When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers' front office, general manager Omar Khan takes the brunt of the praise and the criticism for the team's roster moves. But don't forget about Andy Weidl. The assistant GM has a critical job in Pittsburgh's front office, as he's tasked with assembling the team's draft board.
Weidl, the former director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles, recently spoke to the media, where he quietly revealed the Steelers' strategy for the 2026 NFL Draft.
"We're in the pick business," Weidl said, via Pittsburgh Sports Now's Brian Batko. Weidl pointed out that every pick you have is another swing you get and another chance to find impact players.
"Everyone's talking about the quarterback class.," Weidl added. "Time will tell."
Though the majority of the Steelers fanbase believes Pittsburgh's front office is destined to package a cluster of their projected 12 draft picks next April to move up for a quarterback, Weidl doesn't necessarily see it that way. Instead, Weidl seems determined to take the same approach that helped build a championship roster for the Eagles before joining the Steelers.
Andy Weidl wants the Pittsburgh Steelers to have as many dart throws as possible in the 2026 NFL Draft
As the director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles under GM Howie Rosman, Weidl was tasked with constructing the team's draft board. Though Weidl and his team had their share of misses in the NFL Draft, he knew that more picks meant more chances to hit.
Between the 2021 and the 2022 NFL Drafts—just before joining the Steelers as the assistant general manager—Weidl made 14 selections. With these picks, the Eagles landed pivotal players like DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Milton Williams, Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, and Nakobe Dean.
Weidl had learned his lesson from a few years earlier in 2019 when the Eagles had just five selections and used them on Andre Dillard, Miles Sanders, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Shareef Miller, and Clayton Thorson.
Weidl understands that not every pick is going to turn into a superstar, but much like Eric DeCosta, the GM of the Baltimore Ravens, he knows that the more dart throws you have in the draft, the more likely your team is to find great talent.
This isn't to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers won't trade up for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it's important to note that Weidl views these selections as valuable resources to find the future talent of this roster.
We've still got a long time to wait until next April's draft, but assistant GM Andy Weidl may have already tipped his hand as to the Pittsburgh Steelers' draft strategy next year... and it involves making a lot of selections.