Rarely has there been this much disagreement about a draft class as there has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 draft class. The Steelers either had a terrific or awful draft, depending on who you ask.
While the opinions have been extreme, there are a few things that everyone can agree on. The Steelers added depth on the offensive and defensive lines, got a much-needed receiver to complement DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and added another project to the quarterback room.
Pittsburgh also chose not to add depth at inside linebacker, which was something they were expected to do heading into the draft. The Steelers also passed on the chance to add a potential impact player with the 85th overall pick to select a quarterback who may never take a meaningful snap for them.
It should also be noted that the Steelers had one of the draft's most memorable moments when they drafted a Pittsburgh native and longtime Steelers fan in the seventh round (more on that later).
Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at the Steelers' biggest winners and losers from a draft that won't soon be forgotten in Pittsburgh.
Khan deserves credit for getting off the mat after the Eagles and Cowboys blindsided him when Philadelphia traded picks with Dallas to draft receiver Makai Lemon, whom Khan was on the phone with before the Eagles intervened.
If Philadelphia's move wasn't bad enough, adding insult to injury was the fact that Khan's phone call to Lemon was captured by cameras and quickly released to the public. The scene led to immediate criticism of Khan for lacking the foresight to trade up for Lemon, knowing the Cowboys weren't interested in taking an offensive player with the 20th pick.
To Khan's credit, he made sure that history wouldn't repeat itself on Friday when he traded up six spots to draft wideout Germie Bernard, a player who has been lauded for his versatility and reliability. Before the draft, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson lauded Bernard as possibly the safest pick in this year's draft.
Alabama WR Germie Bernard is headed to Pittsburgh 😤Steelers continue to add to a revamped WR room pic.twitter.com/2IpmSY0JlG
Khan didn't get Lemon, but Bernard may have acquired a receiver who will be a better fit for new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio's offense.
"We're very excited," Angelichio said of the pick of Bernard. "Germie is a tremendous person. I was really impressed with him on his 30 visit. His energy, his character, his makeup, who he is as a person. ... More than anything else, he's a clutch player. He's made a lot of big catches for Alabama in critical moments."
Wilson's lack of production during his first two seasons was among the main reasons why the Steelers needed to draft a receiver in the early rounds. Following a successful career at Michigan, Wilson caught just 12 passes during his first two seasons with Pittsburgh.
While he now has more players to compete with, the good news for Wilson is that -- despite Pittsburgh's new additions at receiver -- the Steelers are still not terribly deep at receiver, which means that he still has a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster this summer.
For that to happen, though, Wilson will need to make significant strides, especially when it comes to his consistency.
"Every play is watched from practice, so it's the attention to detail on the routes," Aaron Rodgers said of Wilson during the 2025 season. "I think that's sometimes lost. You might, even in a game situation, get so enamored with what a guy's doing, who's around the ball, getting targeted, but a lot of times things that happen in the succeeding weeks are because of things you've seen on film, on the backside of plays where a guy's not getting the ball, and you see the detail in the craft in the routes.
"The other day, he got the ball on Thursday, on a number of plays and that was positive. But there were some other routes on the backside when he didn't get the ball, where you started to see some of the craft show up, some of the detail in the routes that gives you confidence that you can trust. And so that's what it is."
Pittsburgh has aggressively improved the offensive side of the ball this offseason, including during the draft. This is obviously great for Aaron Rodgers, assuming the future Hall of Fame quarterback plans to play this season.
The Steelers specifically strengthened their receiving corps this offseason with the acquisition of Pittman and the drafting of Bernard, whose excellent hands and fluid route running (especially over the middle) should help him develop a quick rapport with Rodgers, who will need another reliable target after Kenneth Gainwell -- the team's MVP last season -- signed with the Buccaneers during free agency.
How does the Steelers' draft of Allar impact Rudolph? Mere moments after the Steelers drafted Allar, a report surfaced stating that the Steelers are open to trading Rudolph, the steady veteran who has never had a legitimate opportunity to be a team's starting quarterback since being drafted in 2018.
If Rodgers returns, it appears the only way Rudolph stays on the Steelers is if Howard either gets injured or struggles to live up to the hype. Pittsburgh could try to stash him on the practice squad, but that seems unlikely, as another team would likely pick him up.