Though best-laid plans for NFL drafts often go up in smoke once the picks start pouring in, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an outline of the positions they want to target beginning next Thursday night. Joining Rich Eisen Friday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac offered a rundown of what the Steelers’ shopping list looks like.

“If you’re looking for a pecking order, Rich,” Dulac told Eisen on his namesake show., “best I can tell, the way they want to approach the draft is defensive line, running back, wide receiver, and quarterback. And you can throw a cornerback in there somewhere.”

That order tracks with the Steelers’ pre-draft activity. They’ve shown the most overt interest in those four positions. Defensive line is a massive need after getting run over to close out in 2024 and failing to substantially address the position in free agency, the Steelers cutting Larry Ogunjobi and signing depth pieces like Daniel Ekuale and bringing back Isaiahh Loudermilk on minimum-caliber contracts.

While the Steelers have shown interest in the top quarterbacks, Dulac believes it’s their Plan B, repeating his belief the team will make a major move in 2026. 

“It’s only in the conversation if the other areas they want to address early in the first round, particularly defensive line, doesn’t work out for them,” he said. “I don’t see that happening but I’m not going to sit here and tell you they won’t take a quarterback.”

Dulac cited the team’s interest in the top four defensive linemen of this year’s class: Michigan’s Mason Graham, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant. Graham will be long gone by No. 21, leaving the other three as viable options. Pittsburgh’s visible interest in Nolen has been minimal, and he would break long-standing precedent of first-round draft history. He did not come in for a visit and didn’t have Mike Tomlin and/or the Steelers’ general manager attend his Pro Day (assistant GM Andy Weidl attended in their place).

Harmon came in for a visit while Dulac previously noted the Steelers flew up to Michigan’s Pro Day the night before, meeting with players like Grant, before flying back to Pittsburgh Friday for Aaron Rodgers’ visit.

If a defensive lineman isn’t drafted in the first round, Pittsburgh has shown interest in a slew of third- and fourth-round options like Florida State’s Joshua Farmer and Oregon’s Jamaree Caldwell. Running back has also been top of mind with the Steelers taking long looks at first-round candidates like North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Ohio State’s Treveyon Henderson to mid-round possibilities like Kansas State’s DJ Giddens and the University of Central Florida’s RJ Harvey. Nine running backs came in for pre-draft visits, making up nearly one-third of the team’s list.

Wide receiver isn’t an urgent need but WRs Coach Zach Azzanni was more active than any position coach on the Pro Day trail, attending three school Pro Days and the Big 12 workout the day the receivers took the field. With George Pickens and Calvin Austin III free agents after 2025, the Steelers could look to get a head start on finding replacements.

Though Dulac downplayed a first-round quarterback, Pittsburgh could target a mid-round option like Texas’ Quinn Ewers or Syracuse’s Kyle McCord. They’ve shown more tepid interest in cornerback but brought in three for visits: Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, and Minnesota’s Justin Walley.

With only six current selections, it’ll be tough to fill every need. And the draft can quickly turn plans on their head. A run on defensive line right ahead of Pittsburgh can create a domino effect the rest of the weekend. But if Dulac is correct and the Steelers’ draft goes according to plan, d-line and skill players will be the focus of the team’s early selections.