The Steelers Wanted to Trade Up With Buccaneers in the NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers almost had the trade partner they were looking for in the Pittsburgh Steelers — until Rueben Bain Jr. fell.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did just about everything they wanted to do in the 2026 NFL Draft. They saw multiple players fall to them unexpectedly, including Miami standouts Rueben Bain Jr. and Keionte Scott, got a starter at linebacker in Josiah Trotter and secured some depth at key positions on the offensive and defensive front.

The Bucs were able to address almost all of their needs, but heading into the draft, many were wondering if they could. They were set to pick at No. 15, and there was a lot of chatter before the draft that the Bucs could try to trade back and acquire more picks to shore up positions of need.

That didn't end up happening when Bain, who many expected to be a top-10 pick, fell to the Bucs. But at least one team thought that they might have been able to trade up with the Bucs, and it's a team Tampa Bay will be facing in 2026.

Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to trade with Bucs on draft day

A Pittsburgh Steelers fan poses with the 2026 NFL Draft countdown clock at Acrisure Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Gerry Dulac recently spoke on the Rich Eisen Show about the Steelers' draft, and during his appearance, he mentioned that the Steelers believed they could trade with the Bucs to get to No. 15 during the draft to acquire wide receiver Makai Lemon — until Bain fell into Tampa Bay's lap.

"When you look at what was in front of them... they thought they might have the opportunity to with Tampa Bay at 15 to trade up," Dulac said. "But when Rueben Bain was still on the board, Tampa Bay obviously loved Rueben Bain and they weren't willing to trade down."

The Steelers were a common fit to trade with Tampa Bay before the draft. Heading into the draft, the Steelers had the No. 21 pick and the No. 53 pick in Round 2, which the Bucs could have used to get an extra high-impact player. The Steelers ended up selecting tackle Max Iheanachor at No. 21 and then traded No. 53 to the Colts, who selected linebacker CJ Allen with that pick.

The Bucs didn't trade their pick and selected Bain, who will be a starting edge rusher, but they were also able to pick a potential starting linebacker in Trotter and a nickel corner in Keionte Scott — and Scott going to nickel will allow Jacob Parrish to go outside, which also helps add more outside cornerback depth as well.

The Bucs got a backup guard and backup defensive tackle in Billy Schrauth and DeMonte Capehart, and they also acquired a potential X receiver to replace Mike Evans in Ted Hurst. Finally, they selected Bauer Sharp, who adds to a tight end room that could use some new bloods

Tampa Bay did well on paper in the draft, and as it stands, it doesn't feel like they needed to take the Steelers up on their offer. But we won't know for sure until the regular season, and Tampa Bay's rookies will continue to work this offseason to get ready. The next step in that regard is OTAs, which begin on May 26.

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