History says the Steelers first-round pick will be one of six prospects

The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their Top 30 visits this week ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. Looking over the list, we can reference history to help us predict who Pittsburgh could take. The reason being, the Steelers have never selected a player in the first round of the NFL draft who wasn't in for a pre-draft visit under General Manager Omar Khan.

Offensive tackle Broderick Jones, offensive lineman Troy Fautanu and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon are the three guys on Khan's resume and all were Top-30 visits. If we follow this logic, the Steelers list is quite small for 2026.

Depending on who you ask, the Steelers brought in somewhere between four and six first-round prospects. Here are the three we are sure will come off the board in the first round.

Offensive tackle Spencer Fano - Utah

Offensive guard Vega Ioane - Penn State

Wide receiver Makai Lemon - USC

Then there are three more fringe guys who could be taken in the first but aren't locks at all.

Wide receiver Denzel Boston - Washington

Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - Toledo

Cornerback Chris Johnson - San Diego State

If we were ranking those six based on who we want to see the Steelers take, it would go Fano, Ioane, and Lemon with Boston as No. 4. The other two prospects are not players we'd view as good value at that point in the round.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: History says the Steelers first-round pick will be one of six prospects