All of the talk is going to about Aaron Rodgers' likely last season in the NFL, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fan base are undoubtedly already asking the question, "what's next?"
As we take an early look ahead at the 2026 NFL Draft, let's see just how aggressive we can get in helping Pittsburgh address their future.
This assumes the Steelers finish in the middle of the pack in 2025, which wouldn't exactly be ideal, but Pittsburgh starts out holding the no. 19 overall pick in this instance. From there, they get serious about rebuilding as quickly as possible.
The Steelers go all-in on their future with this 4-Round 2026 mock draft
To kick things off, the Steelers trade all the way up to the no. 3 overall pick in the draft, striking a deal with the Tennessee Titans.
And, with that no. 3 overall pick, the Steelers go with their next franchise quarterback, Clemson's Cade Klubnik.
Klubnik comes in as arguably the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft along with the likes of Arch Manning. He's about as polished as you could want in a rookie quarterback, and Pittsburgh very well just got themselves their starter for the next decade.
With their next pick coming in Round 3, the Steelers once again work a trade, this time with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers receive pick no. 90 in the third round and no. 123 in the fourth round while giving up picks no. 76 and 212 overall.
With that third rounder, the Steelers take the best player on their board, which happened to be Wisconsin offensive tackle Riley Mahlman. In Mahlman, the Steelers get another young, talented tackle to jump into the mix with a pair of first rounders like Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones.
Taking an offensive lineman from Wisconsin is also as good of a bet there is in football.
With their second pick in the third round, the Steelers get an ultra-efficient wide receiver to pair with DK Metcalf for the foreseeable future in USC's Makai Lemon. The Trojan has excelelnt hands and is one of the best slot receivers in the nation, having a special talent for making plays after the catch.
With their first of two picks in the fourth round, the Steelers continue adding around Klubnik with guard Febechi Nwaiwu out of Oklahoma. The 6-foot-4, 324-pound Sooner could come in and be a starter from Day 1.
Obviously, with Minkah Fitzpatrick's exit, the safety position could see some more change in the coming year. For that reason, the best player here with Pittsburgh's final pick in our mock is TCU safety Bud Clark.