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The Pittsburgh Steelers selected defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio from Notre Dame in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Analysts gave the pick mixed grades, with concerns about his injury history and limited information available.
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SOUTH BEND, IN - APRIL 23: Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio (97) looks on during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game on April 23, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers added Notre Dame defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Here are our staff grades on the selection.
Ryan Parish: Going to be honest, I donāt have a lot on Rubio. His year was done after Week 7 when he was shut down with a left arm injury. On the NFLās website, heās the only player in the 6th round that doesnāt have an accompanying photo. At 6ā5 and 321 pounds, I assume heās going to try to get snaps at nose tackle. Valuewise this feels like a reach, and Jordan van Deberg, who went a pick later, is a DT I would have rather targeted. That there is so little information out there on him feels like a bad sign. But Iāll reserve judgment until we see him this summer. Grade: C
Ryland Bickley: I havenāt watched any of Rubio until today so Iām not going to be the most opinionated on this one. Whatās worrying is that he was incredibly low on the consensus board and his 4.82 RAS doesnāt show a ton of upside. But his size (6ā5, 322 pounds) and over-33-inch arms fit the bill for an NFL defensive lineman. In the little bit of Rubio that Iāve watched now, he appears to be a solid run stuffer. Giving incomplete grades is no fun ā and thereās rarely a reason to be mad at a sixth-round selection ā weāll see how this pick plays out. Grade: C+
Mike Nicastro: Consensus appears that Rubio was quite low on top pundits draft boards, and Iāll defer to that here. Certainly the Steelers believe they wouldnāt have been able to get this guy as an undrafted free agent, but they may be the only ones.
Analysts gave Gabriel Rubio a grade of C and C+ for his selection, citing concerns about his injury history and lack of information.
Gabriel Rubio was seen as a reach due to his low ranking on consensus boards and limited upside indicated by his performance metrics.
Gabriel Rubio is expected to compete for snaps at nose tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Jarrett Bailey: Respectfully, I havenāt a blues clue who this guy is. His dad, Angel, was drafted by the Steelers in 1998 and was then traded to the 49ers. He is the No. 635 player on the consensus big board. Grade: D-
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