Steelers mock draft roundup: Experts split on quarterback, cornerback for Pittsburgh
Six national 2027 mock drafts give the 6-2 Steelers six different first-round picks, with quarterback and cornerback the most common answers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 and resting on their bye week, and the national draft analysts have used the break to put them in the late 20s of the 2027 first round. They do not agree on much else. A Behind the Steel Curtain roundup of six recent mocks, syndicated by SB Nation, found six different players at five positions.
Quarterback is the biggest question. At No. 27, Fox Sports analyst Rob Rang has Oregon's Dante Moore falling to Pittsburgh. Rang wrote that he doesn't expect the team to go after a passer after spending a pick on Drew Allar last spring, but that Moore would be worth it if he slid that far. CBS Sports writer Ryan Wilson was blunter. "The Steelers need a QB. This is not up for debate," he wrote, before sending Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss to Pittsburgh at No. 28.
Other analysts went for defense. A to Z Sports has Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV at No. 27 to join a secondary that already includes Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette. USA Today mocked Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones at No. 22. That projection says the 6-4 Jones would help the team cover Cincinnati's receivers with Joey Porter Jr. gone. NFL Stock Exchange's Connor Rogers picked Notre Dame safety Tae Johnson, on the condition that Johnson gets healthy and plays like he did in 2025.
Only one mock went to offense without taking a quarterback. Sports Illustrated took Florida running back Jadan Baugh, arguing that a workhorse back would help whoever replaces Aaron Rodgers, whether that's Will Howard or Allar.
Pittsburgh has nine 2027 picks at the moment: one each in the first and second rounds, two in the third, none in the fourth, one in the fifth and two each in the sixth and seventh. Over the Cap doesn't project any compensatory picks for the team.
What it means for Cincinnati
The mocks agree with the standings. Every pick from the five analysts with a late-round slot falls between 27 and 28, which is where a contender drafts, and the Steelers have played like one. Including the 3-20 loss at New England, they have won five of their last six. The last four were all wins: 34-22 over Indianapolis, 26-19 at Tampa Bay, 16-10 over New Orleans and 27-6 over Cleveland. Pittsburgh outscored those four opponents 103-57, and none of them scored more than 22. Over the full season, the Steelers have scored 180 points and allowed 144.
The defense has improved during that streak, and it gets its next test after the bye. Pittsburgh plays at Cincinnati on Sunday, November 15, on NBC. The Steelers won the first meeting 30-27 at home, so a win in Cincinnati would give them the season sweep. That is the game where the cornerback picks make the most sense. Two of the six mocks gave Pittsburgh a corner, and USA Today's case for Jones was built around Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. How the current secondary handles them will show whether that need is as urgent as some analysts think. Follow the team on our Steelers page.
