Steelers Trading Back 4 Spots For An Extra 2nd Round Pick Is A New Option

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft. The narrative is that Omar Khan and his staff will look to be aggressive, as they're sitting with 12 picks. The team is armed with the most selections of any team, and trades are very possible. It's unlikely that Pittsburgh will use all of its picks, which could really shake things up come draft day. 

With these potential trade scenarios comes the question of whether or not Pittsburgh will trade up or down. All of these hypotheticals of trading back would make sense if the team isn't able to nab a player who it feels perfectly comfortable with taking at pick 21. Pittsburgh's positions of need with their first-round pick include the likes of wide receiver, guard, and defensive back. 

The Steelers have hosted players from all of these position groups with their Top 30 visits, but some of the draft's best at these positions might not fall all the way to Pittsburgh. 

If Pittsburgh wanted to get an effective weapon at one of these positions: receiver. They could look to trade down to gain some of that valuable capital within the top 75 and still get a player who would benefit them for the future. On an episode of the Locked On Steelers podcast, Steelers beat writer Christopher Carter outlined a scenario where the Steelers could do this.

"Dropping down four spots to turn a third round pick, the 85th overall pick, into the 60th overall pick in the second round.  With that, first-round pick at 25th overall, where I traded down to, I got KC Concepcion," Carter said.  "Still get KC Concepcion, and now you got two second-round picks."

This trade would allow the Steelers to get a receiver who would differ in play style from their existing receivers and still add a lot of talent to the room. Along with that, the team would make one of its three third-round picks into a second-rounder. 

This hypothetically gives the Steelers three total picks in the Top 75 and permits them to find potential starters at positions of need. Day 2 is projected to have some really good prospects, especially in round two, and the Steelers having a couple of picks there would be huge in adding high-quality youth to the roster.

Concepcion is considered one of the top receiving prospects in the 2026 Draft. He started his collegiate career at North Carolina State, where he won ACC Rookie of the Year in 2023, before transferring to Texas A&M in 2025. Concepcion led the Aggies with 61 receptions, 919 receiving yards, and nine receiving TDs. He was named a First-team Associated Press All-American as an all-purpose player, as he is known for his ability to be an elite punt returner on top of his receiving skills. 

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein offered some in-depth analysis of Concepcion's game.

"Concepcion offers immediate burst and separation into space. He’s elusive in beating press and getting into breaks with minimum damage from handsy coverage. He can snap off routes with alarming suddenness, making him extremely difficult to match at leveraged break points. He’s instinctive against zone. He’s also a nightmare for man coverage on choice routes and near the goal line," Zierlein wrote. 

This is exactly what the Steelers need to complement their existing receiver room. A separator who can beat man coverage consistently would be huge. Concepcion can play in the slot, which would make him even more valuable to the team. 

Steelers Could Absolutely Use Someone Like Conception

Pittsburgh really needs some more weapons on offense, but if some of the draft's top receiving talent might not be there at 21. If they're comfortable with trading back and still finding someone they like later in the first round, it would make sense. 

Concepcion is the archetype of a receiver that would fit in the Steelers' offense, and adding another second-round pick allows Pittsburgh to address other positions of need. While they wouldn't gain valuable 2027 capital, it would allow them to gain some players that they may not need to come next year. 

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