INDIANAPOLIS — With the 2026 NFL Draft class lacking top-end talent at the quarterback position, the Pittsburgh Steelers might turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball—starting up the middle. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the organization formally met with Ohio State nose tackle Kayden McDonald, the linchpin of a dominant Buckeyes defense that could see four prospects come off the board in the first round alone. The 6-foot-2, 325-pound behemoth already has several ties to the team, starting with his relationship with future Hall of Famer Cam Heyward .
"We have a great relationship—their family, my family. The Steelers are a great organization… I had a formal interview with them and felt really good about it." With the 37-year-old still playing at an incredibly high level worthy of All-Pro honors just this past season, there's a good chance that he'll be interested in running it back for at least another season. As for what that means for an incoming rookie, McDonald explained, "Learning from Cam, he's one of the best players to do it. Having him around, and Connor, just that brotherhood makes me think I'd fit right in with them."
After Ohio State was eliminated from the first round of the College Football Playoffs, McDonald took a second to unwind before the rigors of Combine prep ensued. The Consensus All-American and Big Ten Conference's Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year attended the Steelers-Ravens regular season finale to see his old pal Jack Sawyer . That duo, along with quarterback Will Howard , was integral in bringing home the National Championship to Columbus in 2024. McDonald was able to get a first-hand glimpse into the best rivalry in football, one that thrives on physicality and down-to-the-wire finishes, with Aaron Rodgers launching a go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute to secure the AFC North crown.
From the Steelers' perspective, it makes sense that they would be doing a reasonable amount of homework on McDonald, who is one of the few underclassmen in this cycle. Even after drafting Derrick Harmon with their first-round selection a year ago, Pittsburgh needs to continue thinking about eventual life without Cam Heyward. Keeanu Benton is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, leaving the team with an upcoming decision to make regarding his future. New head coach Mike McCarthy hasn't shied away from beefing up the trenches in previous stops; his Dallas Cowboys rolled the dice on a nose tackle in Mazi Smith with the 26th overall selection in 2023.
When you throw on the tape, it's abundantly clear that the Steelers haven't had a player this talented of this specific archetype in quite some time. Here are some of notes on his skill set below:
McDonald has a dense frame with truly outstanding play strength, making him well-equipped for clogging interior rushing lanes. He's got massive pop in his hands that detonates blockers backwards and has consistently shown that he can reset the line of scrimmage. The stack and shed ability is a real calling card already. McDonald has some naturally built-in leverage off the snap, keeps his eyes on the ball, and has the necessary movement skills to corral his target. McDonald has more experience playing both react-attack and attack-react assignments and can corkscrew down to anchor versus double teams, allowing his linebackers to roam freely. His biggest weakness in this regard is that he gets tunnel vision and can get sideswiped to the turf from time to time.
For as impressive as his film is at stopping the run, his pass-rushing repertoire is woefully underdeveloped. Even though he can create the initial surge off the ball, his pad level rises throughout the rep, draining his bull rush effectiveness. He's also not twitchy enough off the ball to get on guys' edges and lacks the lower body flexibility to bend through contact like the top interior rushers can. There are limited flashes of him using his hands to defeat the blocker, but those reps are few and far between. Ohio State took him off the field a ton in obvious passing downs, and with just 350 career opportunities, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he'll be a rotational player early until that part of his game evolves.
We saw the Detroit Lions select his predecessor, Tyleik Williams , in the first round a year ago, and there are certainly some glaring similarities between the scouting reports of these two prospects. From an evaluation standpoint, McDonald is an easy player to gauge. He's a ready-made run defender that can contribute and make an impact from day one. Unfortunately, he's mostly a non-factor as a pass rusher with questions about his overall ceiling. That's where the conversation shifts to more of a valuation discussion, whether this prototype is actually worth the 21st overall selection. Even in a relatively weak class overall, it's difficult to envision there not being better options on the table for them.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Massive Nose Tackle an Option for Steelers in Round One?
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