The Pittsburgh Steelers closed the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings with the No. 224 overall pick in the seventh round, adding versatile athleticism, special teams value, and developmental upside to their secondary despite pre-draft buzz.
Using a seventh-round pick acquired in a prior trade for Kyle Dugger, Pittsburgh addressed safety depth despite recent additions like Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott's return. The 6-2, 206-pound defender (per some reports; listed near 6-1, 205 elsewhere) clocked elite 40-yard dash times around 4.3-4.4 seconds, bringing prototypical size, burst (1.51-second 10-yard split, 38-inch vertical, 10-foot-5 broad jump at Shrine Bowl), and speed to the position.
A 47-game veteran with 25 starts at Oklahoma, Spears-Jennings posted 59 tackles, 1.5 TFL, two PBUs, one INT, and one FF in 2025. Scouts praised his tackling power, run support, low miss rate, and special teams experience (460 career snaps, including coverage roles), comparing him to Nick Cross, but noted areas for growth like anticipation, coverage instincts, ball skills, play recognition, and processing speed—explaining his slide to the seventh round despite fifth-round projections (Dane Brugler: 14th safety; McGinn poll: 13th).
A scout told Bob McGinn of Go Long: “He ran super fast. He’s a good guy and will try hard. But he’s kind of a step slow seeing stuff... Somebody will take him in the fourth or fifth because of that speed." Assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr. expressed surprise he lasted: “We were a little bit surprised. We value the kid, the height, weight, speed... He’s a guy that can play in the box; he has the speed to play in high zones.” Spears-Jennings added: “I feel like I’m a plug-and-play guy... It don’t really matter to me."
In Pittsburgh, he joins DC Patrick Graham, coaches Joe Whitt Jr. and Jason Simmons, and veterans like DeShon Elliott and Jalen Ramsey. He projects as a high-effort special teamer with starter potential if mental processing improves to match his physical tools.