bobzewe'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

2026 NFL draft 9

  • bobzewe DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Fernando Mendoza Head Shot
PICK: 32 RND: 1 (PIT)
Fernando Mendoza
QB Indiana
Trevor Goosby Head Shot
PICK: 46 RND: 2 (PIT)
Trevor Goosby
OT Texas
Germie Bernard Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (PIT)
Germie Bernard
WR Alabama
Michael Taaffe Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Michael Taaffe
S Texas
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 96 RND: 3 (PIT)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Caleb Tiernan Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (PIT)
Caleb Tiernan
OT Northwestern
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 104 RND: 4 (PIT)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Kaytron Allen Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (PIT)
Kaytron Allen
RB Penn State
Kevin Coleman Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 112 RND: 4 (PIT)
Kevin Coleman Jr.
WR Missouri
Austin Romaine Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (PIT)
Austin Romaine
LB Kansas State
Logan Jones Head Shot
PICK: 131 RND: 4 (PIT)
Logan Jones
C Iowa
Jyaire Hill Head Shot
PICK: 144 RND: 5 (PIT)
Jyaire Hill
CB Michigan
Justin Joly Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (PIT)
Justin Joly
TE NC State
Eric Rivers Head Shot
PICK: 153 RND: 5 (PIT)
Eric Rivers
WR Georgia Tech
Jacob Rodriguez Head Shot
PICK: 155 RND: 5 (PIT)
Jacob Rodriguez
LB Texas Tech
Isaac Smith Head Shot
PICK: 170 RND: 5 (PIT)
Isaac Smith
S Mississippi State
Jermaine Mathews Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 171 RND: 5 (PIT)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.
CB Ohio State
Gracen Halton Head Shot
PICK: 173 RND: 5 (PIT)
Gracen Halton
DL Oklahoma
Bryce Boettcher Head Shot
PICK: 179 RND: 5 (PIT)
Bryce Boettcher
LB Oregon
Jerry Wilson Head Shot
PICK: 210 RND: 6 (PIT)
Jerry Wilson
CB Florida State
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 6 (PIT)
Trey Zuhn III
OT Texas A&M
Shamar Easter Head Shot
PICK: 217 RND: 6 (PIT)
Shamar Easter
TE North Carolina
Amare Campbell Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (PIT)
Amare Campbell
LB Penn State
Cayden Lee Head Shot
PICK: 233 RND: 7 (PIT)
Cayden Lee
WR Ole Miss
Brandon Inniss Head Shot
PICK: 247 RND: 7 (PIT)
Brandon Inniss
WR Ohio State
Marquis Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (PIT)
Marquis Johnson
WR Missouri
Elliot Washington II Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (PIT)
Elliot Washington II
CB Penn State
Draft Picks Received
Fernando Mendoza Head Shot
PICK: 32 RND: 1 (IND)
Fernando Mendoza
QB Indiana
Trevor Goosby Head Shot
PICK: 46 RND: 2 (HOU)
Trevor Goosby
OT Texas
Germie Bernard Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (CIN)
Germie Bernard
WR Alabama
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 96 RND: 3 (IND)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Caleb Tiernan Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Caleb Tiernan
OT Northwestern
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 104 RND: 4 (CLE)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Kaytron Allen Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (HOU)
Kaytron Allen
RB Penn State
Kevin Coleman Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 112 RND: 4 (DAL)
Kevin Coleman Jr.
WR Missouri
Austin Romaine Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (HOU)
Austin Romaine
LB Kansas State
Logan Jones Head Shot
PICK: 131 RND: 4 (TB)
Logan Jones
C Iowa
Jyaire Hill Head Shot
PICK: 144 RND: 5 (CLE)
Jyaire Hill
CB Michigan
Justin Joly Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (CLE)
Justin Joly
TE NC State
Eric Rivers Head Shot
PICK: 153 RND: 5 (DAL)
Eric Rivers
WR Georgia Tech
Jacob Rodriguez Head Shot
PICK: 155 RND: 5 (WSH)
Jacob Rodriguez
LB Texas Tech
Isaac Smith Head Shot
PICK: 170 RND: 5 (GB)
Isaac Smith
S Mississippi State
Gracen Halton Head Shot
PICK: 173 RND: 5 (IND)
Gracen Halton
DL Oklahoma
Shamar Easter Head Shot
PICK: 217 RND: 6 (IND)
Shamar Easter
TE North Carolina
Amare Campbell Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (CAR)
Amare Campbell
LB Penn State
Cayden Lee Head Shot
PICK: 233 RND: 7 (CHI)
Cayden Lee
WR Ole Miss
Marquis Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (IND)
Marquis Johnson
WR Missouri
Elliot Washington II Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (NYJ)
Elliot Washington II
CB Penn State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (GB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (CAR)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (CLE)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (GB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (TB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (CAR)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (CLE)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (GB)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (HOU)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (WSH)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (CAR)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (CAR)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (NYJ)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Avieon Terrell Head Shot
PICK: 30 RND: 1 (TB)
Avieon Terrell
CB Clemson
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 62 RND: 2 (ARI)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio State
Jack Endries Head Shot
PICK: 94 RND: 3 (MIN)
Jack Endries
TE Texas
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 99 RND: 3 (CIN)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
Terry Moore Head Shot
PICK: 130 RND: 4 (CHI)
Terry Moore
S Duke
Carson Beck Head Shot
PICK: 133 RND: 4 (ARI)
Carson Beck
QB Miami
Players Gained
Head Shot
Hakeem Adeniji
OT
Head Shot
Blake Fisher
OT
Head Shot
Ty'Ron Hopper
LB
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall A-
ValueB- NeedB- TradesA+ FutureA+
The Steelers bet the future on Mendoza. The board says A-.

The search is over. The Steelers handed the keys to Fernando Mendoza, and the whole operation now runs on his development.

The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. However the rest shakes out, Fields at that price is a win they earned. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.

The Tiernan pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at edge rusher. Wilson has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.

In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.

Pick Analysis
Pick32 Rnd1 Fernando Mendoza
In pick No. 32 they get the arm they will build around, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick46 Rnd2 Trevor Goosby
Trevor Goosby at Round 2, Pick 14 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick73 Rnd3 Germie Bernard
Germie Bernard in the 73rd pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick76 Rnd3 Michael Taaffe
They did well to land Michael Taaffe in slot 76, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick96 Rnd3 D'Angelo Ponds
D'Angelo Ponds in pick 96 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick97 Rnd3 Caleb Tiernan
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Caleb Tiernan adds an offensive lineman and leaves edge rusher untouched.
Pick104 Rnd4 Malachi Fields
Steal is underselling it; Malachi Fields at No. 104 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It fills a real need, too.
Pick111 Rnd4 Kaytron Allen
A clean, defensible pick in the 111th overall pick with a little surplus value in Kaytron Allen. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick112 Rnd4 Kevin Coleman Jr.
By-the-book stuff, Kevin Coleman Jr. at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick115 Rnd4 Austin Romaine
This one needs a full-page explanation: Austin Romaine in pick 115, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick131 Rnd4 Logan Jones
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the 131st overall pick on Logan Jones with edge rusher unsolved.
Pick144 Rnd5 Jyaire Hill
Good price on Jyaire Hill in No. 144, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick148 Rnd5 Justin Joly
Justin Joly at the 148th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick153 Rnd5 Eric Rivers
They read the board right and Eric Rivers was the payoff at Round 5, Pick 12. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick155 Rnd5 Jacob Rodriguez
No edge and no loss on Jacob Rodriguez in slot 155; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick170 Rnd5 Isaac Smith
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Isaac Smith at pick No. 170. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick171 Rnd5 Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Jermaine Mathews Jr. at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Pick173 Rnd5 Gracen Halton
A premium they did not need to pay, Gracen Halton a notch or two before his time. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick179 Rnd5 Bryce Boettcher
A quiet steal in the 179th pick: Bryce Boettcher for less than the market said. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick210 Rnd6 Jerry Wilson
A real head-scratcher, Jerry Wilson in pick No. 210 is miles ahead of his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick216 Rnd6 Trey Zuhn III
Trey Zuhn III in pick 216 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Pick217 Rnd6 Shamar Easter
A reach for Shamar Easter in Round 6, Pick 37; a little patience would have been rewarded. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick230 Rnd7 Amare Campbell
A reasonable price with a little left over, Amare Campbell in the 230th overall pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick233 Rnd7 Cayden Lee
Cayden Lee at slot 233 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
Pick247 Rnd7 Brandon Inniss
Nothing to complain about; Brandon Inniss went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick254 Rnd7 Marquis Johnson
They went early on Marquis Johnson in the 254th overall pick, and the value did not follow. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick256 Rnd7 Elliot Washington II
They paid sticker price for Elliot Washington II in slot 256, and that is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.