Pittsburgh

Steelers

Per Rapoport, the Steelers were actually on the phone with Lemon when the Eagles traded up with the Cowboys to acquire the No. 20 overall pick. The Eagles then tried calling Lemon, but could not get hold of him because he was on the line with the Steelers. Ultimately, the Eagles submitted the card anyway and came away with a new wide receiver. The Steelers instead drafted Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor one pick later. We expect the Steelers to be in the market for a new wide receiver on Day 2.

A high school basketball player from Nigeria who didn’t begin playing football until junior college, Iheanachor (6’6/321) still shows the raw edges of a late convert, but his natural movement skills and rapid improvement have made him a legitimate NFL prospect. In 2025, he logged 860 offensive snaps at right tackle, earning a 72.5 PFF overall grade with a 78.3 pass-blocking mark, while allowing pressure on 2.7% of his pass-protection snaps with four sacks. The athletic upside is obvious: Iheanachor posted a 9.86 Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 4.91s forty-yard dash, 1.74s ten-yard split, 30.5-inch vertical and 9’7” broad jump at 321 pounds. Those explosive numbers show up on tape through his lateral quickness, range in outside-zone concepts and ability to mirror speed rushers with the “basketball feet” that stem from his hoops background. With elite testing numbers, rare movement ability and limited football mileage, Iheanachor projects as a high-upside tackle prospect whose best football is still ahead of him if his pass-protection mechanics continue to catch up with his athletic gifts.

Howard and Rudolph have split reps so far in Pittsburgh’s offseason program. With Aaron Rodger still on radio silence, the Steelers are making do with their current quarterback room. Howard is a sixth-round pick from last year while Rudolph is a veteran backup who has started for the Steelers before. They are splitting reps, indicating Howard is getting developmental opportunities while the Steelers are keeping Rudolph ready with the offense in case the veteran needs to step in. Of course, all this could be moot if Rodgers returns, but for now Howard and Rudolph are getting equal starting opportunities early in the offseason program.

“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize,” the coach said, mythologizing Rodgers further. The question doesn’t feel like if Rodgers will return — the Steelers would feel a lot more desperate if they didn’t think he would return — but how many more blurbs we can make about him before he’s out there at training camp. Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are splitting reps with the ones early in the offseason program.

Jones played in just 11 games last season due to his injury and underwent fusion surgery in March. The team was already reporting that the former first-round pick may not be ready in time for training camp, but this latest setback raises his availability into further question. Schefter reports Jones will be examined later this week to determine where things stand, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones isn’t ready for the start of camp. Jones allowed 23 pressures and six sacks on 380 pass-blocking snaps last season, earning a PFF pass-blocking grade of 59.0.

With the Steelers opening minicamp on Monday, 2025 fifth-rounder Will Howard will serve as the team’s QB1. Rodgers continues to drag out a decision on returning to the Steelers for another season, but we know he has been in communication with Mike McCarthy, who said, “It would be a great story” to reunite with the quarterback he coached for 13 years in Green Bay. Rodgers will be 42 at the start of the season and threw for 3,322-24-7 in his first season with the Steelers. While he was able to lead the Steelers to a playoff berth, Rodgers threw for a pedestrian 146-0-1 in a 30-6 Wild Card loss to the Texans. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers take a shot on a quarterback at some point in the draft, but it was reported earlier this offseason by beat writer Gerry Dulac that it’s unlikely they would take a QB before the third round.

DeFabo notes that Steelers HC Mike McCarthy dropped a few clues when he said he likes quarterbacks with “big hands and long arms” and sometimes gets more excited about the floor than the ceiling. Beck and Penn State QB Drew Allar seem to be firmly on the radar for Pittsburgh, with Allar as the high-ceiling option to Beck’s safer floor. Beck could be targeted in the middle rounds.

The only QB not named Fernando Mendoza who is believed to have a chance to go in the first round is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who did meet with the Steelers earlier in the pre-draft process. As Pryor notes, the Steelers “continue to believe Aaron Rodgers will ultimately return for another season,” and that they will likely pass on a QB with the 21st overall pick. The Steelers currently hold 12 draft picks, which include four Day 2 picks. If they were to take a quarterback, it’s possible they would use one of those Day 2 picks to take a shot on a guy who would have a chance to redshirt his rookie season, presumably behind Rodgers, before having a chance ot start in his second year.

Bernard, a projected day two pick in the 2026 draft, also visited the Browns and Raiders earlier in the draft process. The 22-year-old tallied 64 receptions for 862 yards and seven touchdowns for Alabama last season, earning a Senior Bowl invite, though he did not partake in the event. He led Alabama in receptions for two straight seasons and has the production to be an impactful receiver at the next level. The Steelers and Falcons are both looking for WR2s while the Browns and Raiders need any pass-catching help they can get with young offenses. All four teams should be in play to draft Bernard once the second round begins.

Boston, who made a top-30 visit with the 49ers in late March, had 62 receptions for 881 receiving yards (14.2 yards per catch) and was tied for ninth in the FBS with 11 receiving touchdowns in his final collegiate season. Boston would make sense for the wideout-needy Steelers, who recently acquired Michael Pittman Jr. from the Colts. Alongside Pittman and DK Metcalf, Boston would create a big-bodied trio of receivers for Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to return for a second season under center for Pittsburgh. The Steelers hold the 21st pick in the 2026 draft.