As the Pittsburgh Steelers wrap up the first two months of the NFL season, they find themselves at a pivotal point with a crucial two-game stretch ahead. Given their recent struggles and a roster still in need of help, it’s hard not to look ahead to the NFL Draft. With the 2026 NFL Draft taking place in Pittsburgh, this could turn out to be one of the most important drafts in franchise history.
Not because the city is hosting, but because the team is at a crossroads. An aging roster and the desperate need for a franchise quarterback raise the stakes. With 12 total picks, the question becomes whether the Steelers should package their selections to move up or stay put and let the board come to them in hopes of reloading the roster.
Will the Pittsburgh Steelers stay put in the draft or get aggressive and trade up?
The Steelers' offseason plan was clear: let several players hit free agency to collect compensatory picks and trade away George Pickens to gain an additional third-round selection. That strategy has left Pittsburgh with 12 total picks heading into next season, a sign that the front office was preparing to use that draft capital to trade up for a quarterback.
However, as the college football season winds down and the NFL reaches its midpoint, the landscape has shifted. What was once viewed as a stronger quarterback class than 2025 now looks much less certain, with several of the prospects once considered first-round talents like Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, LaNorris Sellers, and Cade Klubnik failing to live up to expectations.
In their place, a new wave of quarterbacks has started to climb into the first-round conversation based on how they’ve performed this season. Names like Dante Moore, Fernando Mendoza, and Ty Simpson have gained momentum, though both Moore and Simpson only have a year of starting experience and could still decide to return to school.
Meanwhile, on the field, the Steelers’ defense has struggled and clearly needs an infusion of youth and speed in the secondary, while the offense still lacks some pieces. The biggest surprise across the league has been how well Aaron Rodgers has played this season, which complicates the team’s draft strategy even further.
Do the Steelers stick to their original plan and trade up for a quarterback in what now appears to be a weaker class, even if they’re not in complete love with any of the prospects? Or, if Rodgers continues to play well, do they entertain the idea of bringing him back for another year, letting the draft board fall to them, and hoping a quarterback they like slides into range?
That scenario could allow them to have a first-round quarterback sit behind a future Hall of Famer for a year, while keeping their draft capital to build up the roster as much as possible for another run with their aging core and set up a young foundation with those assets to build around a future franchise quarterback.
It’s a dilemma that could define the franchise’s direction, and as the season unfolds, the answer may start to reveal itself.