Last week, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made headlines by strongly hinting in his weekly chat that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be interested in taking Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. At first, I didn’t really love the idea and wrote it off as a long shot. And while it still might be a long shot, the idea has grown on me. While I still don’t think it’s necessarily in the cards, I do think there’s a strong case to be made for why it would make sense.
Right now, the Steelers have two tight ends who played last season on the roster in Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. The team also has JJ Galbreath on a reserve/futures deal. With the value of tight ends rising, it would make sense for the Steelers to have three reliable tight ends on the roster. Even with noted tight end lover Arthur Smith out of the building, it seems likely that the Steelers will take a tight end at some point in the draft, and likely fairly early. The team brought in Marlin Klein for a pre-draft visit earlier this week, and Klein currently projects as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 selection.
That’s probably the sweet spot when it comes to the Steelers selecting a tight end. But if Sadiq is available, he’s a potential game-changer for the Steelers offense. With 4.39 speed, he doesn’t need to be used as a traditional tight end. The Steelers can move him around, split him out wide and use him in the slot.
I still have plenty of faith in Pat Freiermuth, but a two-tight end system with Freiermuth used more as a traditional tight end and Sadiq as a receiver would work well. Washington came on a receiver last year, and he can still be effective in the role he played last season even with Sadiq in the fold. Considering that the most-mocked position for the Steelers has been wide receiver, Sadiq makes sense as a tight end with receiver skills.
Jordyn Tyson has injury concerns, and there are questions about whether or not Denzel Boston is a fit in Pittsburgh’s offense. Omar Cooper Jr. has also been a hot name to Pittsburgh, but he very well may not last to No. 21. The same can be said for Makai Lemon and, obviously, Carnell Tate. It’s going to depend on who is still on the board, as does every selection. But if it comes down to Tyson, Sadiq or Boston, I could very well see Sadiq being the choice.
In our scouting report, Jake Brockhoff gave Sadiq an 8.6 (long-time starter) grade. Locking down a long-term solution at tight end with a true receiving threat and adding someone who can help diversify the offense makes sense to me. Mike McCarthy has had plenty of success in his career with a good receiving tight end, and while Freiermuth does fit the bill, adding a second weapon at the position can only be a positive.
I still don’t think Pittsburgh taking a first-round tight end is super likely. It would require Sadiq still being on the board, which is very iffy, and the team liking him more than whoever else may be available. But it’s an idea that I can get behind, even though I wasn’t a huge proponent of it initially.