The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the 21st overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. But there’s no guarantee that’s where they pick come Thursday night. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers are one of several teams considering a trade down to acquire additional draft capital.
“On the other side of things, the Steelers (No. 21) are among the teams interested in moving back from their first-round slot. That list also includes the Jaguars (5), Panthers (8), 49ers (11), Falcons (15), Seahawks (18), Buccaneers (19) and Vikings (24), who currently have four picks, the fewest any team.”
The Steelers enter the draft with just six selections, including two in the top 120. Pittsburgh sent its second-round pick, No. 52 overall, to the Seattle Seahawks for WR DK Metcalf, an aggressive deal that landed a No. 1 receiver but left the Steelers with as little draft capital as they’ve had since 2020, when they had only six selections after trading a first-round pick in 2019 for FS Minkah Fitzpatrick.
It makes sense for the Steelers to consider trading down and collecting more draft capital. Doing so would allow them to better plug other holes on the roster at running back, wide receiver, and potentially cornerback. Though moving down could come at the risk of losing defensive line options like Oregon’s Derrick Harmon and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, a deep class could still give Pittsburgh viable targets later in the draft.
The Steelers have traded down in the first round only once since 2000, moving down from No. 16 to No. 19 in the 2001 NFL Draft. They selected Texas DL Casey Hampton.
However, Schefter points out that finding a trade partner could prove difficult.
“There has been, however, a lack of teams willing to trade up — at least so far. Denver is one of those:” he writes. “The Broncos have made inquiries about moving up in Round 1, according to sources. But there aren’t many others. This always could change when players start falling and teams are on the clock.”
At No. 20, the Broncos sit one pick ahead of the Steelers meaning they aren’t a team that could trade up with Pittsburgh. It’s an issue we first wrote about weeks ago and has been confirmed by people like Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht.
Still, the draft is unpredictable and there’s always the chance a team moves up. We mapped out multiple trade scenarios over the weekend, including proposing the Houston Texans at No. 24 and Kansas City Chiefs at No. 31 as teams that could trade up in their pursuit of an offensive tackle.
Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan will hold their annual pre-draft press conference tomorrow. They will likely say all options are on the table. Thursday night will prove if they stay at No. 21 in the first round or are on the move.
