Over the last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers stockpiled 2026 draft picks in the possible hopes of using them to trade up and land a franchise quarterback in April’s draft. The event being held in Pittsburgh made it all the more poetic. Then reality struck. The ’26 class simply lacks the quarterbacks needy teams like the Steelers hoped for, likely leading GM Omar Khan and the franchise in another direction.
During a Thursday conference call, NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah offered the course the Steelers could take.
“There’s two other options I think you can use,” Jeremiah told the group, including our Ross McCorkle. “You have ammunition to go get a veteran player. You wanna trade for a veteran, that third-round pick will score you a really nice piece historically in the trade market. So you could plug a hole that way.”
In theory, that could be for a quarterback. Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa are likely on the move with the Cardinals and Dolphins preferring a trade than an outright release. Giving up a third-round pick for either is arguably too much but Pittsburgh is also stocked up on Day 3 picks, including a pair of fourth rounders, that would likely cement a deal.
Pittsburgh could dangle those picks for help at other positions. If the Philadelphia Eagles turn the page on WR A.J. Brown, he could make up a dangerous duo opposite DK Metcalf. Any number of trade possibilities are worth conjuring up. No matter the player or position, the Steelers could quickly bolster the roster with a known veteran instead of a rookie projection.
Khan could also kick the can down the road.
“You could try and use one of those picks to accumulate picks next year,” Jeremiah said. “Where at least on the surface, this far out, looks like it could be one of the best drafts we’ve seen in a very long time with high premium, high-end talent. And if you don’t feel like your quarterback of the future is in this draft, getting another lottery ticket next year would make some sense just to give yourself more ammunition.”
Basically, do the same strategy over again. There’s no promise the ’27 class will meet expectations but if it does, it’ll be fertile land of future franchise passers. A team like Pittsburgh potentially picking in the teens or early 20s will want draft capital to trade up, just as the Buffalo Bills did for Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs did for Patrick Mahomes. Both moves required aggressiveness but neither team had to work its way into the top five.
“I think those are two options they could go with,” Jeremiah said.
Both make sense. But both come with drawbacks. Adding a veteran could keep Pittsburgh’s roster on the older side when it needs an infusion of youth. That was one reason for the Steelers amassing a team modern-record number of selections. Trading back into 2027 is valid but requires a trade partner who wants to move up this year. That’s no guarantee, especially in a first round missing franchise quarterbacks and generally lacking high-end talent.
No matter the path, Khan has to get this draft right. Not just in finding the right rookies this year but making the right trades to set this team up in 2027 and beyond.
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