If Night 1 of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft plays out the way Eric Edholm wants, the city will be buzzing well into the next morning. Mapping out five draft scenarios he’d like to see, Edholm theorized a world in which the Steelers stick and pick at No. 21 and trade up with the Seattle Seahawks for the 32nd overall pick, the first round’s final selection.
Here’s his trade hypothetical.
Steelers Get
– 2026 1st-round pick (No. 32 overall)
Seahawks Get
– 2026 2nd-round pick (No. 53 overall)
– 2026 3rd-round pick (No. 76 overall)
– 2026 5th-round pick (No. 161 overall)
– 2026 6th-round pick (No. 216 overall)
A major trade for a reasonable price tag. Pittsburgh would be without a second-round pick but still possess two third rounders, No. 85 and No. 99, while keeping 2027 powder dry. Seattle would receive an infusion of draft picks to what’s currently a light class. As of now, the Seahawks have just four selections: No. 32, No. 65, No. 96, and No. 188.
Crucially, the Steelers moving into the first round would give them the fifth-year option for that pick. Something exclusive to only first rounders. Who could the Steelers move up for? If Alabama QB Ty Simpson falls, it’s a logical place to jump up and grab the option. In 2018, the Baltimore Ravens selected TE Hayden Hurst 25th overall only to trade up to No. 32 and snag Lamar Jackson (in that deal, the Ravens packaged current and future second rounders to the Philadelphia Eagles).
Is there anyone else Pittsburgh would trade up for? Perhaps a wide receiver. Sketchy medicals could cause Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson to slip past his initial mid-first round draft projection, a possibility Edholm floats. The same could apply true for a host of other players, too.
No matter the player, such a scenario would be a major shift in how Pittsburgh handles the draft. The Steelers haven’t made multiple first-round picks since 1989 when the team drafted Georgia RB Tim Worley at No. 7 and Pitt OG Tim Ricketts at No. 24. Neither player panned out. Pittsburgh would hope for better results this time around, and would make for a loud pop to cap hosting the draft for only the second time in history.
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