Despite their offseason addition of veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr., the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a need for a true No. 1 option at wide receiver. Unfortunately, it looked all along like the top three receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft would be off the board before the Steelers were on the clock with the 21st overall pick.
Underdog's availability odds predictor suggests that there is just a 25 percent chance that one of Ohio State's Carnell Tate, USC's Makai Lemon, or Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson will be available to the Steelers organically in the upcoming draft, and trading up felt like a must to secure a top receiver prospect.
However, the latest draft predictions from one expert suggest the Steelers will have a top-tier wideout ready to be snatched up at pick No. 21.
On Tuesday, ESPN draft expert Matt Miller made some early draft predictions with less than three weeks until the 2026 draft. Miller believes that Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain will fall outside of the top 10 selections. He also posted that he believes Jordy Tyson will fall outside of the top 20 picks.
This is something that Miller has doubled down on (he predicted this the week prior as well). And this is great news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should select Jordyn Tyson at pick No. 21 if he's still on the board in Round 1
The first thing we should all ask is, 'Why did Tyson fall outside of the top 20?'
This is justifiable, considering Tyson's extensive injury history. Tyson sustained a multi-ligament knee injury late in the 2023 season, which caused him to miss almost all of 2023. Then, in 2025, he dealt with a nagging hamstring injury that kept him out of multiple games.
But assuming the medicals check out, this should be an easy selection at pick No. 21 for the Steelers.
Tyson is an exceptional talent who many believe would have been a top-10 pick had it not been for the injuries. At 6'2 1/8'' and 203 pounds, Tyson has remarkable hip fluidity and movement skills for a big receiver. He's also an exceptional route-runner, and this combination allows him to create tons of space against cornerbacks at the top of his routes.
Though he didn't have elite college production, due to the injuries, Tyson bounced back from knee rehabilitation in 2023 to record 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024 (12 games). In nine games last season, Tyson managed 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.
If drafted by Pittsburgh, Tyson projects perfectly as a 'big slot' in Mike McCarthy's 11 personnel West Coast offense. He can be a matchup problem both from the slot and on the boundary.
With Tyson, it's not about talent; it all comes down to medicals. Because of this, the Arizona State wideout is a boom-or-bust prospect—there might not be any middle ground.
For a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have lacked a true WR1 for years, Tyson is the perfect gamble. We'll soon find out whether Matt Miller's prediction comes true, and the talented receiver indeed falls outside of the top 20 picks.
If he does, the Steelers should be all over this high-upside swing for a No. 1 wide receiver.