We’re exactly two weeks away from the NFL Draft. Up until now, I have been pretty reserved when it comes to putting out mock drafts. I put out my first mock draft in December, primarily to serve as a time capsule marking what the draft market looked like at the end of the college football season. Since then, I’ve been holding back. After all, you can find dozens of mock drafts posted online, and it’s easier than ever to run your own. With such a saturated market, I want to make sure there’s a purpose behind any mock draft I put out.

I believe mock drafts are a useful tool, but often the mocks you find from NFL writers are slanted at predicting the first round in totality. That’s interesting, but I’m not sure how useful it is as a thought exercise. Certainly not for a team sitting at Pick 21 like the Steelers.

I want to take a more focused approach. That’s why this mock, and any others I cook up before draft night, will have a set of rules in place. These will be scenarios I will play out to see what it could look like if the Steelers were to go that route.

Yesterday in Read & React, Ryland Bickley and I wondered if the Steelers were as set on drafting a defensive lineman in the first as the fan base seems to think. Since the pro day circuit began, I’ve noted a few times that the Steelers seem to be diligently doing their homework on many of the draft’s top safety prospects. For this mock, I want to see what the Steelers might do if they chose to go with safety Nick Emmanwori in the first round.

The rules for this mock are simple: I must select Emmanwori at pick 21 and I will not be doing any trades. Before draft night, I’ll do another mock that examines a trade back scenario, but for now, I want to see how it could play out if the Steelers stayed put and took Emmanwori. I’ll also be drafting my version of “Best Player Available.” The Steelers have depth needs just about everywhere, so the only position groups I’ll be downplaying are linebacker and edge.

That’s enough preamble; let’s get to the picks. As always, I’ll be using PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator.

Round 1, Pick 21: Safety Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

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I spelled this out up top, but this is the pick we’re basing this whole thought exercise around. The Steelers had defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander work out Emmanwori at South Carolina’s pro day, and he’s one of the 30 pre-draft visits the Steelers have scheduled.

The Steelers have a history of valuing the safety position more than the rest of the NFL. Pittsburgh famously traded up 11 spots to take Troy Polamalu in 2003. They shocked most everyone in 2018 when they Terrell Edmunds in the first. Most recently, they traded their top pick in 2020 for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Emmanwori doesn’t have the improvisational genius of Polamalu or the Nick Saban-endorsed field vision of Fitzpatrick at this stage in his career, but he does have a freaky athletic profile that doesn’t come around often.

At 6’3 and 220 pounds with 32.5” arms, Emmanwori plays like a modern-day linebacker. That might be because he played when in high school. During his senior year, he was credited with an absurd 232 tackles, and strong tackling has remained a key part of his game. He’s shown growing comfort in zone and recorded 6 interceptions over the past seasons.

In 2025, he would likely compete with Juan Thornhill for the third safety role in dime packages. The two possess wildly different skill sets, however, so it might be more situation dependent. But with DeShon Elliott likely departing in 2026, the Steelers would have their replacement in wait.

Round 3, Pick 83: Defensive Tackle Joshua Farmer, Florida State

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With the Emmanwori pick out of the way, I was now free to play the rest of this mock out by feel. I initially thought I would go offense in this round — it is the side of the ball where the Steelers are the weakest after all — but as I looked at the list of players available, I saw a path where I could still land some offensive weapons I liked over the next few rounds. Meanwhile, this deep defensive line class was starting to dwindle.

With that in mind, I elected to draft Joshua Farmer, a player on the Steelers pre-draft visit list. The Steelers might feel like they can wait on a defensive tackle, but they’ve shown plenty of interest in players expected to be drafted in this range. In addition to Farmer, the Steelers have brought in J.J. Pegues, Yahya Black, Elijah Roberts and Jamaree Caldwell.

Farmer is an interesting prospect to watch on film. The highs are really high as he has certain traits you can’t teach. His 35” arms are his most intriguing weapon, and he has shown a knack for timing the snap. He’s got impressive power in his upper body, and when he’s at his best, he is an intimidating penetrator.

Farmer’s consistency will be his biggest question in the pros. He can play too high at times, and with his top-heavy build it can cause him to lose balance. If his first move as a pass rusher doesn’t work, he currently doesn’t have a deep bag of counters. He relies on his length and play strength to win, but he will need to develop some more pass rush moves in the NFL.

Round 4, Pick 123: Wide Receiver Tory Horton, Colorado State

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The Steelers could still use some firepower on offense. We finally turn our attention in that direction on Day 3. In recent years the Steelers have shown a willingness to bet on players who have fallen due to injury. That’s the case here with Horton who was one of the players highlighted my Draft Gems series this year.

Horton would likely have been drafted much higher had he declared for the 2024 draft, but he surprised many when he decided to come back to school for one more season. Horton said it was because he liked the direction the Colorado State program was heading and he wanted one more year to develop his skills before turning professional. Unfortunately, a knee injury in September and an unsuccessful attempt to return resulted in him shutting down his season in October. He finished his college career with 3,615 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns.

By all accounts, Horton was at full health in time to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and jumped a 37.5” vertical, displaying his explosive potential. Measured at just under 6’3 and weighing 196 pounds, Horton has similar physical traits to George Pickens and could be an eventual replacement if the Steelers and Pickens don’t agree to an extension.

Horton profiles best as a Z-receiver but has experience in both the slot and at X-receiver, giving the Steelers flexibility moving forward.

Round 5, Pick 156: Running Back Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech

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More than any other position, the Steelers have been kicking the tires on running backs with their pre-draft visits. Among those backs is Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten.

Tuten is lightning in a bottle in a dense frame. At 5’9 and 206 pounds, Tuten is a more powerful of a runner than you’d expect. Over the final two years of college, he forced 131 missed tackles, many which came from broken tackles. Tuten has ridiculous speed (4.32 40-time), but more linear of a runner than twitchy. He would thrive best in a wide zone system, which fits Arthur Smith’s preferences. He’ll need to work on his ball security after 9 fumbles combined the past two years.

Tuten also has Steelers ties, as he is the cousin of former Steeler Isaac Redman.

Round 6, Pick 185: Kyle McCord, Syracuse

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Kyle McCord has been my Day 3 qb of choice this year. The Steelers have been doing homework on this quarterback class and it was announced earlier today that McCord will be having a pre-draft visit with Pittsburgh. The team might draft a quarterback earlier than this, but regardless of how you feel about the value, the Steelers are forecasting they plan to draft one at some point this year.

McCord has shown he is capable of reading a defense and hitting backside progressions. When drafting a Day 3 quarterback, that’s already half the battle. McCord doesn’t possess the biggest arm or the most eye-popping athleticism, but he can throw the ball with touch to every level and section of the field. Whether or not the Steelers end up bringing in Aaron Rodgers or sticking with Mason Rudolph, McCord will provide a cheap depth piece for the next several years. He wouldn’t be as flashy as drafting the uber-athletic Jalen Milroe higher in the draft, but he’s light-years ahead as a passer at this point. I’ll take that happily from a sixth-round pick.

Round 7, Pick 229: Nickel Corner Jordan Hancock, Ohio State

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I considered going a few different ways with this final pick. The Steelers could use a tackle or guard, or maybe even a fourth edge rusher. However, I felt like the secondary was an area that could still use some boosting.

Nickel corner feels like a position that is far from settled. Ohio State’s Jordan Hancock played mostly at safety in 2024, but he spent most of the previous year playing nickel. We know how much Tomlin and the Steelers value players with positional flexibility, and Hancock provides that. He’s better in coverage than last year’s hybrid pick Ryan Watts, and he was credited with 8 pass breakups while functioning as a defensive chess piece for the national champion Buckeyes.

Hancock has average size at 6’0 and 195 pounds. He tested well at Ohio State’s pro day, registering a 41.5” vertical jump, 10’6” broad jump, and running a 4.42 second 40-yard dash. He doesn’t provide much pop as a tackler, but his 9.1% missed tackle rate would play well at the NFL level if he can replicate it.

Final Results

I’ve received feedback previously asking to include a final list of all the picks. I’ll do you one better and show a picture.

Feel free to ignore the PFF grades — or roast me in the comments, I can take it — because they are reflective of how much my selection differs from their big board. If PFF grades a player lower than where I took them, the result is a bad grade. That’s why even though Emmanwori has been projected to go in the first two rounds, PFF gives the selection an F because they have him 70th. I love using PFF’s Mock Draft tool, but I don’t always agree with how they rate players. So do with that what you will.

If you’re a fan of the trenches, you’re probably feeling a little underwhelmed. Farmer is a fun prospect, but there are more pro-ready defensive tackles in this draft. Offensive line was not addressed in this draft, which means the Steelers could be looking for depth from the UDFA pool or an aging veteran to add before camp this summer.

Overall, I’m content with this draft, though I’m not sure it would be my favorite result. We have a safety replacement for 2026, when the Steelers likely won’t have the luxury to take one with a high pick. Joshua Farmer is a traits guy upfront for the defensive. We added some firepower to the running back and wide receiver rooms with two players I like and believe can provide some explosive playmaking to the offense. Kyle McCord provides solid depth and could develop into more if the Steelers get lucky. And lastly, the Steelers find another versatile piece to add to the secondary, an area where they’ve had injury concerns the past few seasons.