aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
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aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 23, 2026

Hybrids and Safetys

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (PIT)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (PIT)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (PIT)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 58 RND: 2 (PIT)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 126 RND: 4 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (PIT)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Jalen Farmer Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Jalen Farmer
OG Kentucky
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (PIT)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Kage Casey Head Shot
PICK: 168 RND: 5 (PIT)
Kage Casey
OT Boise State
Aaron Anderson Head Shot
PICK: 169 RND: 5 (PIT)
Aaron Anderson
WR LSU
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Zavion Thomas Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (PIT)
Zavion Thomas
WR LSU
Xavier Nwankpa Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (PIT)
Xavier Nwankpa
S Iowa
Robert Spears-Jennings Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
Robert Spears-Jennings
S Oklahoma
Draft Picks Received
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (BUF)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (SF)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (KC)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 58 RND: 2 (SF)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 126 RND: 4 (BUF)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (KC)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (BUF)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Kage Casey Head Shot
PICK: 168 RND: 5 (BUF)
Kage Casey
OT Boise State
Aaron Anderson Head Shot
PICK: 169 RND: 5 (KC)
Aaron Anderson
WR LSU
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (PHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (CLE)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (LAC)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Dani Dennis-Sutton Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (DET)
Dani Dennis-Sutton
DE-EDGE Penn State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall B-
ValueC+ NeedB TradesA+ FutureD
Nobody dealt better than the Steelers this weekend: B-.

The Patrick Payton selection is the head-turner. The Steelers reached 108 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.

They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. With tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on offensive lineman is the choice that costs them. They banked enough surplus on Casey to cover a lot of smaller sins.

If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end.

A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.

Pick Analysis
Pick26 Rnd1 Caleb Lomu
A straight-up fair deal on Caleb Lomu at the 26th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick27 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
In the 27th pick they get a three-down second-level presence. A real need, handled.
Pick40 Rnd2 Dillon Thieneman
Dillon Thieneman in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick58 Rnd2 Dontay Corleone
The board had cheaper options than Dontay Corleone at slot 58, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick76 Rnd3 Harold Perkins Jr.
A wild overpay on Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 76, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
Pick85 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
Nicholas Singleton at pick No. 85 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick99 Rnd3 Parker Brailsford
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the Round 3 slot on Parker Brailsford with tight end unsolved.
Pick121 Rnd4 Drew Allar
Drew Allar at No. 121 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick126 Rnd4 CJ Daniels
CJ Daniels in pick 126 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick135 Rnd4 Patrick Payton
Value said wait; Patrick Payton in the 135th overall pick says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick148 Rnd5 Domani Jackson
A real head-scratcher, Domani Jackson in slot 148 is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick161 Rnd5 Jalen Farmer
Jalen Farmer at pick No. 161 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Pick165 Rnd5 Zane Durant
A reach on Zane Durant in the 165th pick; the board had better options right there. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick168 Rnd5 Kage Casey
Kage Casey is a better player than Round 5, Pick 28 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Pick169 Rnd5 Aaron Anderson
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Aaron Anderson. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick216 Rnd6 Thaddeus Dixon
A tidy little value on Thaddeus Dixon in Round 6, Pick 35, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick224 Rnd7 Zavion Thomas
A quiet steal in the Round 7 slot: Zavion Thomas for less than the market said. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick230 Rnd7 Xavier Nwankpa
They did well to land Xavier Nwankpa in the 230th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick237 Rnd7 Robert Spears-Jennings
A reach for Robert Spears-Jennings in slot 237; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.