Steelers Now
The signing of Aaron Rodgers further signifies that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t punting on the 2025 season. But that hasn’t prevented them from acquiring the necessary draft capital to be ultra aggressive next spring. At this stage of the proceedings, the franchise is slated to receive four compensatory picks as a result of departures in free agency. Those trade assets can be used for a myriad of reasons, whether it’s trading up for a quarterback or backfilling other positional needs.
Roughly ten weeks from now, the first college football games will be under way, and the Steelers scouting department will be busy on the road. With the slow part of the offseason upon us, it’s worth taking a look at what a 2026 NFL Draft haul could look like for this team. For necessary context, the order of this mock draft is based on Vegas Super Bowl odds. Let’s have some fun.
The writing is on the wall for the Steelers to take a swing at the quarterback position next April, and hitting on the next franchise guy is their surest way out of the NFL’s middle-class purgatory. Mendoza, who is transferring from California to Indiana this fall, was my QB1 coming out of early summer scouting, and thus, he’s the pick here. After all, this is my mock, right?
The physical tools are intriguing: he’s got good size and a howitzer for an arm, but his advanced feel for the game is what makes him most unique amongst his peers. So many of his best reps last season came in high-leverage situations with a less than stellar supporting cast. He’s accurate, aspires to play on-time football from the pocket, all while still being athletic enough for the next level.
My favorite thing about Indiana transfer QB Fernando Mendoza is his ability to shred the blitz with quick post-snap decision making. The numbers back it up as well…
-9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
-8.7 yards per attempt
-2.56 time to throw3rd & 19 conversion at PITT… pic.twitter.com/xraIW4zj25
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) April 30, 2025
There’s obviously some projection baked in here with this sort of outlook. He needs to cut down on some of the negative plays, but you’d rather a young player try things and work through mistakes rather than have to be coaxed into aggressiveness down the line. Even if it requires a trade up into the top ten, the Steelers cannot afford to wait any longer to make a splash at the sport’s most important position. No more half measures! With the NFL Draft in their own backyard, this has a chance to be one of the more iconic moments in recent memory.
If we eliminate quarterback from the equation, there’s a solid argument to be made that cornerback is the second-most urgent long-term...
