The 2024 NFL Draft will get underway Thursday night in Detroit. Ahead of that annual college player selection event getting underway, it’s time to look back at the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers when it comes to them completing trades during drafts. This historical look covers the Steelers last 24 years and dates back to the 2000 NFL Draft, which was the first one for then-director of football operation Kevin Colbert.
During the 23 drafts that Colbert oversaw as the Steelers’ director of football operations and then general manager from 2000-2022, the Steelers conducted 16 trades. Ten of those trades included the Steelers moving up in various rounds. Five other trades that Colbert completed during drafts included the Steelers moving down in various rounds. One other trade, on the other hand, consisted of the Steelers trading one of their players for a draft pick.
In his brief history so far as the Steelers’ general manager, which has included him overseeing just one draft, Omar Khan has already made two trades during the selection process. Khan traded up three spots in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and later traded down in the third round.
As far as first-round trades the Steelers have completed since 2000, the team has moved up four times in total and down just once. That one trade down in the first-round came in 2001, Colbert’s second draft in Pittsburgh, and is the most notable aspect when it comes to this historical review. It would thus be quite the news story should Khan trade down in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
There’s been a lot of speculation throughout this year’s pre-draft process that the Steelers might need to trade up in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft to potentially select a center. Only twice has the team done that sort of second-round trade-down dating back to 2000. The last time a second-round trade up occurred for the Steelers was in 2004.
In total, there have been 10 drafts in which the Steelers have not made a single trade during the annual event dating back to 2000. The 2022 NFL Draft, the last one that Colbert oversaw, was the last time such an occurrence happened.
On Monday, Khan, along with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, will both meet the media for the team’s annual pre-draft press conference. During that Monday media session, Khan will likely be asked about the prospects of the team being open to trading during this year’s draft. Assuming that happens, Khan is likely to give a generic response that includes him saying that the team is open to moving up or down throughout the 2024 NFL Draft depending on offers made and received.
Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft getting underway on Thursday night, the Steelers currently own seven selections during the annual event. Four of those are slated to happen within the first three rounds and the first 98 overall selections. The Steelers are also currently slated to have one pick in the fourth round of the draft and two others in the sixth round. They do not currently own selections in either the fifth or seventh rounds.
With this 24-year history of trades made by the Steelers during NFL drafts now updated and presented, please give your thoughts on any up or down moves you could foresee happening this year.
| 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 | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 2010 | Traded Down Pick For Player Plus Pick – Traded 2010 fifth-round pick (#155 – John Skelton) to Cardinals for Bryant McFadden, 2010 sixth-round pick (#195 – Antonio Brown) on 04-24. |
| 2012 | Traded Up – Traded 2012 fourth-round pick (#119 – Keenan Robinson), 2012 six-round pick (#193 – Tom Compton) to Redskins for 2012 fourth-round pick (#109 – Alameda Ta’amu) on 04-30. |
| 2013 | Traded Up – Traded 2014 third-round pick (#83 – Louis Nix) to Browns for 2013 fourth-round pick (#111 – Shamarko Thomas) on 05-9. |
| 2018 | Traded Player For Pick – Traded Martavis Bryant to Raiders for 2018 third-round pick (#79 – Rasheem Green) on 04-26. |
| 2018 | Traded Up – Traded 2018 third-round pick (#79 – Rasheem Green), 2018 seventh-round pick (#220 – Alex McGough) to Seahawks for 2018 third-round pick (#76 – Mason Rudolph) on 04-27. |
| 2019 | Traded Up – Traded 2019 first-round pick (#20 – Noah Fant), 2019 second-round pick (#52 – Drew Sample), 2020 third-round pick (#83 – Lloyd Cushenberry III) to Broncos for 2019 first-round pick (#10 – Devin Bush) on 04-25. |
| 2021 | Traded Up – Traded 2022 fourth-round pick (#125 Erik Ezukanma) to Dolphins for 2021 fifth-round pick (#156 – Isaiahh Loudermilk) on 05-1. |
| 2023 | Traded Up – Traded 2023 first-round pick (#17 Christian Gonzalez), 2023 fourth-round pick (#120 Carter Warren) to Patriots for 2024 first-round pick (#14 – Broderick Jones) on 04-27. |
| 2023 | Traded Down – Traded 2023 third-round pick (#80 D.J. Johnson) to Panthers for 2023 third-round pick (#93 – Darnell Washington), 2023 fourth-round pick (#132 – Nick Herbig) on 04-28. |
