It didn't take much convincing to get the Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase behind the Gennings Dunker selection. Despite Omar Khan already taking an offensive lineman, Max Iheanachor, in the first round, the Steelers doubled up on the positional group with Dunker in Round 3. But the value was undeniably good—too good to pass up.
Dunker was the 65th overall player on the consensus board, yet the Steelers were able to snag the Iowa standout at pick No. 96 after a three-spot trade up late in the third round.
Since the end of his senior season in 2025, Dunker became one of the stars of the pre-draft process—and not just because of his flowing red mullet. Dunker was excellent at the Panini Senior Bowl and followed up his week in Mobile with a strong performance at the NFL Combine.
But PFF reminded us why we should love this pick even more.
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers' official X account referenced Dunker's Pro Football Focus grades. Over the past two seasons, the former Hawkeye earned an average grade of 90.0. This was good for second-best among all college offensive linemen during this span.
The Pittsburgh Steelers might have one of the steals of the draft with Gennings Dunker
While PFF grades by themselves shouldn't be the basis for a player evaluation, they are part of the pie that we should use to evaluate prospects, and this is a box Dunker checks with flying colors.
The elite PFF grade is just another factor on top of the already impressive profile to get excited about.
In addition to earning top-tier grades in the Big Ten since 2024, Dunker has prototype traits and physical tools, especially when you consider that the Steelers intend to make him a guard at the next level.
At 6'5'' and 320 pounds with an 82 1/'8'' wingspan and 10'' hands, Dunker has a picture-perfect size profile at guard. This NFL frame is paired with a 5.18 40 time, 4.63 3-cone drill, 32 1/2'' vertical jump, and 9'0'' broad jump. The combination of size and athletic traits gives Dunker an exceptional Relative Athletic Score of 9.56.
While there is always a bit of a projection and learning curve when you take a college tackle and move him to guard in the NFL, Dunker has more than enough traits, talent, and experience to pull off the transition.
Dunker is a high-floor prospect who also possesses a high ceiling, and his 90.0 PFF grade over the past two seasons is just the cherry on top of a player who is already being counted as one of the biggest steals from the 2026 NFL Draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google