With 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers are armed with plenty of draft capital to potentially move up the board. NFL Media’s Eric Edholm thinks the team should do just that, trading back into the first round after making its selection at No. 21 overall. But while much of the speculation around the Steelers trading up into the first round would be for them to take a quarterback, Edholm has a different idea. He believes the Steelers should trade for the No. 32 overall pick to take a wide receiver.
Edholm’s proposal has the Steelers trading their second-round pick (No. 53 overall), one of their third-round picks (No. 76 overall), as well as No. 161 overall in the fifth round and No. 216 overall in the sixth round to the Seahawks for the No. 32 overall selection.
In this scenario, the Steelers draft an offensive lineman (Edholm mentioned Vega Ioane) at No. 21 overall and end the first round of the draft in Pittsburgh by acquiring a playmaker.
“I’m even thinking specifically about Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, who might be the most gifted of the WR bunch but could slip because of a lengthy injury history,” Edholm writes. “Other gifted receivers also make sense, but if Tyson is somehow there, it should be a no-brainer. He screams Steelers receiver and [Mike] McCarthy receiver and is exactly the separator they need. Tyson’s history working with Hines Ward at ASU would render instant cred in Pittsburgh, too.”
Tyson’s been a popular name mocked to the Steelers at No. 21 overall. A history of injuries, including a hamstring injury that’s limited how much he’s been able to do during the pre-draft process, is the big concern. It would be somewhat surprising if the injury history was a big enough concern to knock Tyson down to the last pick in the first round, but if he is there, the Steelers can be opportunistic and make a splash.
Even though the Steelers would be dealing four picks in Edholm’s proposal, they’d still have nine selections in the draft. While Tyson’s injury history is cause for concern, at that point in the first round, it’s worth gambling on the talent and adding a player who could end up being the best receiver in this draft class.
I find it hard to believe the Steelers will use all 12 picks, so a trade up at some point in the draft is something I’d expect. While it might not be a deal to trade back into the first round, that would be a solid use of their resources, especially if they can land someone like Tyson at No. 32 overall. So much of what the Steelers do will depend on how the board breaks, but I don’t think there would be many complaints if the Steelers walked out of the first round with Ioane and Tyson.
Recommended for you