The Pittsburgh Steelers' top decision-makers are at the NFL Combine to scope out the talent on hand in Indianapolis. Now the meetings are starting to pour in. We learned recently that the Steelers had a formal visit with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson after reported visits with some of the top cornerback and defensive line prospects.
But their top draft plans are already glaringly obvious after their latest reported Combine visits.
On Friday, as quarterbacks and wide receivers were speaking with the media, we learned that Pittsburgh's brass met with numerous receiver prospects at the NFL Combine—and not middling talents either.
The Steelers had formal meetings with top WR prospects like USC's Makai Lemon, Ohio State's Carnell Tate, and Arizona State's Jordan Tyson. Pittsburgh also had a formal meeting with Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion.
Meeting with all of the top players at a positional group is a clear sign that the Steelers are trending toward taking one early in the 2026 NFL Draft... and it's not hard to see why wide receiver is high on their draft radar.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up to take a WR early after the latest reported NFL Combine meetings
With DK Metcalf as the only proven wide receiver under contract for the 2026 season, it's easy to see why this will be a priority in the draft for Omar Khan and the Steelers. Meanwhile, the 2026 offseason presents a razor-thin crop of talent at the top of the wide receiver pool.
It always felt like the Steelers would address wide receiver through the draft. Now our suspicions are being confirmed with a cluster of Pittsburgh's formal combine meetings.
NFL teams get just 45 formal meetings in total, so for the Steelers to use several on receivers that will be outside their reach at pick No. 21 (like Carnell Tate) is a bold choice. It goes to show you just how dialed in they are on the receiver position at the Combine.
It's possible that a player like Tyson could fall to the Steelers for medical reasons, and Concepcion is expected to be on the board when Pittsburgh is on the clock. But to land a player like Lemon, Khan would likely have to trade up in the first round.
This is a realistic possibility, thanks to the Steelers owning 12 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. With this many picks, trading up at some point in the draft is pretty much expected.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will meet with other top prospects at important positional groups, but they just made their infatuation with the wide receiver group crystal clear. Expect them to address this early in the NFL Draft.