The Pittsburgh Steelers currently hold the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The organization dealt its second-round selection in exchange for DK Metcalf, which has had many wondering if General Manager Omar Khan will consider trading back in the first round to pick up some more draft capital. It's an interesting situation because of what's been going on with the quarterback position in the Steel City. Fans can't rule out a blockbuster trade up if a signal-caller that the team really likes is slipping a bit in Round 1. The franchise now has some significant competition in the New Orleans Saints.
Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today Sports
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan sits in front of the media to answer questions during his first NFL Scouting Combine as the head of the team's front office in 2023.
New Orleans currently holds the ninth overall pick in the first round and the quarterback situation for the Saints recently got a lot more complicated. It's quite possible that Derek Carr misses the entirety of the 2025 season, making a signal-caller potentially more of a priority. If a team like Pittsburgh gets the sense that New Orleans wants to take a quarterback in the Top 10, could an organization make a deal with the Carolina Panthers to leapfrog New Orleans?
That is now on the table according to a social media post by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan verbally stated that he will be waiting for his phone to ring on draft night.
#Panthers GM Dan Morgan said his phone didn’t go nuts after the news broke on Derek Carr’s shoulder injury… despite holding the No. 8 pick, right before the #Saints. But he sounds like a guy open to offers.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2025
“We'll be waiting if somebody wants to come up."
This adds some serious intrigue to the situation, especially after the Carr injury in New Orleans. The Steelers and Shedeur Sanders are reported to have mutual interest in one another, but no one can really guess where he is going to go in Round 1, if at all. The rising speculation has made some believe that Pittsburgh will just take him at 21, but Carolina is clearly hinting that it is willing to do business if someone else out there wants to hop over the Saints.
Ross D. Franklin / ap photo
Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders talks with his dad and Head Coach Deion during a collegiate football game on the road.
Back in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Steelers moved up from 20 to 10 to select Devin Bush. The front office passed along that year's first and second-round selections while also giving up a third in 2020. Pittsburgh doesn't have anything in Round 2 for 2025 as of now, which would make a hypothetical trade scenario hard to predict. That might be getting too far ahead, as there is no indication that Pittsburgh is willing to jump that far up into the first round.
It's important to note, however, that there is already a team dangling a carrot in the first eight picks. There might not be much competition for Sanders after the Saints, which could mean that Khan and co. will gamble and wait until the quarterback prospect drops. Another name to keep an eye on is Jaxson Dart. The signal-caller market is unpredictable, especially because of how important it is to have a formidable one at the professional level.
The Steelers could have an opportunity to go up and get their guy, but the price has to be right. On top of that, the decision-makers better be positive that the guy being traded up for is unquestionably the future moving forward.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) sit in the franchise's draft room as they anxiously watch the board in 2023.
Steelers Would Be Taking Big Risk Moving Up To Eighth Overall Pick
Pittsburgh badly needs help on the defensive line. Going from 21 to eight in the first round is risky business. Not only will a ton of capital likely have to be forfeited, but it may lose the franchise the opportunity to get a dominant interior defender early on. The Panthers are now a team to keep an eye on regardless, because it is clear they have interest in moving back.
Would you support the Steelers moving up 13 spots to draft Sanders or Dart? Let us know in the comments below!
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