The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting on 12 draft picks a month ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. While we can't say for sure how many picks Omar Khan will make this April, it's probably safe to assume that the Steelers won't make a dozen selections this year.
Trading up has always been something on the Steelers' draft radar. We saw Khan get aggressive in his first draft as Pittsburgh's general manager when he moved up from pick No. 17 to pick No. 14 in the 2023 NFL Draft to secure Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
With the most draft capital at his disposal yet, we could see Khan make a bold move up the board—potentially high into the first round.
Wide receiver has been at the forefront of Steelers draft speculation in Round 1, but a nightmare scenario is unfolding in which Pittsburgh could miss out on the top three (or even top four) receivers before they are on the clock at pick No. 21 in Round 1.
These three trade-up scenarios during the NFL Draft would allow the Steelers to land a player they have their heart set on in Round 1.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could consider these three trade-up scenarios in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
1. Steelers could trade with Cowboys for No. 12 pick
The Dallas Cowboys have been talked about as a potential trade partner for the Pittsburgh Steelers since early in the pre-draft process. Dallas' front office has multiple roster holes to fill, and despite owning two first-round picks this year, it is without a second-rounder and won't make a selection again until Pick 92.
If the Cowboys' top targets (like Mansoor Delane and Caleb Downs) are off the board at pick No. 12, they could trade back to pick 21 and make back-to-back first-round selections while picking up an extra third- and fourth-round pick in the process.
The draft trade value chart favors the Steelers a bit here, but the Cowboys might be willing to take a slightly undervalued offer to move back if they feel they can land a similar-caliber defensive player at pick 21.
Meanwhile, the Steelers would be in a prime position to land one of the top three wideouts in the class—Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordyn Tyson—depending on which is remaining on the board.
2. Steelers could trade with Buccaneers for No. 15 pick
There are a number of reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking to trade back in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not only do the Bucs have just their seven original selections this year, but they could desperately use a youth infusion on a declining roster.
Tampa Bay also has no shortage of positional needs, so everything is in play early in the draft. This means they could be willing to move back six spots in the draft to pick up picks No. 85 and No. 121.
By Pittsburgh moving up, they would leapfrog the New York Jets (picking at No. 16), and could take the last of the remaining top-three receivers, assuming either Tyson or Lemon is still on the board at this point.
3. Steelers could trade with Commanders for No. 7 pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't traded into the top-10 since packaging a first, second, and future third-round pick to move up for linebacker Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft (and we all know how that turned out). But that decision came when former GM Kevin Colbert was leading the charge, and it might not stop Khan from getting equally aggressive this year.
The Washington Commanders, meanwhile, are set to have just one selection in the top 70 picks this year and just two picks in the top 150. The Steelers could dangle pick No. 21, pick No. 53, and pick No. 76 in front of their face and dare them to move back.
While it wouldn't be easy to trade away a potential top prospect on the board, the king's ransom would be enticing and help the league's oldest roster get younger fast.
This historically aggressive move by the Steelers could allow them to have their choice of wide receivers in the 2026 draft, while still hanging onto a pair of Day 2 selections (picks No. 85 and No. 99) and finishing the draft with 10 total picks.