NFL teams don’t have the luxury of waiting three years for first-round picks to develop anymore. Whether it’s fair or not, rookies are expected to contribute almost immediately, especially on teams expecting to win now like the Steelers.
Predicting the outcome of rookie seasons can be tough. Just look at my guesses last May. Let’s just say my crystal ball was a little bit foggy that day. But that won’t stop me from taking another crack at projecting the ceiling and floor for every Steelers rookie.
R1:21 – OT Max Iheanachor
Best-Case Scenario:
He wins the week-one starting job in training camp over Dylan Cook and proves that the “raw” label he was stuck with in the draft process was lazy analysis. In the process, he stabilizes a right side of the offensive line that many view as lacking entering the season, and helps the heavily-invested O-line finally turn into a top unit.
Worst-Case Scenario:
The knocks against him turn out to be true, and he needs time to adjust to the speed and technical requirements of the NFL game. In the few opportunities he gets due to injury, he displays many of the same issues that plagued Broderick Jones at his worst points over the last couple years. He never earns a full-time starting job, and has to treat his rookie season as a learning experience.
My Prediction:
Dylan Cook will exit camp as the starter, but with a short leash. The extra practice time before being thrown into the deep end will pay off for Iheanachor, and he will hit the ground running with a very impressive debut. By the end of the season, he will look like an early success story for the Steelers with sky-high expectations for the 2027 offensive line.
R2:47 – WR Germie Bernard
Best-Case Scenario:
He wins the competition against Roman Wilson in training camp and proves to be a bargain from the second round of the draft. Playing more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps, he continues breaking the rookie stigma with Aaron Rodgers (like Christian Watson did in 2022) and hauls in 35 passes for 550 yards and a few touchdowns. His performance lands him on the fast track to being WR2 for the Steelers and makes one of Michael Pittman Jr. or DK Metcalf expendable.
Worst-Case Scenario:
Rodgers and Bernard can’t get on the same page, and he becomes this year’s version of 2025 Roman Wilson while Wilson himself fills the WR3 role. He flashes in the few opportunities he gets, but Rodgers doesn’t have the patience in his final NFL season for rookie mistakes.
My Prediction:
Bernard and Wilson exit camp on even footing, but Bernard slowly pulls ahead as the clear No. 3 option as the season wears on. Rodgers finds his groove with Bernard in the second half of the season, and the rookie catches 20 passes over the final month to set up maximum hype for 2027. I expect a 400-yard season out of him.
R3:76 – QB Drew Allar
Best-Case Scenario:
He flashes in the preseason, stays healthy, and absorbs all he can from Aaron Rodgers.
Worst-Case Scenario:
Injuries strike and Allar is forced into action before he’s ready, throwing a wrench in the development program, and forcing him back to old habits that set him back.
My Prediction:
His preseason performance will be largely unimpressive, other than one or two deep bombs that give everybody hope for the future.
R3:85 – CB Daylen Everette
Best-Case Scenario:
He wins the top backup job over Asante Samuel Jr., which results in him starting a few games due to injury. His experience against top college competition proves useful as he posts a Joey Porter Jr.-like performance against at least one top receiver as a rookie.
Worst-Case Scenario:
He spends the season as a reserve defender and special teamer learning.
My Prediction:
Due to his solid fundamentals and tackling, he supplants Samuel and makes him expendable at the trade deadline. He plays about 25 percent of the defensive snaps for the season, including some opportunities in the slot, and sets up a big second year.
R3:96 – OG Gennings Dunker
Best-Case Scenario:
Transitioning from tackle to guard proves easier than expected and he puts himself in position to earn the starting right guard job at the first sign of failure from Spencer Anderson or Brock Hoffman. His play strength and nasty demeanor flash over the second half of the season and he helps power one of Pittsburgh’s best rushing offenses in years.
Worst-Case Scenario:
His technique needs work, and he spends his entire rookie season as a reserve offensive lineman, and maybe not even the first one off the bench in case of injury.
My Prediction:
Dunker doesn’t start a single game in 2026 as he learns the ins and outs of playing a new position in the NFL.
R4:121 – WR/KR Kaden Wetjen
Best-Case Scenario:
He breaks Pittsburgh’s TD drought in the kick return game and proves his fourth-round selection wasn’t a reach. He even gets involved on offense in a gadget role with clear upside there in the future.
Worst-Case Scenario:
The return game doesn’t improve any from recent years and the draft “reach” noise grows louder. The few experiments they attempt on offense with him flop, and his only value is as a return specialist.
My Prediction:
Wetjen won’t break any return touchdowns, but the average yards per return will increase from previous years. Getting him involved on offense will be tough with too many other mouths to feed in the passing game.
R5:169 – FB/TE Riley Nowakowski
Best-Case Scenario:
Nowakowski continues his clutch playmaking from Indiana and provides a new dimension to the offense as a hybrid fullback making plays out of the backfield. He helps pave the way for Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle and becomes a reliable lead blocker in short-yardage situations.
Worst-Case Scenario:
He doesn’t make the roster with Rodgers’ old friend Robert Tonyan creating a math problem in the TE room.
My Prediction:
Nowakowski makes the roster and plays about 15 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. When he’s on the field, his contributions become noticeable, and he catches a critical touchdown at some point during the season.
R6:210 – DL Gabriel Rubio
Best-Case Scenario:
He makes the roster, but mostly as a game day inactive all season.
Worst-Case Scenario:
He not only fails to make the team, but they can’t find a spot for him on the practice squad.
My Prediction:
Rubio wasn’t a very well-known prospect, so he can safely clear waivers and make it to the practice squad. The team may call him up as a game day elevation once or twice as a run stuffer if injuries strike.
R7:224 – S Robert Spears-Jennings
Best-Case Scenario:
His speed and special teams ability earn him a spot on the 53-man roster, where he gets to play about 15 percent of the team’s defensive snaps at safety due to injuries.
Worst-Case Scenario:
Tough roster decisions force Spears-Jennings to the practice squad in favor of Sebastian Castro and Darnell Savage.
My Prediction:
Spears-Jennings speed will turn a lot of heads at training camp, as it did throughout the spring, and the coaching staff won’t be able to justify cutting him. He will be a core four-unit special teamer during his rookie season and end with 10 or more ST tackles.
R7:230 – RB Eli Heidenreich
Best-Case Scenario:
He not only makes the roster, but he carves out a niche role on offense with his receiving skills. Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio really do “open up the playbook,” as they suggested after drafting him, and he gets 10 touches for 100 yards and a TD while becoming a key special teams contributor.
Worst-Case Scenario:
The team doesn’t want to part with Kaleb Johnson so soon, and the roster crunch edges Heidenreich off the roster. He doesn’t clear waivers, and another team with a creative and ambitious offensive mind gets him involved with great success, leaving Steelers fans more frustrated than ever.
My Prediction:
Heidenreich won’t make the 53-man roster, but he will make it safely to the practice squad. He will be called up primarily as a special teamer for all three of his possible elevations, where the Steelers will experiment with him on offense. He will then get signed to the 53-man roster in the middle of the season.