The Pittsburgh Steelers added two notable pass catchers in the 2026 NFL Draft. The first was Alabama WR Germie Bernard, who has the upper leg in becoming WR No.3 for the Steelers.

The second was a fullback, tight-end hybrid, Riley Nowakowski, who figures to be tight end No.3 in Pittsburgh. But there could be another tight end who makes noise this summer, and the Steelers didn’t even have to draft him.

Steelers sign TE Lake McRee from USC

Lake McRee was a second team all Big-10 seletion at TE in 2025. The issue with him has been health and durability. We know the Steelers are willing to take swings on players with health concerns. To learn more about McRee, I spoke with Ryan Roberts of A to Z Sports NFL Draft.

What are the Steelers getting from McRee

“With a checkered history of injuries, it wasn’t surprising to see McRee go undrafted. He can, however, present value to an NFL as an intriguing all-around tight end. While McRee isn’t the biggest tight end of all-time, he plays with outstanding effort in the run game.”

“He has an uncanny ability to win through traffic for contested catches, showing a very strong frame and firm hands. McRee is smoother than he is explosive, but also has enough juice to win up the seam. There is no flash to his game, but McRee still offers a very comfortable profile that could offer some potential to earn a roster spot. Efficiency is the name of his game.” – Roberts

I would have no issue with McRee making the roster as a valuable depth piece who can help the Steelers work out of their 13 personnel sets, but add some pass game efficiency. The more pass catchers the better for an offense that has struggled far too much in that department in recent years.