richj12'S MOCK DRAFT
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Mock Draft 1

  • richj12 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Kenneth Grant Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (PIT)
Kenneth Grant
DT Michigan
Jayden Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 54 RND: 2 (PIT)
Jayden Higgins
WR Iowa State
Kevin Winston Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (PIT)
Kevin Winston Jr.
S Penn State
Will Howard Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (PIT)
Will Howard
QB Ohio State
DJ Giddens Head Shot
PICK: 130 RND: 4 (PIT)
DJ Giddens
RB Kansas State
Jack Nelson Head Shot
PICK: 176 RND: 5 (PIT)
Jack Nelson
OT Wisconsin
Que Robinson Head Shot
PICK: 185 RND: 6 (PIT)
Que Robinson
LB-EDGE Alabama
Ty Hamilton Head Shot
PICK: 228 RND: 7 (PIT)
Ty Hamilton
DT Ohio State
Bilhal Kone Head Shot
PICK: 229 RND: 7 (PIT)
Bilhal Kone
CB Western Michigan
Draft Picks Received
Jayden Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 54 RND: 2 (GB)
Jayden Higgins
WR Iowa State
Kevin Winston Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (BAL)
Kevin Winston Jr.
S Penn State
DJ Giddens Head Shot
PICK: 130 RND: 4 (DET)
DJ Giddens
RB Kansas State
Jack Nelson Head Shot
PICK: 176 RND: 5 (BAL)
Jack Nelson
OT Wisconsin
Ty Hamilton Head Shot
PICK: 228 RND: 7 (DET)
Ty Hamilton
DT Ohio State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (BAL)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (DET)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Dylan Fairchild Head Shot
PICK: 83 RND: 3 (BAL)
Dylan Fairchild
OG Georgia
Trevor Etienne Head Shot
PICK: 156 RND: 5 (GB)
Trevor Etienne
RB Georgia
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Players traded away
Head Shot
George Pickens
WR
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall D
ValueC+ NeedB+ TradesF FutureC+
The Steelers lost the trade table, and the D tells the story.

The DJ Giddens pick is the one that will follow the Steelers into the fall. They took him 41 spots ahead of his grade, and the board is not shy about saying so. The math is unkind, and the D follows.

Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. A whole weekend of picks and linebacker is somehow still a want. Landing Howard that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.

Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, linebacker very much included.

Pick Analysis
Pick21 Rnd1 Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant at the 21st pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick54 Rnd2 Jayden Higgins
No drama and no debate, Jayden Higgins went about where he belonged in the 54th overall pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick91 Rnd3 Kevin Winston Jr.
Kevin Winston Jr. in pick No. 91 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick123 Rnd4 Will Howard
They will replay Will Howard at the Round 4 slot for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick130 Rnd4 DJ Giddens
A swing that ignored the value entirely, DJ Giddens well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick176 Rnd5 Jack Nelson
They took Jack Nelson at par in No. 176, which is nothing to complain about. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Pick185 Rnd6 Que Robinson
Que Robinson at the Round 6 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick228 Rnd7 Ty Hamilton
They talked themselves into Ty Hamilton at Round 7, Pick 12, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick229 Rnd7 Bilhal Kone
They paid sticker price for Bilhal Kone in slot 229, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.