The Pittsburgh Steelers have a dozen draft picks entering the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s doubtful the franchise makes all 12 picks. Meaning, GM Omar Khan will wheel and deal at some point along the way, including possibly big first-round moves.

Predicting a trade is nearly impossible. So many variables are involved that even teams don’t have a good idea of what will happen. Still, below are three scenarios that make sense for Pittsburgh to explore on draft night. I am using DraftTek’s trade value chart to make the deals equitable. I understand there are other trade value charts, and everyone has an opinion over which is best, but this provides a rough idea of what would be considered fair value.

Trade Scenario No. 1

Pittsburgh Sends: No. 21 overall (800 points)
Buffalo Sends: No. 26 overall + 2027 3rd round pick (approximately 800 points)

I make mention of the Buffalo Bills for two points. One, they’re in the basket of teams that don’t care how good the 2027 quarterback draft class is. Buffalo has Josh Allen. They have no intentions of considering any top passer. Whether next year’s class turns out great, terrible, or somewhere between is irrelevant to them. Therefore, they could be more willing to trade future capital than quarterback-needy teams, like Pittsburgh.

Two, Bills GM Brandon Beane loves his first-round trade-ups. He’s made three of them: 2018, 2022, and 2023. In 2018, he made a series of big moves to land Allen eventually. In 2022 and 2023, he moved up two spots (25 to 23 and 27 to 25), giving up a fourth-round pick in the process. Beane traded up early in the second round in 2025, again showing he likes to be aggressive early.

In this scenario, a 2027 third-rounder acts like a fourth-round value. Pittsburgh moves down five spots, not a terrible drop, while getting a Day Two pick for next season as potential ammunition to move up for a quarterback. The Steelers could trade down and still land a top safety like Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. I’m less plugged into who the Bills may be targeting, but Beane usually has eyes on someone. They could target another receiver or a pass rusher should one slip.

Trade Scenario No. 2

Pittsburgh Sends: No. 21 overall + No. 85 overall (965 points)
Detroit Sends: No. 17 overall + No. 157 overall (978.6 points)

A move similar to what GM Omar Khan made in 2023, moving up three spots from No. 17 to No. 14 to land Georgia OT Broderick Jones. Pittsburgh has a trio of third-round picks and can feel “free” to give one of those up. Detroit has an incentive to trade down. The Lions have just two picks in the top 117. Adding No. 85 bridges a long gap between No. 50 and No. 118. Pittsburgh gets back a fifth-rounder to sweeten the deal.

Who could Pittsburgh go up and land? Maybe a wide receiver if there’s a late run. Or Penn State guard Vega Ioane if he slips past the Baltimore Ravens, and the Steelers are worried another team could move up. The type of semi-aggressive move to make sure Khan gets his guy, whoever that might be.

Trade Scenario No. 3

Pittsburgh Sends: No. 53 Overall + No. 76 Overall (580 points)
Seattle Sends: No. 32 overall (590 points)

A fun thought of the Steelers making two picks on Night One, capping off an exciting night in Pittsburgh as the city hosts the draft. After a selection at No. 21, Pittsburgh deals with the Seattle Seahawks for No. 32 overall.

Seattle has just four total selections in the 2026 draft. That alone is an incentive to trade down and move back. Over the past four drafts, the final pick of the first round has traded hands three times: only 2023, with Kansas City holding firm, proved to be the exception.

Pittsburgh’s target at No. 32? Hard to say. Often, a spot for quarterbacks (Lamar Jackson is one such example), so Alabama’s Ty Simpson would at least get some thought, even if the Steelers have shown no overt signs of interest. Picking a name depends on who the team selects at No. 21 (a receiver, a lineman, or a defensive back), but the Steelers could make this deal and still have a pair of third-round picks. Not a bad way to draft.