Steelers Could Swap 2026 Draft Picks for 2027

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the cusp of likely one of the most impactful NFL Drafts of their long history.

With the 2026 NFL Draft occurring in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will have twelve selections in the draft. That being said, it is unlikely that the team will use all of their selections. With seven of the team's selections coming on Day 3 of the NFL draft, over half of their selections are not at a premium position.

The Steelers, therefore, are likely to make a move that would involve either packaging picks for a better pick in this draft or adding selections in the coming draft. In an appearance on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's North Shore Drive podcast, Ray Fittipaldo spoke about what the Steelers could do with their surplus of draft capital.

"As of right now, if you really want to load up and try to get those future picks, teams are really unwilling to," Fittipaldo said. "Omar Khan, I think, is gonna be trying to trade back into next year's draft. I think it's only natural that he would want to do that. He did a great job this past offseason of accumulating picks for the potential of drafting a quarterback this year."

The Steelers could certainly benefit from moving some selections from this year to the next. There is very little to pick from in terms of talent in positions of need for the Steelers, namely safety and quarterback, of the utmost importance.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on after being sacked during the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026. | Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Would This Move Be Helpful?

Even if they do not use the picks they would get for the 2027 draft on their own selections, they could package those picks to move up to select a position of need in that draft, as using them for that purpose in this year's coming draft would be less useful.

The Steelers are in desperate need of a quarterback for the coming season, but this year has proved fruitless when it comes to talent in both the draft class and free agent class. With that in mind, the team may look ahead, giving them a shot at another grouping of available signal callers.

With a new coaching staff, the team could be able to pull something out of their current roster in order to be successful on offense, but with Will Howard and Mason Rudolph as the current options, optimism is quite low for the grouping.

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