The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2026 NFL Draft with 12 selections, and after three trades, came away with 10 players added to the roster.

Of those 10 draft picks, seven reside on the offensive side of the football, giving new head coach Mike McCarthy some pieces to work with moving forward as he shapes and molds the team into his vision.

Yet, despite leaning into McCarthy’s vision, the general consensus about the Steelers’ draft class is that it was very underwhelming, and the franchise reached on a number of selections.

For CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, the Steelers’ draft class ranks among the league’s worst.

In his draft class rankings for each team, Wilson slotted the Steelers at No. 30 overall, just ahead of the Los Angeles Rams at No. 31 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 32.

Wilson gave the Steelers a C+ grade, matching the Rams, while the Jaguars had a C-. Elsewhere in the AFC North, Wilson ranked the Cleveland Browns at No. 1, the Baltimore Ravens at No. 8, and the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 19.

It wasn’t all bad for the Steelers, though, in Wilson’s mind. For the Steelers’ best draft pick, Wilson said it was easily second-round wide receiver Germie Bernard, a player he called the safest pick in the entire draft leading up to the weekend.

“Germie Bernard is the best route runner in the entire draft class,” Wilson writes of Bernard. “Whoever is under center for the Steelers this season will quickly learn to lean on Bernard, who will also block his ass off.”

Bernard isn’t flashy, doesn’t have elite testing numbers, and isn’t the biggest or the strongest. But what he is happens to fit perfectly in Pittsburgh: a darn good football player.

The Alabama product is a great route runner, always shows up in the big moments, making big plays in the passing game, and is one of the best blocking receivers in the class. That will fit in well in Pittsburgh in a rebuilt receiver room featuring DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.

As for the best value selection, Wilson believes it is third-round cornerback Daylen Everette out of Georgia.

“Daylen Everette ran a 4.38 at the combine. In talking to folks at Georgia, they were not surprised,” Wilson said. “And while he didn’t look that fast on tape, he’s one of the most physical CBs in the class. He’s also incredibly smart.”

The testing numbers were very impressive for Everette, especially given his great size and the physicality he showed on tape. He fit the mold the Steelers have been looking for at the position in recent years, and it was relatively easy to connect the dots with Everette and the Steelers after former cornerback Ike Taylor worked him out at the Georgia Pro Day, which was the only one that McCarthy and GM Omar Khan attended during the pre-draft cycle.

Corner might not have been viewed as a big need for the Steelers, especially after signing Jamel Dean in free agency and retaining Asante Samuel Jr., too. But it is long-term, and Everette is a worthwhile piece to try to develop long-term opposite Joey Porter Jr.

We’ll see how the draft class works out for the Steelers down the road in 2-3 years, but right now, many aren’t all that thrilled with it, which is frustrating to see.