was one of the last visits the team scheduled, with that announcement coming on April 9. So far, in 2026, though, the Steelers have only announced half of their scheduled visits. Of those, only Washington receiver Denzel Boston and San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson are among those considered as potential first-round picks.
All that is to say, the Black and Gold faithful typically have a good read on who the team’s top targets are —or at the very least what position the team will target — by this point in the draft cycle. You’d have to go back to the 2018 selection of safety Terrell Edmunds to find the last time a Steelers’ first-round selection truly felt out of the blue.
This year feels like it could be another 2018.
There are different factions of opinion, of course. Lots of fans are adamant that the team must select its WR3 — or let’s face it, WR4 if some other old Steelers’ habits die a little harder — at all costs. Others are arguing for the best offensive lineman available. Still others are hoping for a top safety. And plenty of media members really want to make “Ty Simpson to Pittsburgh” a thing. The only sentiment that seems to be agreed on by most fans is that an edge defender to Pittsburgh would be a curious use of resources — though I think there would be some argument for it if you take the long view.
With a fanbase split and a front office that is currently playing their cards a little closer to the chest than we’re used to, I thought I’d do an exploration into our new coach’s draft history to see if there were any interesting or useful nuggets to mine there. Obviously, McCarthy isn’t the sole deciding force behind the Packers and Cowboys drafts he was a part of, so I acknowledge that we’re still only going to be making educated guesses on what all the pieces could mean. McCarthy himself said this offseason is the most involved he’s ever been with draft prep. Though, come to think of it, he said that about Green Bay during his first year on the job in Dallas.
So it’s hard to believe he had zero influence. Green Bay, by all accounts, has a collaborative relationship between the GM and head coach. Take, for example, McCarthy’s final year in Green Bay. At the scouting combine that year, McCarthy made an impassioned case that the Green Bay defense desperately needed to improve to support their Aaron Rodgers-led offense. The Packers’ first two picks that year were both cornerbacks.
Here’s every first and second-round pick made under McCarthy’s watch.
Across McCarthy’s 18 campaigns as an NFL head coach, his teams have made a grand total of 17 first-round picks and 22 second-round picks, 39 picks total. Here are some more digestible nuggets for our purposes:
- 10 (or 11 if you count Parsons as an edge) of the picks were defensive linemen, six (or 7!) of which were first-round selections
- Six offensive linemen were chosen, four in the first round
- That means 16-17 (again, depending on how you count Parsons) of those picks were meat and potatoes, big boy picks.
- Only one wide receiver was taken in the first round (Lamb), and only five total. Jordy Nelson was the Packers’ first pick in 2008, but was a second-rounder.
- Three first-round defensive backs were selected, and eight were second-rounders. Those 11 selections put defensive backs right up with defensive linemen for the most selected position group under McCarthy.
- Three different drafts saw McCarthy’s teams double up on defensive back selections, compared to just one class doing so for the defensive line
So, how do we apply that to the 2026 draft?
For starters, anyone who is adamant that the Steelers must select a wide receiver with their top pick still has a compelling case that their dream remains alive, even though I’d argue the odds are overwhelmingly against that notion. The case for that outcome is bolstered by the 2020 selection of Lamb. In 2020, McCarthy was entering his first year on the job for Dallas, just like now with the Steelers. Dallas had star receiver Amari Cooper on the roster, and Michael Gallup had just completed a breakout, 1,000-yard season. That might not be an exact one-to-one comparison to DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman, but Pittsburgh’s receivers both have 1,000-yard seasons on their resume, too.
However, the last time the Steelers drafted a first-round receiver was in 2006. This is a team that simply doesn’t take receivers that high, a practice usually held by Green Bay, McCarthy’s first employer. That means that a pretty special player would have to be available, and I think it’s fair to wonder if any receiver in this class is as special as Lamb. Jordan Tyson is the most likely to make it to pick 21, due to his durability concerns. He’s also certain to have a good word from Steelers legend Hines Ward, his receivers coach at Arizona State. Would Pittsburgh risk it if Tyson were available? And if he’s gone, would they go with options like Boston, Omar Cooper Jr., or KC Concepcion, even if that required a “reach?” Would they pick a player they didn’t have for a 30 visit? Anything is possible, but I remain skeptical that a wide receiver is a lock for the top pick.
McCarthy’s teams were far more likely to take a trench player or a member of the secondary over the years. Those are positions that many Steelers fans don’t seem to believe are as big a need, but I would argue that’s taking the short view.
Few of the Steelers’ cornerbacks and safeties have contracts beyond 2026, and the ones that do are structured in ways that would make them easy to get out from under. San Diego State’s Chris Johnson has had his 30-visit and previously stated his favorite cornerback to watch during his childhood was Ike Taylor. We also know Pittsburgh ties, however loose they might be, are a big part of the vibes the front office is selling. Perhaps Pittsburgh will announce more first-round candidates for visits soon, but as things stand, Johnson is one of the few they’ve had in that could go that high.
Of course, it’s only fair to point out that taking a first-round cornerback is also not something the Steelers have often done. Joey Porter Jr. was technically a second-round pick — and Khan’s second draft choice — despite being pick No. 32 that year, thanks to the Dolphins vacating a pick for tampering. Artie Burns was a first-rounder in 2016, but before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 1997 and Chad Scott to find a first-round corner. Safety is also a rare choice in the first round for Pittsburgh, with the previously mentioned Edmunds in 2018 and Troy Polamalu in 2003 as the only Steelers selections in the 21st-century.
And it shouldn’t be a surprise if the Steelers take a trench player either. In 11 of McCarthy’s 18 drafts, his team’s first selection was either an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman, including his last four drafts in Dallas (yes, I’m counting Parsons, who had over 2,600 defensive lineman snaps in Dallas per PFF).
Offensive tackles always get pushed up the board, and the Steelers could be in the sweet spot to take one if there is a player they are high on. Broderick Jones has to be viewed as unlikely to get a second contract in Pittsburgh at this point, and it would be quite the gamble to put all their faith in Dylan Cook, a 28-year-old developmental tackle with just five starts to his name. Likewise, if Penn State’s Vega Ioane makes it past Baltimore at pick 14 and falls to Pittsburgh at 21, he could be the highest-ranked player on their board. And a player like Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon is not far behind Ioane as a prospect and might be viewed as the safest pick to secure the left side in front of Aaron Rodgers.
The defensive line I’m having a harder time picturing, but if the Steelers have a defensive tackle or edge player ranked higher than the fans, that wouldn’t be all that shocking to me. Peter Woods was once viewed as a lock for a top-five pick in this draft class, and maybe Pittsburgh views that as a value pick. Or perhaps they are worried about their ability to sign Herbig to an extension. They could also have questions about both Watt and Highsmith’s health and/or production beyond 2026. That would make a surprising edge defender pick make more sense.
They could also be looking ahead to 2027 and the potential of spending a first-round pick on a quarterback. If that comes to fruition, that means they won’t be spending a premium pick on offensive line, or edge, or defensive tackle, but could realistically have needs at those positions if they don’t address them in advance, this year. I’m not saying any of those options are the certified correct answer, but if those are the thoughts the front office is having, I think they’d be understandable. Fans tend to only view the draft through the lens of the upcoming season, but good teams tend to take a multi-year view with their decision-making. It’s fair to argue if that’s what the Steelers have been recently, but the point still stands.
So, what did we learn, exactly?
I’m not sure, maybe a trade back? All that’s certain is that that things are wide open in this draft. I just think Steelers fans should be prepared for anything. And anyone convinced they know what’s gonna happen is full of hot air.
Who do you think the Steelers are taking in the first round? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments! And be sure to check our Draft Hub for all our up-to-the-minute draft coverage.
