Perfect Steelers DT is Available in the 2026 NFL Draft

PITTSBURGH -- Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to who the Pittsburgh Steelers will draft in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. With needs at positions like wide receiver, offensive line, quarterback, safety and middle linebacker are all reasonable guesses for the 21st overall selection.

After the first round, the Steelers have a simple and straightforward approach. The organization will take the best player available at a position of need.

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One position of need is nose tackle. The organization brought in some impressive defensive line reinforcements by signing veteran Sebastian Joseph-Day. He provides versatility, but the team still could use a pure, zero technique nose tackle to add to the mix, and they can't use a first-round pick on one. That's what makes Iowa State lineman Domonique Orange a perfect fit and target for the Steelers on day two of the NFL Draft.

Steelers Finally Land Their Nose Tackle

Orange, better known as "Big Citrus," is the 75th-ranked player on my NFL Draft big board. He was a four-year player in the NCAA, totaling 34 games with the Cyclones.

In that time, he established himself as a run-stuffing and gap-filling nose tackle who can absorb impact at the line of scrimmage. Playing the zero technique, he did the dirty work for Iowa State. Over his four years, he accumulated 66 total tackles.

That number might cause some to scoff, but it doesn't tell the full story. Orange's job was simple: stop the run and absorb blockers. And he was incredibly successful at that. According to Sports Reference, the Cyclones' run defense ranked 50th out of 134 teams in the country, allowing 138 rushing yards per game. They were the 20th-best total defense in the NCAA, allowing 20.8 points per game.

The defense was a huge strength for the Cyclones, and Orange was essential to that success.

The Steelers have an impressive defensive line already with Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black and Joseph-Day. They all are able to play across the line and in different sets. Orange is mostly a 3-4 nose tackle in running situations, and that fills one final hole on the d-line ahead of the 2026 season.

Iowa State Cyclones defensive tackle Domonique Orange — Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones defensive lineman Domonique Orange (95) celebrates after a play against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Concern with Big Citrus

The big issue with Orange, and the reason he won't go in the first two rounds, is that he is a very limited pass rusher. Used almost exclusively as an A gap run-stuffer during his time in the NCAA, he put up just one career sack with Iowa State.

Now, this can be interpreted a few ways. One is that the Iowa State defensive scheme was so locked in, it limited how Orange can use. The other point of view is to say that Orange is limited by his size and skillset to being just a nose tackle.

The reality is probably somewhere in between, and quite frankly, it doesn't matter for the Steelers. If Orange is just a nose tackle, that's excellent. That need remains, and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham would have another piece to deploy in the team's run defense. If he has untapped potential, Graham and defensive line coach Domata Peko can help him add to his game and help him reach the next level.

And they can do all of that in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Domonique "Big Citrus" Orange.

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