The 2026 NFL Draft takes place April 23-25, in Pittsburgh. “Breakfast with Benz” is previewing the Steelers’ potential selections at each position group with Matt Williamson, a former pro and college scout who has worked at Pitt and with the Cleveland Browns. Williamson is an on-air host at WDVE, Fox Sports Pittsburgh 970, and the Steelers Radio Network.

Thursday’s podcast looks at the front seven on defense.

When it comes to our 2026 pre-draft podcasts with pro and college scout Matt Williamson, there are a few reasons why we plowed through all three areas of the offense before we got to the defense.

• There are more obvious areas of need on offense.

• The Steelers threw some significant capital at the defense in free agency.

• The Steelers didn’t move on from many players of note along the front seven on defense in March.

As a result, Williamson isn’t expecting the Steelers to go after Kayden McDonald, even though the Ohio State defensive tackle (6-foot-2, 326 pounds) has often been linked to the club.

“Any (defensive lineman) that Omar (Khan) has brought in, they’re all 6-foot-3-plus, and they all have long arms. None of them are short, stumpy, two-gapping nose tackle types,” Williamson said in Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “I think they’ll play (Keeanu) Benton and (Yahya) Black at the nose. Because, in reality, it’s a four-man front. It’s not a five-man front.

“I know that people want to link them to McDonald. I’m sorry, I just don’t think that’s the type of player they’re after, and he would cost a first-round pick. And with all respect to (Casey) Hampton and (Vince) Wifork and those guys — you just can’t use a first-round pick on a defensive tackle that gives you nothing as a pass rusher anymore. It’s just not worth it.”

On the edges, the Steelers are expected to keep T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Jack Sawyer and Nick Herbig. So they likely won’t be drafting a player at that position until late on the third day.

Too bad. On the surface, this seems like a good year to draft an edge player high. But Williamson disagrees.

“I know a lot of analysts are really excited about the group. I’m not. I don’t see much high-end talent. I think some of the edges are going to get over-drafted,” Williamson said. “There are a lot of names, and I think that’s good for the Steelers. When you’re watching the draft, I think you’ll see a lot of edges go off the board before the Steelers’ second pick in Round 2, and that’s exactly what you want. Let all those (other) guys fall.”

If the Steelers do anything of significance in the front seven, that’ll only happen if the franchise trades an inside linebacker, presumably Patrick Queen. That’s not an entirely crazy idea. But if they do it, don’t expect the Steelers to take Pitt’s Kyle Louis.

“Everyone now wants (Nick) Emmanwori from the Seahawks. That big safety, that’s a linebacker/big slot. And Louis has some of those traits for sure. He flies around the field. He makes a lot of plays, but he’s not a linebacker,” Williamson said.

“If a guard gets their hands on him, he’s too small. He’s 210 pounds. He has to be a specialty player, and he just is not going to take on people 100 pounds heavier than him, let alone even some of the big tight ends in the league. So if you think he can be that big slot — which I actually think will be Jalen Ramsey this year — then you jump on him, and he’ll be an awesome special teamer, and he’s fun to watch. But to think he’s going to be like Queen’s replacement, I don’t see that.”

If a potential trade of Queen should occur, the selection of an individual such as Cincinnati’s Jake Golday may make more sense.

“He is a bigger-bodied guy. He’s a great athlete as well. They use him kind of weird. They use him more as an overhang, big slot guy,” Williamson said. “That’s how Payton Wilson was used at North Carolina State. … He might be behind Cole Holcomb for a year. There’s a lot of upside there. Tall linebackers, to me, are really in vogue for their ability to disrupt passing lanes over the middle of the field, where the NFL really thrives, the Steelers aside.”

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Also during the podcast, Williamson tells us why Ohio State’s Arvell Reese may be better off the ball than on the edge. We also get into how good fellow Buckeye ILB Sonny Styles is. And there is a clear-cut cap space victim on the Steelers that Williamson will identify.

Friday’s podcast takes a look at the draft options available in the secondary.