Don't let anyone convince you that the Pittsburgh Steelers were out to find the most talented players on the board when they were on the clock; this team was hyper-focused on filling positional needs. Now they just proved it once again by making the biggest reach pick of the fourth round.
With a plethora of talented players and future NFL starters still on the board, the Steelers turned in pick No. 121 for Iowa return specialist Kaden Wetjen.
To be fair, Wetjen was very good in his role. The undersized return man racked up 1,538 kick return yards and 954 punt return yards over the past three years with the Hawkeyes. Meanwhile, the Steelers needed a player who could boost the kick return game, and with Calvin Austin III gone, Wetjen can also assume punt return duties.
But this pick was a massive reach to fill a positional need—not the 'best player available' approach we all hoped for.
The Pittsburgh Steelers show drafting malpractice on Day with Kaden Wetjen pick
It wasn't that I didn't want the Steeers to draft Wetjen at all; it's that they took him entirely too early. According to FanSided's Senior Contributor Marcus Mosher, Wetjen was the 253rd overall player on the consensus board, and considering Pittsburgh selected him with the 121st overall pick, this is a colossal reach.
When the Steelers were on the clock, they could have had their pick of talented players like Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis, LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore, NC State tight end Justin Joly, or many others worthy of being drafted in the fourth round.
There's no question that Wetjen has a clear, obvious path to make the roster. This team lacks explosiveness and return ability, so he'll get the first crack at earning this role. However, some NFL experts gave Wetjen an undraftable grade, and they didn't need to take him this early.
For many fans, the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 draft class hasn't been ideal. Omar Khan needs to stop being so fixated on filling positional needs and start building the roster of the future by adding the most talented players through the NFL Draft.
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