The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the 21st pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and general manager Omar Khan has his work cut out for him if he wants that player to be a true difference-maker. This year's draft class is considered by the majority of analysts to be an average one, if not below average. That doesn't mean Pro Bowlers or even All-Pros won't be drafted beyond the top 10.
Even more important for Khan and the Steelers, however, is to avoid missing big. Whiffing on a first-round pick is a sure-fire way to end up in hot water with the fanbase and on the field, unless he could make up for it in the later rounds. Khan has already been put in that position once, missing on Broderick Jones in 2023 but hitting on the following four picks (Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, and Nick Herbig).
If the Steelers GM wants to avoid facing the same situation again in 2026, two Alabama standouts should stay far away from his first-round draft board. The risk involved with quarterback Ty Simpson and offensive linemen Kadyn Proctor is simply too high.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should let someone else draft QB Ty Simpson and OT Kadyn Proctor
While both of Alabama's top prospects carry plenty of risk, I want to focus on Simpson first, and for good reason. He has been the most commonly-mocked player by the Steelers this draft cycle, according to NFL Mock Draft Database, but he has far too many red flags to be selected in the first round.
He is undersized (6'1", 211 pounds), started just 15 games in college, and dealt with injuries in his lone season as the primary starter in 2025. That's a tough profile to get behind for any player, let alone one at the most important position. Fans of his game will mention his physical tools and his ability to attack the middle of the field, but it doesn't make up for his issues under pressure and lack of experience.
Proctor, meanwhile, comes with his own concerns. The hulking OT improved immensely in his final college season, but his lack of foot speed, thanks to his size (6'7", 352 pounds), remains a problem when projecting him to the next level. That 352-pound weight is also lower than his listed playing weight while at Alabama, and it jumped up to 358 at his pro day. It's safe to assume we are talking about a true 360-pounder, which is an extremely rare thing to see work out in the league.
He even lacks length for a tackle his size, as his 33 3/8" arm length is just 23rd-percentile. He seems destined to end up as a guard in the NFL, which isn't a knock necessarily, but it's hard to justify using a first-round pick on him if that ends up the case.
If I was in Khan's shoes, I would simply look elsewhere at pick 21.
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