Entering the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, PA, the Steelers will look to retool and add to their receiver room after a disappointing last season. In 2025, the Steelers traded a 2o25 second-round pick and a seventh-round pick for DK Metcalf, but still ended up lacking a true No. 1 receiver.
When the Steelers acquired Metcalf, many fans were excited about the duo of him and George Pickens. Then the Steelers went a different direction.
On May 7, 2025, the Steelers traded Pickens to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder, leaving the room thin again.
The Steelers 2025 room consisted of Metcalf, Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek.
Now, with the draft coming home in 2026, the Steelers have the potential to add one or two talented receivers to a room making active improvements.
The Michael Pittman Trade
On March 13, the Steelers traded for former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., swapping late round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The trade came a year to the exact date that the Steelers traded for Metcalf in 2025, signaling that General Manager Omar Khan and the organization were looking to add a legitimate No. 2 option in the room.
Pittman spent six seasons with the Colts, totaling 485 receptions, 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns. He spent years playing with a multitude of quarterbacks like Matt Ryan, Daniel Jones, Phillip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, and many more during that six season stretch. During the 2023 season, Pittman had his best season with 109 receptions, 1,152 yards and four touchdowns.
Pittman joins a room with Metcalf, Wilson, and Skowronek remaining as the guys from the 2025 season. Even with uncertainty at the quarterback position, adding a guy like Pittman allows the Steelers to continue to build around a one-two punch.
2026 NFL Draft Receiver Visits
With the NFL draft on the horizon, the Steelers have continued to bring in top-30 visits like Alabama’s Germie Bernard, USC’s Makai Lemon, UConn’s Skylar Bell and Washington’s Denzel Boston, to name a few.
Bernard in 2025 took snaps between receiver and running back, displaying his positional versatility. Even with receiver Ryan Williams in the fold, Bernard hauled in 64 receptions, 862 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed 18 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Bernard was brought by the Steelers in on a visit on Monday, April 13, per Alan Saunders.
Lemon would be a welcomed addition to the Steelers with instant production should he fall to Pick 21. At USC, Lemon became the 2025 Biletnikoff Award Winner, catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lemon became the first USC receiver to win the award since 2012 when Marquise Lee won it.
The Jaguars drafted last year’s Biletnikoff winner, Travis Hunter, with the second pick due to his dual-threat ability to play both sides of the ball. The Cardinals drafted the 2023 winner, Marvin Harrison Jr., with the fourth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If these two have shown anything, its that these types of talents can come off the board quickly.
Boston finished his 2025 season with 62 receptions, 881 yards and 11 touchdowns and has taken multiple top-30 visits. He’s met with teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders.
The Steelers have also brought in Bell, Cincinnati’s Jeff Caldwell, and Kentucky’s Kendrick Law to consider options outside of the first round. Bell thrived at UConn after spending three seasons at Wisconsin and in 2025 he caught 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Who Else Should the Steelers Consider
WR Jordan Hudson – SMU Mustangs
Hudson spent one season at TCU before transferring to SMU for three seasons. He’s know to find the end zone, totaling 21 touchdowns between all four seasons. During the 2025 season, Hudson finished with 61 receptions, 766 yards and six touchdowns. He can be a tough tackle and his skills could perfectly blend in with the likes of Metcalf, Pittman, and Wilson.
WR Malik Benson – Oregon Ducks
Benson spent three season between the Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles and the Ducks and found success with quarterback Dante Moore. With Moore at the helm, he had 43 receptions, 719 yards and six touchdowns. His ability to stretch the field allowed the Ducks offensive to be productive and high flying. With Austin heading to the New York Giants, he could fill his previous role with ease.
WR Malachi Fields – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Fields stands a towering 6-foot-4-inches and would be a guy worth targeting if the Steelers want to play with bigger receivers. The Notre Dame product is not afraid to go up and make ridiculous catches, like he did against the Pittsburgh Panthers and in the Reese’s Senior Bowl Practice. Fields not only made highlight catches against Pitt, but finished the game with seven receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Before making those plays, he spent four seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers before making the move to Notre Dame. In his last seasons with Virginia he had back to back 800 yard seasons and had 10 touchdowns. In 2025, he caught 36 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns.
WR Elijah Sarratt – Indiana Hoosiers
If the Steelers are unable to land Omar Cooper Jr., landing Sarratt would still be a high quality pickup. Sarratt stands 6-foot-2-inches and spent his last two seasons at Indiana after spending his 2023 season with James Madison. In his two seasons with the Hoosiers, he’s totaled 118 receptions, 1,787 yards, and 23 touchdowns. Sarratt has shades of Keenan Allen and would be a great receiver who could move the chains to keep drives alive.
Steelers QB Situation
Even with the Steelers looking to improve their receiver room, the quarterback position remains uncertain. With no commitment from Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are the only quarterbacks on the roster. Howard was a sixth round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with no NFL experience and Rudolph is in the last year of his two-year deal he signed last offseason.
The Steelers will look to add a quarterback and have hosted Miami’s Carson Beck, Arkansas Taylen Green and North Dakota State’s Cole Payton on top 30 visits. Other quarterbacks like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar could also be in the mix as well depending on who Mike McCarthy wants to invest in.
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