Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the proverbial pick of the litter to contemplate over the roughly 20-hour break before the start of the second round of the draft.
This year, they have only a vague idea of who will be available when they’re next scheduled to pick.
Unlike in 2023 when the Steelers held the first pick of the second round, as things stand after the first round of this year’s draft ended Thursday night the Steelers had no second-round pick at all. Barring a trade, it’ll be well into the night until they are next on the clock. Having traded their second-round pick last month to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf, the Steelers’ next pick on the board comes at 83rd overall.
That’s 19 picks in the third round and 51 selections into Day 2 of the draft.
A day after standing pat and taking Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon at No. 21 overall in the first round, could the Steelers explore a trade into Round 2? It would likely take such a move to get anyone who’s left close to the top of their board at positions of need such as running back, wide receiver, cornerback or — yes — quarterback.
Plenty of buzz in recent days connected the Steelers to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who early in the offseason was thought of perhaps as a candidate to be the first pick of the draft. But not only did Sanders not get taken No. 1 overall (quarterback Cam Ward did) and likewise not only did the Steelers bypass him in the first round — Sanders wasn’t even the second quarterback selected. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart was after the New York Giants traded up to No. 25 overall to get him.
If the Steelers wanted Sanders, they probably have to make a move into the top 10 or so picks — at least — of the second round. According to the widely-cited “draft value chart,” to move up that high the Steelers would probably need to package something akin to next year’s second-round pick along with their third-rounder at 83rd overall.
If the Steelers wanted to make such a bold move, other options in the early second round include cornerback Will Johnson of Michigan, South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori and receivers Luther Burden III of Missouri and Jayden Higgins of Iowa State.
Johnson was considered by some as a top-five overall pick but has reportedly slid because of concerns about a knee injury. Emmanwori was the only non-local safety to be hosted by the Steelers for an official draft visit. Burden has long been considered one of the best WR prospects of this draft class, and Higgins at 6-foot-4 1/8 was tied for the third-tallest and fourth-heaviest receiver at the combine.
Another possible avenue if the Steelers wanted to get aggressive in moving up the board on Day 2 would be to trade veteran receiver George Pickens, who is entering the final year of his contract.
NFL Draft Day 1:
• Steelers select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in 1st round of NFL Draft
• Tim Benz: Blissfully boring Steelers pick the right draft to play it straight with Derrick Harmon
More likely, though, is the Steelers stand pat — or, perhaps, make a more modest play to move up. Expected to have four extra draft picks in 2026 via the NFL’s free-agent compensatory formula, the Steelers certainly have some ammunition if they wanted to mortgage the future.
With only two quarterbacks on the roster at present, the Steelers are widely expected to take one at some point in the seven-round draft that ends Saturday. Sanders, Louisville’s Tyler Shough and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe seem likely to be taken in Round 2. If the Steelers were content waiting until the third round for a QB, Will Howard of Ohio State, Kyle McCord of Syracuse and Quinn Ewers of Texas are possibilities.
This draft is considered strong at running back, and that’s a good thing for a Steelers depth chart that just let four-year starter Najee Harris depart in free agency. Even if the Steelers sat at No. 83 overall, could a back such as Iowa’s Kalen Johnson, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson or Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo still be there and have appeal?
Receivers with consensus grades in the third-round neighborhood include TCU’s Jack Bech, Stanford’s Eric Ayomanor and TCU’s Savion Williams.
A possible cornerback the Steelers might see late in the third round is Azareye’h Thomas of Florida State, one of three players at the position the Steelers had in for an official pre-draft visit.
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