The 2026 NFL Draft has officially closed. The Pittsburgh Steelers put together a slew of polarizing selections, and that didn’t change on Saturday. We analyzed each pick and gave them all a grade for Day 3.

Round 4, pick 121: Kaden Wetjen, PR/KR, Iowa

In a Steelers class that has had plenty of headscratchers, there was nothing quite like Wetjen at 121. Let me be very clear, Wetjen is probably going to house a few kick or punt returns for TDs in Pittsburgh.

He was one of the most explosive and dynamic returners in the country during his time at the University of Iowa. So what’s the problem? Well, that’s all he really brings to the table. At 5-9 and 193 pounds, he totaled 197 receiving yards during his three years with Iowa. He’s essentially Calvin Austin III’s replacement, but without the pass-catching upside. Using a fourth-round pick on that sort of player, when the player himself said that he was surprised to get drafted that early, is well, head-scratching.

Final Grade: C-

WR/KR Kaden Wetjen said he was on the golf course and not expecting to be picked on the fourth round. "The plan was to kind of have everybody over tonight. Thankfully it happened earlier than we expected and I didn't shank it into the pond after I got picked.”

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) April 25, 2026

Round 5, pick 169: Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana

Funny enough, I mocked Nowakowski to the Steelers to start Day 3 of the draft here at A to Z Sports Pittsburgh, but I viewed him as more of a 7th-round pick. He immediately serves as a replacement for the recently departed Connor Heyward, playing as a hybrid FB/TE.

Final Grade: B+

Round 6, pick 210: Gabriel Rubio, DL, Notre Dame

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their legacy pick in the draft, selecting the son of a former Steeler and getting some potential depth on special teams.

Grade: C

Round 7, Pick 224: Robert Spears-Jennings, S, Oklahoma

Spears-Jennings was my favorite day three pick for the Steelers. He has true range to player over the top and be a centerfielder, but he can come down and thump, selecting him in Round 7 is great value.

Grade: A

Round 7, Pick 230: Eli Heidenreich, RB, Notre Dame

The Steelers saved arguably their best story of the draft for last. A Navy Midshipman from Pittsburgh, Heidenreich was in full uniform and walked the halls to the draft stage to greet Roger Goodell.

More than a cool moment, however, Heidenreich is a tremendous athlete, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he pushed Kaleb Johnson for the RB No. 3 role.

Grade: A+

View this post on Instagram