The marathon is almost over, Steelers fans. After another long cycle, the anticipation that’s been building since the NFL announced Pittsburgh would host the 2026 NFL Draft will finally be relieved tomorrow night.

Once again, both of us have been grinding to bring you all the info you’ll need to be prepared for draft weekend. And to neatly wrap things up, we’ve brought back the second annual NFL Draft’s Eve Extravaganza. This column is our way of getting the last of our draft takes out into the world, and to do one final review of what we know about the Steelers’ process this year.

We’ll be averaging our rankings all 33 of Pittsburgh’s pre-draft visitors, and then shouting out our “My Guys” for each position group. This will be a meaty one, so let’s not waste any more time.

RB: Ioane is a pro-ready guard who isn’t the greatest athlete for his position, but still easily a first-round talent. He’s powerful with great pad level and heavy hands. An instant fix for the Steelers’ hole at left guard — and likely some Pro Bowls down the road.

RP: The first profile I wrote this draft season, Makai Lemon is one of the most interesting characters of this draft class. Beyond giving a master class on the Kubrick Stare at the NFL Combine podium, Lemon has been subject to questions about what his fit in the NFL will be. Watch his tape, and you see that Lemon is a gritty pass catcher with sure hands and a knack for generating yards after catch despite relatively average long speed. He was the heartbeat of the USC offense this year. But there are questions about whether he will be a slot-only player, and how valuable that is. After all, Lemon is commonly compared to Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fourth-round pick. The Steelers praised Lemon pretty openly at a recent press conference, but Mike McCarthy has also preached the importance of having players who can play multiple positions and fill multiple roles. If the Steelers draft him, they must believe he can play outside and hold his own as a blocker.

RB: Fano’s just-over-32-inch arms likely forecast a move to guard in the NFL, but many still have him as the top overall lineman in this class. His game is built on athleticism, footwork, and strong technique, even if he’s not quite the mauler Ioane is. I like Fano the most in a zone-based offense, but his overall scheme and position versatility  make him a promising option for most teams in need of offensive line help.

RP: We’ve covered Emmanuel McNeil-Warren pretty extensively in the past couple of weeks, so I’m sure most of you are familiar with the selling point. McNeil-Warren looks like a Madden-created player, standing 6’3 and 201 with a 781/4” wingspan. A three-year starter, McNeil-Warren created 16 turnovers (11 forced fumbles, five interceptions) during his college career. His best role is as a robber in Cover-2, where he can play enforcer over the middle of the field, but he’s an impact player from the slot and playing the post. There’s debate about whether a safety is worth a first-round pick, but McNeil-Warren’s tape is brimming with big hits and big plays, and I, for one, think Steelers fans will warm to him quickly the first time he lays a lick on a crossing receiver.

RB: In a lesser cornerback class — and maybe if he didn’t play at San Diego State — Chris Johnson would be getting a lot more hype. I look for fluidity and quickness first when watching corners, and Johnson has both in spades. He’s ridiculously talented in coverage with great athleticism (9.82 RAS) and boundary/slot versatility. He should be in the first-round conversation more.

RP: I got to watch Denzel Boston in person a few times this year, and each time I came away believing I had just watched an NFL-level talent. Boston is not a burner, which makes him less sexy in the eyes of a lot of fans, but Boston is a better player than many of his detractors are giving him credit for. I think he’s a better separator than he gets credit for. I think Boston has a knack for getting open late in a route, and the quarterback play at Washington did him no favors. Boston would often pop open only for Demond Williams Jr. to throw the ball back into coverage with an errant throw. And to Boston’s credit, he was a masterful contested catch winner who won with strong hands through the catch point. He also adds something as a blocker, which would allow the Steelers to field a hard-nosed 11 personnel grouping of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Boston.

RB: Rutledge was one of my earliest “my guys” in this class. He’s a mauling guard with plus athleticism who’s at his best as a puller in a gap scheme. His anchor is impressive in pass protection, and he’s shown some great ability sealing off lanes on zone runs. He could still improve his footwork and balance a bit, but he has more upside than most give him credit for.

RP: Stukes is an older prospect (he’ll turn 25), but he’s one of the most electric defensive playmakers in the draft. Some teams will want him to play nickel corner — where he had most of his snaps in college — but others will like him more at safety. He missed 2024 because of a knee injury, but then had arguably one of his best seasons in his college career after returning a few games into the 2025 season.

Why Treydan Stukes is flying up draft boards pic.twitter.com/LSNOkYCLG6

RB: Bernard is the classic high-floor, not-great ceiling receiver in this year’s class. He’s a multi-level threat as a route runner, and after the catch he’s surprisingly productive with great contact balance. His average long speed and uninspiring contested catch ability limit his big-play ability, but Bernard looks like an immediate WR3 and a long term WR2.

RP: A fan favorite and one of the most magnetic players at this year’s Senior Bowl, Rodriguez is a slightly undersized linebacker who has a nose for the ball. The green dot for the dangerous Texas Tech defense, Rodriguez created 18 turnovers (12 forced fumbles, six interceptions) during his college career, including seven forced fumbles and four interceptions in 2025. He’ll need to shore up his run fits as a pro, but he’s flashed a ton of potential in pass coverage.

RB: Another underrated cornerback in this year’s class, Muhammad is surprisingly fluid despite his lanky build with good eyes in zone and strong matching ability in man. His slender build does lead to some questions as Muhammad was often pushed around in run support. That physicality will also get called into question against big NFL receivers. But he’s surprisingly sound as a cover corner despite his mid-to-late Day 2 ranking on boards.

RP: Burke is a monster of a man, standing 6’9 and 332 pounds with over 34” arms and an 833/8” wingspan. One of the most requested players for pre-draft visits this cycle, the appeal is easy to see with the Memphis product. Burke has a mean streak and relishes any opportunity to knock a defender to the ground, and he’s a better mover than you’d expect for someone as massive as he is. Players of his height will always have pad level and leverage concerns, and while he showed he can climb in the running game, his form and footwork are better before he gets too far out into space. He’s not a fully finished product, but the right staff could mold him into a starter.

RB: We hand-wring plenty about offensive tackle arm length this time of year, and then there’s Markel Bell, built like a Pacific Rim Jaeger at 6’9 and 346 pounds with 36-inch (!!!) arms. The problem is that due to his height he’s often quite literally playing down to his competition, and his agility isn’t the best. Still, Bell is well-built for his size and a massive, powerful presence who can really push a pile. Bendier rushers are always going to be a problem, but the colossal Bell checks the most important box for an offensive tackle: he’s hard to run around.

RP: A name that should be familiar to Pittsburgh residents, Louis was an Energizer Bunny on defense for the Pitt Panthers. A linebacker in college, a lot of teams will have Louis projected as a slot defender/safety at the NFL level. Louis is undersized for a linebacker, but he’s shown tremendous upside in the slot against the run, as a blitzer, and in providing coverage against tight ends and slot receivers.

RB: The knock on Stephens is that he lacks elite traits, with his length (just-over-31-inch arms) being the most worrisome. But he still checks a lot of boxes for a consensus mid-rounder. His technique is excellent, with fantastic posture and pad level with excellent drive and over-the-top effort in the run game. Stephens isn’t a great athlete, but he’s mobile enough to be highly effective working to the second level on zone runs. He also has a real mean streak finishing blocks. There are some definite caps to Stephens’ ceiling, but he’s the classic fourth-rounder to long term starter at guard.

RP: A run stuffer with a still-developing pass rush skillset, Jackson’s nearly 35” arms and 86” wingspan are his calling cards. Jackson has had to overcome adversity in recent years as he was forced to miss all but one game in 2023 after the NCAA ruled him ineligible following a transfer to Florida State from Miami to be closer to his mother, who was battling a serious illness. Despite this, Dane Brugler reported that scouts said Jackson was a “positive influence” in a locker room that has been going through some challenging seasons as of late. Learning behind Sebastian Joseph-Day and Cam Heyward for a year would be like getting a post-grad degree in stopping the run professionally, and could have Jackson ready to be an impact player in 2027.