Q&A with Behind the Steel Curtain on Pittsburgh’s rookie class

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 24: A screen shows Drew Allar of Penn State after being selected 76th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers during Round Three of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Pittsburgh Steelers had what was, for them, a standard season in 2025. The team won just enough games to run Mike Tomlin’s streak of seasons without a losing record to 19 en route to the playoffs.

But as has also become the norm, the Steelers were one-and-done in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time, which led to a parting of ways with Tomlin. In his place is head coach Mike McCarthy, who hasn’t done much in the postseason since leading the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl in 2010. McCarthy is not the only new face in town, of course, as the Steelers added 10 players in the 2026 NFL Draft: Offensive tackle Max Iheanachor (Round 1) Wide receiver Germie Bernard (Round 2) Quarterback Drew Allar (Round 3) Cornerback Daylen Everette (Round 3) Offensive tackle Gennings Dunker (Round 3) Wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (Round 4) Tight end Riley Nowakowski (Round 5) Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio (Round 6) Safety Robert Spears-Jennings (Round 7) Running back Eli Heidenreich (Round 7) 2026 Class Pic 🙌 pic.

twitter. com/WfukTQphxD — Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 9, 2026 To get an idea of where the Steelers stand with their rookie class, we turned to Jarrett Bailey at Behind the Steel Curtain for a Q&A. Q: Overall, what is the general feeling about the rookie class?

Jarrett: I’m neither ecstatic nor underwhelmed by the rookie class. I’m a big fan of the Drew Allar pick and love what he could become, but the Makai Lemon debacle* will loom large for a long time if he ends up being a star. Hopefully, Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker turn into quality starters.