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

Steelers 5round

  • ayemac DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (PIT)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 53 RND: 2 (PIT)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
J.C. Davis Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (PIT)
J.C. Davis
OT Illinois
Mike Washington Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 121 RND: 4 (PIT)
Mike Washington Jr.
RB Arkansas
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 135 RND: 4 (PIT)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (PIT)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
More right than wrong for the Steelers, and a B- to prove it.

You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Steelers did exactly that with J.C. Davis in slot 99. No fireworks, but a solid B-.

Getting Golday where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.

It is not that Davis is a bad player; it is that the Steelers had louder needs to answer first. On the needs board they went 6 of 9, with quarterback the one that mattered most.

Good work on the whole, with cornerback the one box left unchecked.

Pick Analysis
Pick21 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
Olaivavega Ioane at the 21st overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Pick53 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 53 with a little surplus value in A.J. Haulcy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick76 Rnd3 Zachariah Branch
A tidy bit of business in slot 76, where Zachariah Branch graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick85 Rnd3 Jake Golday
Circle this one: Jake Golday at Round 3, Pick 21 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick99 Rnd3 J.C. Davis
They bypassed pressing needs at cornerback, linebacker and other spots to take J.C. Davis, an offensive lineman that was not the priority.
Pick121 Rnd4 Mike Washington Jr.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Mike Washington Jr. in the 121st pick. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick135 Rnd4 DeMonte Capehart
DeMonte Capehart in the Round 4 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick161 Rnd5 Drew Allar
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Drew Allar at the 161st pick is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.