Gennings Dunker NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Pittsburgh Steelers IOL

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa IOL Gennings Dunker with the No. 96 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Gennings Dunker is a rugged, powerful in-line blocker built with the right stuff, but will need to kick inside to guard to mitigate his middling sustain skills in space. He has the traits to carve out a role, crack a lineup and stick long-term on his rookie deal in a run-first, play-action-heavy offense.

Dunker is a 6'5", 319-pound offensive line prospect, who entered the Iowa program as a 3-star recruit in the 2021 class.

Dunker started 38 career games primarily at right tackle, including 13 in 2025 as a member of the Joe Moore Award winning O-line unit. The former Hawkeye started 11 games in 2024 at right tackle, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. He started 11 games at RT during the '23 season and one in '22 at right guard.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award. 

Highlights

Gennings Dunker highlights

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Where He Wins

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— Thick, rugged build and playing style with the power to back it up.

— Excels at creating lift to pry open and displace defenders on base and angle-drive blocks, with very good upper-body strength and leg drive.

— Delivers knock-back power upon contact that can jar second-level targets and knock them off of their feet.

— Does a solid job bracing and finding his anchor to maintain the width of the pocket.

Areas of Improvement

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— Rigid, lumbering mover who struggles redirecting and staying in front of defenders as a pass protector.

— Mediocre foot quickness creates short corners that will necessitate a move inside to guard instead of staying at offensive tackle.

— Too easily pulled into overextension when defenders are able to stack, move their feet and change the blocking angle.

Grade, Rank and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup/Starter Upside - Round 3)

COMPARABLE GRADE: Christian Mahogany (7.2 in 2024), Cade Mays (6.9 in 2022), Robert Jones (7.3 in 2021)

OVERALL RANK: 94

POSITION RANK: IOL7

PRO COMPARISON: Mason McCormick

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'5"
Weight: 319
Arm: 33 ½"
Hand: 10"

40-Yard Dash: 5.18
10-Yard Split: 1.83
Vertical: 32 ½"
Broad: 9'0"
Shuttle: 4.63
3-Cone: NA
Bench: NA