I was asked last night via Facebook about the possibility of the Steelers trading up from #31 in the 1st round of the upcoming NFL draft to perhaps target a cornerback or offensive lineman they might covet and all though I really do not know how to best handicap that other than saying the Steelers have not been opposed to trading both up and down on draft day. To better illustrate this I researched out the trades that Steelers Director of Football of Operations Kevin Colbert has made since taking the reins in 2000 and it is fun to look at both the draft day trades and the players acquired on both sides of trades. See the table below. Information compiled from Pro Sports Transactions.
| Year | Trade Explanation |
| 2001 | Traded Down – Traded 2001 first round pick (#16 – Santana Moss) to Jets for 2001 first round pick (#19 – Casey Hampton), 2001 fourth round pick (#111 – Mathias Nkwenti), 2001 sixth round pick (#181 – Rodney Bailey) on 04-21-2001 |
| 2001 | Traded Up – Traded 2001 second round pick (#50 – Dominic Raiola), 2001 fourth round pick (#112 – Carlos Polk) to Patriots for 2001 second round pick (#39 – Kendrell Bell) on 04-21-2001 |
| 2003 | Traded Up – Traded 2003 first round pick (#27 – Larry Johnson), 2003 third round pick (#92 – Julian Battle), 2003 sixth round pick (#200 – Brooks Bollinger) to Chiefs for 2003 first round pick (#16 – Troy Polamalu) on 04-26-2003 |
| 2004 | Traded Up – Traded 2004 second round pick (#44 – Bob Sanders), 2004 fourth round pick (#107 – Kendyll Pope) to Colts for 2004 second round pick (#38 – Ricardo Colclough) on 04-24-2004 |
| 2004 | Traded Player For Pick – Traded Troy Edwards to Rams for 2004 sixth round pick (#194 – Matt Kranchick) on 08-30-2004 |
| 2005 | Traded Player For Pick – Traded Todd Fordham to Panthers for 2005 seventh round pick (#228 – Shaun Nua) on 09-04-2004 |
| 2006 | Traded Up – Traded 2006 first round pick (#32 – Mathias Kiwanuka), 2006 third round pick (#96 – Gerris Wilkinson), 2006 fourth round pick (#129 – Guy Whimper) to Giants for 2006 first round pick (#25 – Santonio Holmes) on 04-29-2006 |
| 2006 | Traded Down – Traded 2006 second round pick (#64 – Tarvaris Jackson) to Vikings for 2006 third round pick (#83 – Anthony Smith), 2006 third round pick (#95 – Willie Reid) on 04-29-2006 |
| 2007 | Traded Up – Traded 2007 fourth round pick (#119 – Allen Barbre), 2007 sixth round pick (#192 – Desmond Bishop) to Packers for 2007 fourth round pick (#112 – Daniel Sepulveda) on 04-29-2007 |
| 2008 | Traded Down – Traded 2008 fourth round pick (#123 – Bryan Kehl) to Giants for 2008 fourth round pick (#130 – Tony Hills), 2008 sixth round pick (#194 – Ryan Mundy) on 04-27-2008 |
| 2009 | Traded Down – Traded 2009 second round pick (#64 – Richard Quinn), 2009 fourth round pick (#132 – Seth Olsen) to Broncos for two 2009 third round picks (#79 – Kraig Urbik) (#84 – Mike Wallace) on 04-25-2009 |
| 2009 | Traded Player For Pick – Traded Sean Mahan to Buccaneers for 2009 seventh round pick (#226 – A.Q. Shipley) on 09-02-2008 |
| 2010 | Traded Player For Pick – Traded Santonio Holmes to Jets for 2010 fifth round pick on 04-11-2010 |
| 2010 | Traded Pick For Player – Traded 2010 fifth round pick (#155 – John Skelton) to Cardinals for Bryant McFadden, 2010 sixth round pick (#195 – Antonio Brown) on 04-24-2010 |
| 2010 | Traded Pick For Player – Traded 2010 seventh round pick (#225 – Syd\’quan Thompson) to Buccaneers for Byron Leftwich on 04-20-2010 |
Steelers Draft History Under Kevin Colbert (2000-2010)
| 2010 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 18 | Maurkice Pouncey | C | Florida |
| 2 | 52 | Jason Worilds | OLB | Virginia Tech |
| 3 | 82 | Emmanuel Sanders | WR | Southern Methodist |
| 4 | 116 | Thaddeus Gibson | OLB | Ohio State |
| 5 | 151 | Chris Scott | OT | Tennessee |
| 5 | 164 | Crezdon Butler | CB | Clemson |
| 5 | 166 | Stevenson Sylvester | ILB | Utah |
| 6 | 188 | Jonathan Dwyer | RB | Georgia Tech |
| 6 | 195 | Antonio Brown | WR | Central Michigan |
| 7 | 242 | Doug Worthington | DE | Ohio State |
| 2009 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 32 | Evander Hood | DE | Missouri |
| 3a | 79 | Kraig Urbik | G | Wisconsin |
| 3b | 84 | Mike Wallace | WR | Mississippi |
| 3c | 96 | Keenan Lewis | CB | Oregon State |
| 5a | 168 | Joe Burnett | CB | Central Florida |
| 5b | 169 | Frank Summers | FB | Nevada-Las Vegas |
| 6 | 205 | Ra\’Shon Harris | DE | Oregon |
| 7a | 226 | A.Q. Shipley | C | Penn State |
| 7b | 241 | David Johnson | TE | Arkansas State |
| 2008 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 23 | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | Illinois |
| 2 | 53 | Limas Sweed | WR | Texas |
| 3 | 88 | Bruce Davis | ILB | UCLA |
| 4 | 130 | Tony Hills | T | Texas |
| 5 | 156 | Dennis Dixon | QB | Oregon |
| 6a | 188 | Mike Humpal | LB | Iowa |
| 6b | 194 | Ryan Mundy | S | West Virginia |
| 2007 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 15 | Lawrence Timmons | ILB | Florida State |
| 2 | 46 | LaMarr Woodley | OLB | Michigan |
| 3 | 77 | Matt Spaeth | TE | Minnesota |
| 4a | 112 | Daniel Sepulveda | P | Baylor |
| 4b | 132 | Ryan McBean | DT | Oklahoma State |
| 5a | 156 | Cameron Stephenson | G | Rutgers |
| 5b | 170 | William Gay | CB | Louisville |
| 7 | 227 | Dallas Baker | WR | Florida |
| 2006 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 25 | Santonio Holmes | WR | Ohio State |
| 3a | 83 | Anthony Smith | DB | Syracuse |
| 3b | 95 | Willie Reid | WR | Florida State |
| 4a | 131 | Willie Colon | T | Hofstra |
| 4b | 133 | Orien Harris | DT | Miami |
| 5a | 164 | Omar Jacobs | QB | Bowling Green |
| 5b | 167 | Charles Davis | TE | Purdue |
| 6 | 201 | Marvin Philip | C | California |
| 7 | 240 | Cedric Humes | RB | Virginia Tech |
| 2005 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 30 | Heath Miller | TE | Virginia |
| 2 | 62 | Bryant McFadden | CB | Florida State |
| 3 | 93 | Trai Essex | T | Northwestern |
| 4 | 131 | Fred Gibson | WR | Georgia |
| 5 | 166 | Rian Wallace | LB | Temple |
| 6 | 204 | Chris Kemoeatu | G | Utah |
| 7a | 228 | Shaun Nua | DE | Brigham Young |
| 7b | 244 | Noah Herron | FB | Northwestern |
| 2004 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 11 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Miami (OH) |
| 2 | 38 | Ricardo Colclough | CB | Tusculum College |
| 3 | 75 | Max Starks | T | Florida |
| 5 | 145 | Nathaniel Adibi | LB | Virginia Tech |
| 6a | 177 | Bo Lacy | T | Arkansas |
| 6b | 194 | Matt Kranchick | TE | Penn State |
| 6c | 197 | Drew Caylor | C | Stanford |
| 7 | 212 | Eric Taylor | DT | Memphis |
| 2003 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 16 | Troy Polamalu | S | Southern California |
| 2 | 59 | Alonzo Jackson | LB | Florida State |
| 4 | 125 | Ike Taylor | CB | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| 5 | 163 | Brian St. Pierre | QB | Boston College |
| 7 | 242 | J.T. Wall | RB | Georgia |
| 2002 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 30 | Kendall Simmons | OG | Auburn |
| 2 | 62 | Antwaan Randle El | WR | Indiana |
| 3 | 94 | Chris Hope | DB | Florida State |
| 4 | 128 | Larry Foote | ILB | Michigan |
| 5 | 166 | Verron Haynes | RB | Georgia |
| 6 | 202 | Lee Mays | WR | Texas-El Paso |
| 7a | 212 | LaVar Glover | DB | Cincinnati |
| 7b | 242 | Brett Keisel | DE | Brigham Young |
| 2001 Steelers Draft | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 19 | Casey Hampton | NT | Texas |
| 2 | 39 | Kendrell Bell | ILB | Georgia |
| 4 | 111 | Mathias Nkwenti | T | Temple |
| 5 | 146 | Chukky Okobi | C | Purdue |
| 6a | 181 | Rodney Bailey | DE | Ohio State |
| 6b | 182 | Roger Knight | LB | Wisconsin |
| 7 | 218 | Chris Taylor | WR | Texas A&M |
| 2000 Steelers Draft Picks | ||||
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 8 | Plaxico Burress | WR | Michigan State |
| 2 | 38 | Marvel Smith | OT | Arizona State |
| 3a | 72 | Kendrick Clancy | DT | Mississippi |
| 3b | 77 | Hank Poteat | CB | Pittsburgh |
| 4 | 103 | Danny Farmer | WR | UCLA |
| 5a | 137 | Clark Haggans | OLB | Colorado State |
| 5b | 163 | Tee Martin | QB | Tennessee |
| 6a | 173 | Chris Combs | DE | Duke |
| 6b | 204 | Jason Gavadza | TE | Kent State |
