Steelers can mathematically wind up with two first-round picks in 2023

The NFL trade deadline has long passed, but there’s actually another way the Pittsburgh Steelers can unofficially wind up with two first-round picks next April. 

In my lifetime, I’ve never seen the Pittsburgh Steelers have this much top draft capital to work with. After miraculously dealing Chase Claypool for a second-round pick just before the NFL trade deadline, the front office is on track to have three selections inside the top forty picks of the 2023 NFL Draft next April.

But just like a crummy infomercial, that’s not all! While it seems pretty unlikely that this scenario will play out, it’s worth mentioning that the Steelers could, mathematically, wind up with two first-round picks in next year’s draft without doing a blasted thing.

You might be wondering how that’s possible. Right now, the Steelers have their original first-round pick as well as two second-rounder (their own and the pick acquired by the Bears). Early in the season, this isn’t a scenario we would have ever considered, but now is well within the realm of possibility.

How Steelers can get two first-round picks for 2023

This is a great year to own a pair of second-round draft choices — and potentially some great ones at that. Back in early August, it was reported that the Miami Dolphins would be forced to surrender two draft choices (including their 2023 first-round pick) after a six-month investigation for tampering involving former head coach (now Steelers senior defensive assistant), Brian Flores.

With this ruling, there will only be 31 selections made in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft — leaving the door open for a team to secure the 32nd overall pick without trading into the first round.

While this technically won’t be considered a first-round pick and the team that winds up with this won’t be able to hand out the fifth-year option to the player drafted in this spot, it’s essentially the same in terms of value.

Right now, the 32nd pick would belong to the Houston Texans if the season ended today. However, at 3-9, the Bears are just a game-and-a-half away from finishing as the worst team in the NFL and have recent disheartening losses to the Lions and Falcons as well as a blowout loss vs QB Mike White and the New York Jets.

Because the Steelers own Chicago’s second-round pick, if the Bears wind up with the league’s worst record, Pittsburgh would own the 32nd pick of the NFL Draft (which in every other year would be considered the final pick of the first round).

As sad as it is, it’s also still possible that the Steelers could finish with the worst record in football. However, it seems unlikely that the Texans could do well enough down the stretch to make this happen. Either scenario of Chicago or Pittsburgh finishing at the bottom of the league this year would mathematically give the Steelers an extra first-round pick this year.

The last two times the Pittsburgh Steelers selected in the 30s in the NFL Draft, they took Cameron Heyward (31st in 2011) and T.J. Watt (30th in 2017). Draft positioning matters, and essentially stealing another late first-round pick could prove to go a very long way in setting this team up for success in the future.