Early in the pre-draft process, it felt like wide receiver was the top prize for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft. With no quarterback worthy of the selection and with a glaring hole alongside DK Metcalf, receiver felt like a critical need for Mike McCarthy's new offense.
The trade acquisition of Michael Pittman Jr. could force the Steelers to rethink their Round 1 plans. Along with Pittman at receiver, Pittsburgh loaded up at depth in the secondary in free agency with players like Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Jaquan Brisker, and Darnell Savage.
Now finding a replacement for Isaac Seumalo at left guard suddenly looks like one of the most pressing needs on the roster... and Mel Kiper Jr. has just the right guy for Pittsburgh.
On Tuesday, Kiper dropped his latest 2026 NFL mock draft. With the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Kiper has the Steelers turning their card in for Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. Kiper's reasoning is simple.
"...Pittsburgh can try to replace Isaac Seumalo, who signed with the Cardinals. Ioane is the top pure guard in the class, with the power to physically move pass rushers out of the way and the light feet to erase second-level defenders. He didn't give up any sacks last season."
Kiper also noted that the Steelers could be in on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, but in this mock, the renowned NFL Draft expert has Simpson going to the New York Jets at pick No. 16.
Vega Ioane would be the perfect replacement for former Pittsburgh Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo
Oaivavega Ioane (or 'Vega', as he's often referred to in NFL Draft circles) is the best true guard prospect in the 2026 class. The imposing offensive guard got better in each of his three starting seasons at Penn State and put together exceptional tape in 2025.
At the 2026 NFL Combine, Ioane only helped his cause when he measured in at 6'4 1/4'' and 320 pounds with an 80 5/8'' wingspan and massive 10 1/2'' hands. Vega proceeded to show off his second-level explosion with an impressive 31 1/2'' vertical jump (87th percentile among NFL guards at the combine since 1999, per MockDraftable's database).
While Ioane is a quality run blocker with good feet and tenacity in space, his bread and butter is in pass protection, where he can mirror and stonewall defensive tackles, creating a picture-perfect pocket for the quarterback to step up.
In 2025, Vega earned an excellent 87.0 pass block grade with an outstanding 90.9 true pass set block grade, per Pro Football Focus. The collection of size, athletic traits, tape, and analytics suggests he's one of the can't-miss prospects in this draft class.
The counterargument against Ioane is that, at the end of the day, he's a guard-only prospect. And it's relatively easy to find starting caliber guards in free agency or the NFL Draft—just think about recent Steelers guards like James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, and Mason McCormick.
Still, Vega Ioane could be a foundational piece of the offensive line for a decade in Pittsburgh. With the Steelers filling some of their biggest roster holes in free agency, taking the talented Penn State guard is certainly on the table for Omar Khan in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.