The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird spot as an organization. Some parts of the roster are clearly built for winning now, while other parts are simply lacking superior talent. The Steelers are seemingly trying to compete in 2025, despite not having a clear-cut franchise quarterback. This has made many believe the organization will be looking to land one of the quarterbacks from the promising 2026 draft class next year. Pittsburgh could certainly acquire the solution at the position during that draft, and General Manager Omar Khan has set the organization up in a great way to do so.
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Steelers' Omar Khan sits in the war room during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Steelers are currently expected to have 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be hosted by the city of Pittsburgh. The organization has all seven of its own picks, plus the third-round selection it acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in the George Pickens deal. In addition to this, Pittsburgh is expected to be awarded four compensatory selections due to what occurred throughout the free agency process. These picks will be great for the future of the franchise as it can use them to build the roster, or in a potential move to go up the draft board.
Khan spoke to the media on Friday, and he mentioned that the team had next year's draft in the back of its mind while making decisions during the 2025 offseason.
Omar Khan on #Steelers assembling picks for 2026 NFL Draft:
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) May 9, 2025
"This year we were in a position ... it was important for us that we were in a position to acknowledge the fact we could acquire comp picks for next year. That's something we were obviously cognizant of."
It was assumed by many that Pittsburgh was aware of what it was doing by allowing certain free agents to walk in order to help the compensatory pick formula, and Khan essentially confirmed that. These picks will be good to have as the organization will look to move up the board to acquire a potential franchise quarterback, if that position still presents an issue when the time comes.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Omar Khan shakes hands with Mike Tomlin during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Steelers landing four compensatory picks stems from allowing players to leave in free agency. The biggest impact on the formula was tackle Dan Moore Jr. who signed an extremely lucrative deal with the Tennessee Titans. Losing Moore should land Pittsburgh a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After Moore, Justin Fields had the biggest impact as he signed with the New York Jets. His decision to leave is expected to give Pittsburgh a fourth-round selection.
Other players that left and are expected to provide additional draft capital were Russell Wilson and James Daniels. The pick Pittsburgh receives for players who leave comes from the percentage of snaps they played with the team in the prior season, as well as the amount of money they sign for elsewhere. The snaps are only calculated from games where the player was available, which is the reasoning Pittsburgh should still get a pick from Daniels leaving, even though he missed most of the 2024 season due to injury.
Steelers Are Taking A Risk Banking On The 2026 NFL Draft
A lot can change between now and the 2026 NFL Draft. During the 2024 offseason, Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck were considered two of the top quarterback prospects that would be entering the 2025 NFL Draft. Both were expected to be first-round picks. Now, Beck is getting ready for another college season after transferring to Miami, and Ewers is expected to be buried in the depth chart of the Miami Dolphins after being drafted in the seventh round.
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Will Howard and Quinn Ewers meet after The Cotton Bowl.
The top quarterback prospects now might not even get selected when the draft comes around in 2026, while names many haven't even heard of might fly up the board. For instance, Joe Burrow was not really on anyone's radar going into the 2019 college football season. By the end of the year, he was the Heisman Trophy winner and the consensus number one pick.
What do you think of this strategy from Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!
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