Steelers Now
Regardless of how the rest of the regular season unfolds with Aaron Rodgers under center, it’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be on the hunt this offseason for their next franchise quarterback. Headlined by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, the 2026 quarterback class is better than most are currently giving it credit for, but it’s admittedly dependent on a handful of inexperienced signal callers declaring early. How will those situations unfold? Only time will tell.
The bigger concern is that there are three quarterback-needy teams with multiple first-round picks, such as the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, that are guaranteed to be picking near the top of the order, with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams looming. Sure, Omar Khan and company have been stockpiling draft capital to give them more ammunition, but what happens if they’re simply left without a dance partner?
For years now, this is a franchise that has been stuck in middle-class purgatory for a myriad of reasons, none more critical than struggling to find a solution at the sport’s most important position. However, if the Kenny Pickett selection in 2022 taught them anything, they’ll realize that reaching for a need only sets you back further in the long run. With that in mind, what other positions could they look to address in the first round as an alternate route?
They could certainly use a cornerback, having drafted only one (Joey Porter Jr.) before the 7th round in the last six cycles. The left tackle spot remains a significant weakness and will most likely need to be upgraded at some point. There’s an argument to be made that the position where the Steelers need the most significant boost, aside from quarterback, is at wideout Luckily for Mike Tomlin’s club, this receiver class as a collective has seen a meteoric rise this fall.
Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson continued to assert his dominance prior to unfortunately getting injured again. Southern California’s Makai Lemon, a personal favorite, is deservedly one of the favorites for the Biletnikoff Award. Ohio State’s Carnell Tate has grown into a more well-rounded receiver and seems like a sure-fire first-round prospect at this point. Those are just some of the more household names in a talented crop of playmakers. By my estimation, the player that has helped himself the most this season is KC Concepcion, a former three-star and NC State transfer that has accumulated 787 receiving yards and eight touchdowns thus far.
Before arriving at Texas A&M, there was this perception around his game that he was merely this slot receiver that was electric with the ball in his hands but would need role catering before developing into more than just a gadget player. If you looked closely enough at his tape, there were flashes of much more than that, and now the 2025 film has confirmed that he’s a legit baller. Now playing a career-high 64% of his snaps out wide, Concepcion has looked unrecoverable for most of the season, even...
