Never say never, but the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t planning to leave the 2025 NFL Draft with a shiny second-round pick. Despite the mile-wide gap between the team’s first and third-round selections, No. 21 to No. 83, the Steelers won’t be pushing hard to make a trade and bridge that space. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, PPG’s Gerry Dulac says that isn’t Pittsburgh’s mindset.
“A lot of people want to think they wanna get that number two pick back,” Dulac told Eisen. “I’m not saying they won’t, but I can tell you they are not sitting here thinking we need to get that number two pick back. They are content to look at DK Metcalf as their second-round draft because that’s what they gave up to get him.”
Pittsburgh gave up the No. 52 overall selection for Metcalf as the centerpiece of the blockbuster deal to land him. It left the Steelers with just a pair of picks in the Top 120 selections and six overall. If they exit with just six draft picks, it’ll tie for their second-fewest in a draft in team history (granted, the draft used to be many rounds longer). In 2020, they had just six picks, and in 2003, they had just five after trading up for USC SS Troy Polamalu.
The last time the Steelers went a draft without a second-round selection was 2019, when they used their choice to move up and land Michigan LB Devin Bush in a deal with the Denver Broncos. Before that, they didn’t have a second-round selection in 2009, trading out of the second round to acquire multiple third-rounders from the Broncos.
If there’s a parallel to 2025, it’s 2006. That year, Pittsburgh made a draft-day trade to move up from No. 32 to No. 25 to select Ohio State WR Santonio Holmes. Giving up third and fourth-round picks to facilitate the deal, the Steelers then traded down from No. 64 to pick up a pair of third-rounders from the Minnesota Vikings, helping to recoup picks and bridge their draft gap.
But that was Kevin Colbert. Current GM Omar Khan pulled off a similar move in 2023. After spending a fourth-round pick to move up and land Georgia OT Broderick Jones, creating a massive gap without picks from the fourth through sixth round, Khan traded down with the Carolina Panthers in the third round. That brought back a fourth-rounder.
In theory, trading down in the first round is sound and often an attractive option. Finding a partner can be challenging. Perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs or another offensive tackle-needy team like the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams could work, though the latter might not be a large enough move down to net a second-round pick.
If Pittsburgh can’t work out a deal, they’ll still be happy with their process. It came at a $150 million cost, but there’s no second-round pick who would’ve made a more immediate impact than Metcalf, a freaky receiver who himself wasn’t picked until the tail end of the second round. It’s a net win for the Steelers even if it requires a long wait between the team’s first and second selections.
