Welcome to The Terrible Take, a daily segment telling Steeler Nation what's on our minds.

I'm Melanie Friedlander.

The 2026 NFL draft is now just days away.

After months of player evaluations, all-star games, the scouting combine, pro days, and top 30 visits,

it's still not clear which player the Steelers are likely to select with the 21st overall pick,

or if they will trade that pick to move up or down. For years, head coach Mike Tomlin

provided clues to the team's preferences during the draft evaluation process. He was heavily

involved in every step of the way, spending time on the field during drills at the Senior Bowl,

making rounds for pro days,

and hosting players for dinner during his travels. With new head coach Mike McCarthy, there is far

less information to base any guesses on. Looking at all the mock drafts out there, from Dan Bruegler

and other NFL draft experts to Steelers beat reporters and our own Steelers Depot crew,

the general consensus seems to be that Pittsburgh will add players on the offensive side of the ball

in the first two rounds. Almost every draft published has a wide receiver and an offensive

lineman as the top two choices, not necessarily in that order. With three picks in the third round, most mocks have the Steelers taking two defensive players

and a quarterback. Beyond that, there isn't really a trend.

Mock drafts are just educated guesses, and most get blown up by halfway through the first

round due to trades that none of us saw coming. Up until a day ago, no one would have guessed

that the Giants would be

having two picks in the top ten, and the Bengals would have nothing to do on day one of the draft.

A lot can change by the time the Steelers are on the clock on Thursday night, and there will certainly

be some unexpected moves. With Pittsburgh serving as the host city for the draft, it's safe to bet

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