The Pittsburgh Steelers' superstars are aging out, and young players are stepping into big roles. Thankfully, the quality drafting of general manager Omar Khan since 2023 hasn't left this team empty-handed.
But have you ever wondered which players on the team are worth a first-round pick via trade? ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes he has the answer.
In a detailed article on 2026 NFL trade tiers, Barnwell went team-by-team, naming every player that is worth at least one first-round pick. When he got to the Steelers, Barnwell wrote six names down in the "one first-round pick" category:
Steelers players worth one first round pick, per ESPN:
- Keeanu Benton, Defensive tackle
- Troy Fautanu, Offensive tackle
- Zach Frazier, Center
- Derrick Harmon, Defensive tackle
- Nick Herbig, Edge rusher
- Joey Porter Jr., Cornerback
Most would agree that Porter, Herbig, and Frazier would fetch a first-round pick in a trade, while Benton might be more on the fence as a second-rounder. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on Fautanu and Harmon, and it might be a bit premature to slot them in this category. Regardless, this team has promising, valuable assets for the future.
Barnwell also listed DK Metcalf and T.J. Watt in the "missing out" category, due to their age and performance decline. Unsurprisingly, Barnwell made no mention of the 37-year-old Cameron Heyward in his article. Heyward is still going strong, but no team would consider trading a first-round pick for a player who could be in his last NFL season.
ESPN pegs the Pittsburgh Steelers with six players worth a first-round pick
It's easy to get excited about the names mentioned. Herbig, Porter, Benton, and Harmon could build the new foundation of the defense for the next era, while Fautanu and Frazier could be staples of the offensive line.
While six first-round-worthy names sound like a lot, it's actually a bit underwhelming when compared to other teams.
Take the Patriots, for example. Barnwell believes that quarterback Drake Maye is worth six first-round picks alone (in other words, he's untradeable). Meanwhile, ESPN believes cornerback Christian Gonzalez is worth two first-round picks, offensive tackle Will Campbell is worth one first-rounder and more, and both A.J. Brown and Milton Williams are worth a first-round pick.
And that's just one rival team.
Barnwell's top two most valuable players, in terms of projected draft capital in a trade, are Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Barnwell believes these two quarterbacks are worth a whopping seven first-round picks alone.
That really puts things into perspective.
What's encouraging is that the Steelers have six first-round-worthy players without a franchise quarterback on their roster. Obviously, adding a franchise QB (hopefully in the near future) will only dramatically increase the number of total first-round picks their players are worth.
At the end of the day, it's not like the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to start trading players away after ESPN determines what they'd be worth in a trade. However, Barnwell's article gives us a good idea of where this team stands, talent-wise, compared to the rest of the league right now.
The Steelers have a young core of six first-round talents at important positions who could help shape the future of the team.
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