With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, mock draft season is in full swing. The number of variations among mock draft simulators available can be a little overwhelming. For my Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft 1.0, I opted for the PFSN model with the PFF board option.
I also chose to go three rounds, with one accepted trade that made things even more interesting. I opted to not only draft based on consensus team needs, but also was willing to go “best available” at the position I was drafting in. Here are my results.
Round 1
The Chicago Bears came knocking, offering to trade pick 21 and 121 for pick 25 and 60. I liked the idea of giving up a later round for better options up front and accepted the deal.
Pick 25: Olaivavega Ioane (OG, Penn State)
I have had strong feelings that the Steelers would select an offensive lineman in the first round – even before free agency – and wrote an article dedicated to that. Ioane wasn’t necessarily at the top of my list entering the mock, though. PFF has Ioane rated higher than other players at the position than other outlets, which may have played into why he has shown up quite a few times on other analysts’ mocks as well.
Ioane would be a solid fit for the Steelers. At 6’4″, 330 pounds, Ioane fits the ideal profile of an interior lineman in the NFL, and one issue the Steelers had in 2025 was keeping the pocket tight and creating consistent run blocking. PFSN assessment said he has decent “lateral mobility to pair with natural leverage, overwhelming hand power and torque, and impressive two-phase awareness; he’s a rangy, angle-sound, and assignment-sound run blocker who cancan generate copious amounts of movement. A certified mauler and people-mover with a great physical foundation and a technically-sound two-phase profile.”
Rounds 2-3
Pick 53: Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana)
Bypassing receiver with the first pick meant that some of the more notable players tied to visits with the Steelers were off the board. Still, WR is a need for the team.
At 6’2″, 209 pounds, Sarratt fits the physical build Mike McCarthy reportedly desires in receivers. Sarratt has been a high producer since 2022, and with the Hoosiers in 2025 he caught a career-high 15 TD receptions. Considered by PFSN to be a “deadly catch-point and red-zone threat against the highest level of competition,” Sarratt would fit well with D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. His ability to block soundly also makes him as tantalizing as his usage versatility.
Pick 60: Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech)
Going after a second-level linebacker here might not have been something anyone else would have considered due to the return of Cole Holcomb. I still feel the Steelers are missing a middle linebacker with both skills in coverage and run-stopping.
At 6’1″, 231 pounds, Rodriguez has good size and his 2025 stats were astounding. He earned 128 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, six pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles, and an elite 90.1 PFSN LB Impact grade.
Winner of the Nagurski, Lombardi, Butkus, and Bednarik Awards, named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and an exceptional Senior Bowl showing, Rodriguez fits that mold of traditional Steelers linebackers.
Pick 76: Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State)
The 6’3″, 203 pound Wheatley joined the Nittany Lions as a redshirt in 2021 and rotational player following Jaquan Brisker‘s departure via the draft in 2022 (the same Brisker who just joined the Steelers as a free agent). In 2024, Wheatley started all 16 games, logging 96 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, a sack, three interceptions, and four pass breakups (PFSN Safety Impact grade of 84.2).
PFSN wrote of Wheatley: “A long and lean defensive back with elite explosive athleticism and impressive propulsive hip sink for his size. He’s capable of managing space and hovering overtop route concepts in two-high looks, and serves as a high-quality run support presence in the box with his quick processing, closing speed, and sure tackling. As a playmaker, Wheatley is more consistent working top-down as an interception threat than he is as a deflection producer, and he maxes out in space over longer stretches. But as a split-field strong safety, Wheatley has the size, explosion, processing, half-field range, and support utility to be a quality starter.”
Pick 85: Skyler Bell (WR, UConn)
With the additional early picks due to accepting the trade in my mock with the Bears, I opted to double-dip at receiver.
Bell, at 6’0″, 192 pounds, transferred to UConn from Wisconsin for more playing time. In his first season with the Huskies (2024), Bell set career-highs in all metrics but blew up big the next season. In just his first nine games, Bell hit the 1,000 yard mark; he finished the year with 101 catches, 1,278 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a near-elite PFSN WR Impact score of 85.
Boasting one of the most complete three-level threat frameworks in the 2026 class, Bell is “explosive and energized as a mover, with a full route tree, vertical splicing, steely ball tracking… with inside-outside versatility,” per PFSN.
Pick 99: Austin Barber (OT, Florida)
If we are going to build and deepen depth, why not have the Steelers double-dip in the offensive trenches, too?
Barber is one of the more seasoned offensive line prospects with reps at both left and right tackle in 26 games prior to the 2025 Gators season; he added 12 at left tackle last year.
At 6’5″, 314 pounds, with “stellar length and proportional mass, Barber passes the ideal size thresholds, and he’s an explosive, nimble athlete who covers ground with ease out of his stance.” His level of comfort had him standing out in PFSN metrics.
Summary
By trading the picks, I got the opportunity to add more to the front of my Steelers mock draft. Pittsburgh may not get that opportunity in real life. Ioane could still be the Steelers’ Round 1 target, however.