The Pittsburgh Steelers solved one issue the day before the legal tampering period of free agency began when they traded their second-round pick for DK Metcalf. But in doing so, they created another. This draft is generally viewed as a little weaker at the top of it, but much deeper into the second and third rounds than last year’s group.
They have only two picks in the top 100, with a long gap between No. 21 and No. 83—unless they trade back into the second round. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Ray Fittipaldo thinks they will end up with a second-round pick one way or another.
“This is being termed a good starter’s draft, so it’s not really elite at the top, like one through 10,” Fittipaldo said Wednesday via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “This isn’t a superstar class where you’re gonna have future All-Pros, but there’s gonna be starters available rounds one through three. So not having that second-round pick is probably eating away at them in this type of draft.”
Especially since they have Metcalf under contract for five years, the Steelers can look at him as one of their draft picks. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they are comfortable waiting 62 picks between their first- and third-round selections.
There’s one big issue with the idea of trading up into the second round—the Steelers don’t have very much draft capital to work with. They are entering the event with the third-worst value. Trading up into the second round would cost them their third- and fourth-round picks, and maybe more. If they want to get into the second round, I see there being two viable options.
For one, they can trade one of their players. The leading candidate would seem to be WR George Pickens. They would be right back to square one needing a viable starter on the outside opposite Metcalf, but Pickens only has one year left on his deal anyway. They could replace him with a receiver in the second round like Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins, or Savion Williams. That would give the Steelers four solid years with a strong WR tandem and set up their eventual rookie quarterback with strong weapons to work with.
Alternatively, the Steelers can look to trade back in the first round to pick up additional draft capital. I don’t think the No. 21 pick would fetch them a second rounder, but it could net them a third or fourth. That extra pick could then be used to package some picks together to potentially move up. This type of thought exercise is much easier said than done as it requires willing partners for multiple different trades, but it can be done.
The Steelers could also trade future draft capital. They will be getting compensatory picks next year. That could make it tempting to pawn off future draft capital with the expectations of compensatory picks replacing the lost value, but I am a big believer in stockpiling draft value for 2026 to open up a world of possibilities for the Steelers next year. They shouldn’t hurt their chances of finding a future franchise quarterback to get back into the second round this year.
If I had to guess, they will not end up making it back into the second round, though Fittipaldo disagrees and thinks they will.
