Steelers NFL Draft winners and losers: Aaron Rodgers sitting pretty; Drew Allar, Will Howard on opposite sides

Steelers NFL Draft winners and losers: Aaron Rodgers sitting pretty; Drew Allar, Will Howard on opposite sides General manager Omar Khan added some offensive playmakers in the 2026 NFL Draft, but missed out on a key one By Bryan DeArdo Apr 27, 2026 at 7:32 pm ET • 9 min read Getty Images Rarely has there been this much disagreement about a draft class as there has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 draft class. The Steelers either had a terrific or awful draft, depending on who you ask. While the opinions have been extreme, there are a few things that everyone can agree on. The Steelers added depth on the offensive and defensive lines, got a much-needed receiver to complement DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and added another project to the quarterback room. Pittsburgh also chose not to add depth at inside linebacker, which was something they were expected to do heading into the draft. The Steelers also passed on the chance to add a potential impact player with the 85th overall pick to select a quarterback who may never take a meaningful snap for them. It should also be noted that the Steelers had one of the draft's most memorable moments when they drafted a Pittsburgh native and longtime Steelers fan in the seventh round (more on that later). Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at the Steelers' biggest winners and losers from a draft that won't soon be forgotten in Pittsburgh. RoundPickPlayerGrade1No. 21 Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State B+2No. 47 (from Colts)Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama A+3No. 76Drew Allar, QB, Penn StateB3No. 85Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia A3No. 96 (from Seahawks)Gennings Dunker, G, Iowa B-4No. 121 Kaden Wetjen, WR, Iowa C5No. 169 (from Chiefs)Riley Nowakowski, FB, Indiana B6No. 210 Gabriel Rubio, DE, Notre Dame C+7No. 224 Robert Spears, S, Oklahoma B+7 No. 230 Eli Heidenreich, RB/WR, Navy B+Winner: Omar Khan Khan deserves credit for getting off the mat after the Eagles and Cowboys blindsided him when Philadelphia traded picks with Dallas to draft receiver Makai Lemon, whom Khan was on the phone with before the Eagles intervened. If Philadelphia's move wasn't bad enough, adding insult to injury was the fact that Khan's phone call to Lemon was captured by cameras and quickly released to the public. The scene led to immediate criticism of Khan for lacking the foresight to trade up for Lemon, knowing the Cowboys weren't interested in taking an offensive player with the 20th pick. To Khan's credit, he made sure that history wouldn't repeat itself on Friday when he traded up six spots to draft wideout Germie Bernard, a player who has been lauded for his versatility and reliability. Before the draft, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson lauded Bernard as possibly the safest pick in this year's draft. Alabama WR Germie Bernard is headed to Pittsburgh 😤Steelers continue to add to a revamped WR room pic.twitter.com/2IpmSY0JlG— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 25, 2026 Khan didn't get Lemon, but in Bernard, he acquired a receiver who might be a better fit for new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio's offense. "We're very excited," Angelichio said of the pick of Bernard. "Germie is a tremendous person. I was really impressed with him on his 30 visit. His energy, his character, his makeup, who he is as a person. ... More than anything else, he's a clutch player. He's made a lot of big catches for Alabama in critical moments." Loser: Roman Wilson Wilson's lack of production during his first two seasons…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at CBS Sports.