2 Players Who Could Be First Round Draft Picks in 2026: Pittsburgh Steelers Edition

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the only AFC North team to make it into the playoffs in 2025. However, they were quickly bounced out by the Houston Texans 30-6 in the Wild Card round, continuing a theme of mediocrity: Getting to the playoffs, then losing the first game. 

Losing to the Texans was the final game for the longest-tenured NFL head coach Mike Tomlin. He resigned not long after, ending what was 19 years as the head coach of the Steelers. Whether it was the end of the coach, we still do not know. The Steelers hired in his place, long-time head coach Mike McCarthy.

 One of McCarthy’s first moves will be to help make the 10-7 Steelers first round pick, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here are some potential options. 

WR Denzel Boston, Washington 

Despite his age, the Steelers are still building around 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers isn’t technically part of the team at the time of this article being written. His contract ran out at the end of last season. But the Steelers are very confident that Rodgers will return for at least one more season. It also helps considering that the quarterback class in this draft isn’t very good past future first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza and wherever potentially Ty Simpson lands. 

Thus, Boston. The Washington wide receiver was one of the best pass catchers in college football this past season. His name appeared in the conversation for the Fred Biletnikoff Award. So why the Steelers? The Steelers are one of the teams that lack a wide receiver depth. While they do have George Pickens, they don’t have much outside of that. They traded for Michael Pittman Jr. and have Roman Wilson. But neither give them the reliability that Boston has shown in college. Keywords: In college. If Boston could do this in the NFL, it would be set for the Steelers.