The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach, in what will certainly be a polarizing move. While some may view this as a lateral move (or worse) after moving on from Mike Tomlin, this could end up being a great situation for both McCarthy (a Pennsylvania native) and the Steelers.
Now, the attention shifts to the offseason plan. The Steelers were in the postseason as AFC North champions in 2025, but there was way too much meat left on the bone. How will they attack the offseason from this point forward? Will Aaron Rodgers be back?
Working under the assumption that Rodgers will run it back for one more season under McCarthy, we're taking a shot at predicting the top three picks for the Steelers in the latest 2026 NFL mock draft.
2026 NFL mock draft: Steelers land a playmaker for Aaron Rodgers with top pick
1. 21st overall: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
If the Steelers are able to come away from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, they should consider themselves lucky. This is not the best year in terms of blue-chip talent for the NFL Draft, so being able to get a playmaker with Lemon's skill set and productivity in the back half of round one would be a steal.
It just felt like Lemon caught everything thrown his direction this past season at USC, where he earned his first All-American honors and caught 11 touchdowns.
The Steelers have been desperately searching for receiver help to pair someone with DK Metcalf, and how funny would it be if they took a receiver in the 1st round in McCarthy's first year on the job as their head coach? Maybe that would only be "funny" to Packers fans...
2. 53rd overall: Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State
The Steelers ranked 29th in the NFL in total pass defense this past season. We saw them go out and make the trade to bring in Jalen Ramsey, but he will be 32 this coming season.
They tried bringing in so many veterans for the secondary to help keep that part of the team as strong as possible, but it just didn't work. Guys like Darius Slay and Asante Samuel Jr. looked rough in limited action.
They need more playmakers in the defensive backfield and Keith Abney II is coming off of a season where he had a pair of interceptions as well as a pair of forced fumbles.
3. 76th overall: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
You don't always see teams go into an NFL Draft and just try to kill a need with fire, but the Steelers can't risk the possibility of any sort of fall-off at the receiver position in case of injury. They need to absolutely flood that room with playmakers, and few players saw their stock rise this season as much as Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana.
Cooper had 13 touchdown receptions as a key piece of Fernando Mendoza's receiving corps, and really started to show his dynamic playmaking ability when he averaged over 21 yards per reception in 2024.
The Steelers need more than just one more wide receiver to add to the mix if they want to get further in next year's postseason. This guy can help.