Pittsburgh Steelers' Draft: Hype to Disappointment

0:00On April 26, Pittsburgh Steelers fans had sky-high hopes for the 2026 NFL draft, but it turned into a real lead-down right from the jump. At the 21st overall pick, they missed out on hot-wire receiver McCuy Lemmon after their GM hyped him up, only for Philly to swoop in. Instead, they grabbed Arizona State Tackle Max E. Hanocker, a project guy with upside, but not ready to start, especially with Troy Fautanu already, holding down Wright Tackle. Day 2 brought a brief spark when they traded up to snag Alabama sleeper Jeremy Bernard at Pick 47, a potential steal at Whiteout, but then they rolled the dice on Penn State quarterback Drew Aller at 76 in the third round, a high-risk guy with big potential, but no, big game wins under his belt. Fans lit up social media after that viral clip of Lemmon's draft call gone wrong, turning optimism into straight frustration. Fans piled up about shuffling Fautanu, or wascing the pick on another tackle, and the whole thing left everyone debating if the front-off is blue.

1:01It early. Day 3 d'd the whole deeper with a fourth-round reach on return specialist Kaden Wetgin, and a fifth-round tight-end Riley Nookoski passing on. Flashier talent still on the board. These weren't bad players, just poor value that early. Omar Khan nailed free agency with moves like Jaquan Brisker and Michael Pittman Jr., but this draft has folks wondering if he's got the touch for. The three-day grind, Pittsburgh's banking on development to turn it around come training camp. Stay locked in with NFL News Today, AI Powered Updates.