Steelers Are All But Confirmed To Be Moving On From An Important Asset

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a franchise quarterback as the team has not had stability at the position since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. The organization has had a different Week 1 starter in five consecutive years, and the team is patiently awaiting a decision from Aaron Rodgers on his future. It is a tough spot to be in, but General Manager Omar Khan has done a good job of acquiring draft capital that could help the Steelers find a franchise quarterback eventually. That probably won't happen in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the Steelers could move on from some of their capital this year to acquire some value in 2027.

The Steelers currently have 12 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. The organization will not be drafting 12 rookies, so fans should expect some trades throughout the event. Khan did a great job acquiring this capital through trades while also knowing how to take advantage of the NFL's Compensatory Pick Formula. One of the rounds that is crowded for Pittsburgh is the third round of the event as the franchise has three selections in that round alone, and two in the fourth. Beat writer Mark Kaboly hosted a Q&A on X on Thursday where he discussed this situation, and shared that one of those thirds will be traded.

"I can pretty much assure you that they aren’t using all three of those third-round picks," Kaboly wrote. "Moving one of them would probably add value because it wouldn’t be a one-for-one swap, but having the most ammo they can have for next year’s quarterback draft class is their goal."

The quarterback class in 2027 is something that is important to keep in mind. It is expected to be a great class, which means the Steelers should hopefully be able to land a potential franchise quarterback. Players like Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Brendan Sorsby, Julian Sayin, and LaNorris Sellars are all expected to be entering the event.

Pittsburgh's roster is currently good enough to win some games, so there is a chance that the Steelers will be slated to pick in the teens or early-20s of the first round in 2027. That is why it is important to have as much capital as possible in the event. It would allow the Steelers to explore trading up in the first round, and hopefully land the quarterback that the franchise wanted.

Trading one of the third-round picks in 2026 would be a good move because Pittsburgh will have other opportunities to land good players in the third and fourth round. The Steelers can ask for future draft capital when moving on from these selections, which will only help the organization on its quest to land a quarterback.

Steelers Are Playing A Dangerous Game

It is good that the Steelers have had the foresight to plan ahead and kind of put the franchise in a decent spot to land a franchise quarterback. However, these quarterback classes can change with the snap of a finger. Injuries happen, play declines, NIL has been drawing more and more older college athletes back to school. It is hard to guarantee that a positional group is going to be good a year in advance. Part of the reason Pittsburgh has 12 picks in 2026 is because it thought the quarterback class would be good this time around. Now, Khan has to find a way to make this 2026 capital help the organization in 2027.

Khan has done a good job conducting trades during the draft since he took over the event in 2023, so hopefully he can continue doing that in 2026.

What do you think about the Steelers moving on from a third-round pick? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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