Steelers Floated Again As A Strong Candidate To Re-Enter Round 1 With Calculated Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers stacked several draft picks for the 2026 NFL Draft. The intention was based on the speculation that this draft would be a hotbed for quarterback talent, but it did not shake out that way. Now, based on the aggressive nature of the 2026 offseason, so far, the organization has seemingly endless possibilities on what they can do in the draft. Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has been hard at work attempting to keep this team competitive in 2026. 

Currently, Pittsburgh owns a dozen draft picks, and its first-round pick has been a huge topic of conversation amongst Steelers pundits about what they should do with it. Mostly, the organization has been mocked to take positions like guard, receiver, and safety. The Steelers have made good use of their cap space this offseason and have added players at all three of those mocked positions. Left guard is clearly the weakest, but it seems there could be a position battle there. 

NFL.com's Eric Edholm presented a scenario where the Steelers trade for pick 32 with the Seattle Seahawks, using their abundance of draft capital. Pittsburgh would send its second-round pick along with one of its third-rounders (pick 76), and a fifth- and sixth-round pick in exchange for the last pick of the first round. All of those picks would be coming from the 2026 draft, allowing Pittsburgh to keep its valuable 2027 assets.

The Black and Gold being able to nab pick 32 and grab another top prospect would be huge for the development of the roster. The Steelers would be able to add youth, which is ever so important, as the team was ranked second in age after the 53-man roster cutdowns in 2025. The team's defense was ranked the oldest in 2025 and was the league's highest-paid. The addition of high-quality rookie talent to the group would negate the age statistic and wouldn't cost the team much money. 

A name that has come up at pick 21 a lot recently is Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. In Mel Kiper's most recent mock draft, he had the Steelers going with him. Ioane is considered by many to be the most NFL-ready guard prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Steelers don't have a clear starter there as of now, with Spencer Anderson and Brock Hoffman as the most likely to step into that role, based on the current roster. However, the team may want to go with a first-round pick to compete for the starting role there.

If the Steelers got pick 32, they could go a variety of ways. Edholm suggested that they select Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson there. While he may not fall that far, the idea of Pittsburgh adding a receiving option is intriguing with a trade-up. The Steelers have been speculated to add a receiver in the draft since the beginning of the offseason, but after they traded for  Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts, it seems to be less of a dire need. However, the front office could have a chance to grab a receiver that they graded highly at the end of the first round in this scenario.

Steelers Should Consider This Move

The Steelers have a ton of capital, as said before. They don't need to trade up for a franchise quarterback, with the way this draft class is. So, if they don't use some of their picks to trade for 2027 picks, using them to overhaul on some top prospects isn't a bad idea, like the ones previously mentioned. 

Pittsburgh could load up on weapons for the future, and this would help whoever their quarterback is in 2027 and the future of the team. The Steelers brass should make sure that they utilize the stockpile they have created and get the most out of it that they can. 

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