The Pittsburgh Steelers have always taken an aggressive approach in the NFL Draft. For good or for bad, this team knows what they like, and they like early in the draft and will do everything in their power to make their desired target a reality.
In 2019, when Kevin Colbert was general manager, the Steelers traded from pick 20 to pick 10 in the first round to jump up and take Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. In 2023, under the direction of new general manager Omar Khan, their aggressiveness remained, as Pittsburgh moved up from pick 17 to pick 14 in Round 1 to take Broderick Jones.
But this year, Steelers fans must brace themselves for an unprecedented move in the first round.
During their pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan fielded questions ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Expectedly, the Steelers' top decision-makers admitted that they won't trade away from a player they love at pick 21 this year, but they've never been more open to the idea of trading back from their first-round pick.
"We have six picks. I don't know how realistic it is that we move up, but you never know," Khan explained during the pre-draft presser. "I think staying put or moving back is probably a better option for us."
Trading back in Round 1 is something that the Steelers rarely explore. But with this team being short on draft capital, it feels more likely to happen on Thursday than ever.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could trade back in Round 1 of the NFL Draft if the chips don't fall their way
Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin made it crystal clear that there are certain players the Pittsburgh Steelers won't trade back from. The current feeling is that one of those players could be Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. But if the draft board doesn't fall their way and their top prospects are off the board, the Steelers will look to move back.
If they can find a trade partner that is desperate enough to jump up to pick 21, the Steelers could slide to the end of the first round to pick up an extra Day 2 draft choice. Following the DK Metcalf trade, the Steelers are without a second-round pick, and six selections aren't enough to fill their glaring roster gaps.
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We can get a sense of some of the players they could be targeting if a trade-back comes to fruition on Thursday night. The Steelers had pre-draft visits with players like North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Any of these names could be in play in a trade-back scenario.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to find a foundational piece with their top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but trading back is clearly an option after Omar Khan's revealing comments. This would be one draft-day move fans wouldn't expect.