Rather than select Alabama's Ty Simpson in the first round of Pro Football Focus' newest 2026 NFL Draft mock-up , the Pittsburgh Steelers remained patient. Mike McCarthy's team found its quarterback of the future — and maybe the present — in the third round, taking LSU's Garrett Nussmeier with the No. 85 overall choice.
The Arizona Cardinals grabbed Simpson at No. 34. He was the final signal-caller taken before Nussmeier, who won the MVP award at last month's Senior Bowl.
"He had a really good game and a solid week down there," NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said last week on a conference call. "Definitely helped himself. With the son of a coach, he's going to do great through the interview process and from, really, the end of the season forward. It was a nice, nice rebound for him.
"I think, to me, I like him as a third-round pick. I feel like that's a sweet spot for him. But we've seen in years past that guys can get elevated. Maybe there's a chance he goes in the second round."
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Athletics
Earlier in the order, at No. 21 overall, the Steelers netted a receiver to stick beside DK Metcalf , who defenses keyed in on all of last season.
"Pittsburgh's wide receivers combined to rank just 29th in the NFL in PFF receiving grade in 2025," PFF's Dalton Wasserman wrote Monday. "The Steelers would benefit from a consistent presences like Denzel Boston, who earned an 87.2 PFF receiving grade this past season. He also reeled in more than 61% of his contested targets during his Washington career."
Boston was the fourth wideout taken off the board, after Ohio State's Carnell Tate (No. 6, Cleveland ), Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson (No. 8, New Orleans ) and USC's Makai Lemon (No. 16, New York Jets ). Texas A&M's KC Concepcion (No. 27, San Francisco ) was the other first-round receiver.
With their other selections in the projection, the Steelers added Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor (No. 53), Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette (No. 76) and TCU safety Bud Clark (No. 99).
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Don't Hurry to Take QB in New 2026 NFL Draft Mock-Up
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