(File Photo: Source for Photo: Navy running back Eli Heidenreich celebrates after being chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 230th overall pick during third day of the NFL football draft, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t know if quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return for his 22nd season in 2026.
If the 42-year-old decides to play, the four-time MVP will lead a team filled with fresh faces on offense. Pittsburgh used seven of its 10 picks in the NFL draft on that side of the ball, starting with offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round and ending it with Navy wide receiver/running back (and Pittsburgh native) Eli Heidenreich in the seventh.
“That’s how the draft sorted itself out,” general manager Omar Khan said. “We trusted our board and trusted our process.”
It’s the first time since 1976 that the Steelers drafted six offensive players among their first seven picks.
In addition to Iheanachor and Heidenreich, Pittsburgh chose Iowa guard Gennings Dunker, Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard and Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
“It was very refreshing to see need hit value,” first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said.
Trying again to find a young QB who’ll stick
The 6-foot-5, 228-pound Allar was once projected as a first-round pick, but has things he needs to clean up as he transitions to the NFL.
Allar helped Penn State to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, but the Nittany Lions struggled against higher-caliber competition during his career, going 0-6 against Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and Notre Dame.
Allar enters a quarterback room that already includes Ohio State’s Will Howard, taken in the sixth round last year. Howard suffered a hand injury in training camp and spent the first two months of the season on injured reserve.
The addition of Allar represents Pittsburgh’s latest attempt to find a young quarterback it hopes can become a franchise cornerstone, something it has lacked since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in 2022. Pittsburgh swung and missed on Kenny Pickett four years ago, while Howard remains a work in progress.
McCarthy said the addition of Allar won’t have any impact on the team’s willingness to bring back Rodgers, who guided the Steelers to the AFC North title in his first year with Pittsburgh.
“It’s about training the room together,” McCarthy said. “It’s great to have two really young guys that I’m extremely excited about.”
Bernard brings versatility
The Steelers hope Bernard can be a versatile complement to veterans DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.
The Steelers traded up to pick Bernard, Alabama’s leading receiver in each of the last two seasons. He has inside-outside position flexibility that McCarthy covets, and he caught 114 passes for 1,656 yards and nine touchdowns at Alabama with just three drops.
The Steelers acquired Pittman in March to play alongside Metcalf, who faced frequent double-teams last season.
Helping the return game
The Steelers addressed their return game in the fourth round when they picked Iowa wide receiver Kaden Wetjen.
Pittsburgh last scored a touchdown on a kickoff return on Dec. 31, 2017, against Cleveland. The Steelers’ last punt return for a score came against the New York Giants on Oct. 28, 2024.
Wetjen, an All-America returner as a senior, led the nation in punt return average. He has six career return touchdowns, including three punts and a kickoff last season.
This is the second straight year the Steelers drafted a pair of Iowa players. There are seven former Iowa players on the roster.
Heidenreich is a hometown hero
With the Steel City hosting the draft, the Steelers used their final pick to give Heidenreich an unexpected homecoming.
A native of Pittsburgh’s Mount Lebanon neighborhood, Heindenreich called the moment he walked from the green room in full Navy uniform onto the draft stage the greatest moment of his life.
“This is the greatest city in the world with the greatest people in the world,” he said. “I couldn’t be any happier.”
Heidenreich, who set the Navy record for receiving yards, hugged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former Steelers safety Will Allen before promising to help the Steelers win a seventh Super Bowl.
What’s next
The Steelers also picked Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette (third round), Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski (fifth), Notre Dame defensive tackle Gabe Rubio (sixth) and Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings (seventh).
The players will report for rookie camp early next month before Pittsburgh’s veterans join for organized team activities later in May.
