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future and now
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SCB0019 DRAFTING FOR THESteelers
Draft Selections
Draft Picks Received
PICK:
RND:
7
(DET)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
Draft Picks Traded
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall
B
ValueB+
NeedB
TradesB-
FutureB-
The Steelers let Downs fall and pounced. Final grade: B. It is a puzzling start. The Steelers had edge rusher and tight end to solve and reached instead for Carter Smith, an offensive lineman, at the 99th pick.
Reid has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. That is a safety worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
On the needs board they went 7 of 9, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick Analysis
Pick21
Rnd1
Caleb Downs
In pick 21 they get a ballhawk on the back end at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
Pick53
Rnd2
Olaivavega Ioane
A tidy bit of business in Round 2, Pick 21, where Olaivavega Ioane graded well above the range. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Pick76
Rnd3
Ian Strong
Ian Strong is a better player than the 76th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick95
Rnd3
Nicholas Singleton
No edge and no loss on Nicholas Singleton in the 95th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick99
Rnd3
Carter Smith
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Carter Smith at offensive lineman with edge rusher and tight end open.
Pick118
Rnd4
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at the Round 4 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick121
Rnd4
Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson in No. 121 is fair value, right on his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick135
Rnd4
Parker Brailsford
A surprising call. With edge rusher and tight end still to address, they spent Round 4, Pick 35 on Parker Brailsford, an offensive lineman they were not short of.
Pick155
Rnd5
Jacob Rodriguez
A reach on Jacob Rodriguez in the Round 5 slot; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick159
Rnd5
DeMonte Capehart
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on DeMonte Capehart. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick214
Rnd6
Sawyer Robertson
Sawyer Robertson slid further than he should have, and slot 214 is lovely value for the quarterback. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick215
Rnd6
Evan Stewart
Good price on Evan Stewart in the 215th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It fills a real need, too.
Pick224
Rnd7
Desmond Reid
Desmond Reid in pick No. 224 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick237
Rnd7
Kevin Jennings
They went early on Kevin Jennings in the 237th overall pick, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.