The Steelers used the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Robert Spears-Jennings, and the appeal is pretty easy to spot. He arrives in Pittsburgh after four seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-year starter and served as team captain as a senior. Now the rookie has to prove he can carry that profile into the NFL.
Pittsburgh’s secondary is still looking for depth, and that is exactly where Spears-Jennings gets his opening. He is raw, no question, but the traits are there to understand why the Steelers were willing to take the chance late in the draft. If he develops the right way, he could become a useful special teams piece and help fill a real need for the team in 2026.
The ceiling is the fun part. The best-case version of Spears-Jennings looks a lot like Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit, a tall, versatile defender who can affect the game in multiple spots.
Delpit stands 6'3" and roughly 210 pounds, and in 2025 he showed value against the run with an 11.1% missed tackle rate while logging more than 300 snaps in the box. He also held up in coverage, allowing 42 catches on 61 targets, with quarterbacks completing just under 69% of their throws when going after him.
That is the kind of all-around impact Spears-Jennings would love to reach. At Oklahoma, he flashed athletic ability, then backed it up at the NFL Draft Combine with a 4.32-second 40-yard dash. He measured 6'1" and 205 pounds, giving him an NFL-ready build that could play in both the run game and coverage if his technique and anticipation keep improving.
A more grounded comparison is Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao. The size is close enough to make the fit obvious, with Pola-Mao listed at 6'4" and 205 pounds.
More importantly, Pola-Mao’s usage points to a role that may suit Spears-Jennings well: a free safety who is at his best when working closer to the line and helping against the run. Pro Football Focus data shows Pola-Mao played over 700 snaps at free safety in 2025, along with 250 in the box and another 102 in the slot.
That kind of role could fit Spears-Jennings’ burst and ability to explode toward the ball-carrier. If he grows into that kind of player, the Steelers will have hit on a late-round swing with real value. Taking a shot on a prospect with a few high-end traits and watching those traits turn into an NFL contributor is exactly the kind of outcome teams hope for in the final round.
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