aechean'S MOCK DRAFT

aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 25, 2026

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  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Emmanuel Pregnon Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
Emmanuel Pregnon
OG Oregon
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 55 RND: 2 (PIT)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 77 RND: 3 (PIT)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
Nicholas Singleton Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Nicholas Singleton
RB Penn State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (PIT)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
CJ Daniels Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
CJ Daniels
WR Miami
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (PIT)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Parker Brailsford Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
Parker Brailsford
C Alabama
Domani Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Domani Jackson
CB Alabama
Isaiah Nwokobia Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Isaiah Nwokobia
S SMU
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (PIT)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Lander Barton Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (PIT)
Lander Barton
LB Utah
Xavier Nwankpa Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (PIT)
Xavier Nwankpa
S Iowa
Draft Picks Received
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 55 RND: 2 (LAC)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 77 RND: 3 (TB)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (LAC)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (TB)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (LAC)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (TB)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio 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)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Tyler Smith
OT
Head Shot
Tristan Wirfs
OT
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall C+
ValueC NeedB TradesA+ FutureF
Nobody dealt better than the Steelers this weekend: C+.

Some picks age like wine; Patrick Payton at the Round 4 slot will need to, sitting 121 spots clear of his grade. The final tally is a middling C+.

Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. With tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on offensive lineman is the choice that costs them.

If one pick saves this weekend, it is Pregnon. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.

Hit on Emmanuel Pregnon and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.

Pick Analysis
Pick53 Rnd2 Emmanuel Pregnon
Emmanuel Pregnon at pick No. 53 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick55 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
A tidy little value on A.J. Haulcy in Round 2, Pick 23, a step better than break-even. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick76 Rnd3 Malachi Fields
Malachi Fields in pick 76 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
Pick77 Rnd3 Dontay Corleone
Dontay Corleone slid further than he should have, and slot 77 is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick85 Rnd3 Nicholas Singleton
Nicholas Singleton at the 85th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick86 Rnd3 Drew Allar
Drew Allar in the Round 3 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick99 Rnd3 Bud Clark
Bud Clark at the 99th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick116 Rnd4 Harold Perkins Jr.
They jumped the gun on Harold Perkins Jr., taking him earlier than his grade liked. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick121 Rnd4 CJ Daniels
A wild overpay on CJ Daniels in No. 121, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick123 Rnd4 Patrick Payton
A big swing on Patrick Payton at Round 4, Pick 23, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick135 Rnd4 Parker Brailsford
A want over a need in pick No. 135: Parker Brailsford adds an offensive lineman while tight end keeps waiting.
Pick161 Rnd5 Domani Jackson
A reach for Domani Jackson in slot 161; a little patience would have been rewarded. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick216 Rnd6 Isaiah Nwokobia
Isaiah Nwokobia in the 216th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick224 Rnd7 Barion Brown
Barion Brown at pick 224 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick230 Rnd7 Lander Barton
Lander Barton in slot 230 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick237 Rnd7 Xavier Nwankpa
Value with a capital V on Xavier Nwankpa in the 237th pick, a genuine coup. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.