The Pittsburgh Steelers could be one of many teams that execute a trade in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has been very active in the trade market since taking over his role in 2022, and one NFL GM wouldn't be surprised if he's on the end of one of many trades in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach believes there will be a lot of trades in the first round of next week's draft.
"I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think the grades [on prospects] are going to be so close from some of these [offensive] tackles and D-ends and receivers," Veach said . "A lot of these guys that are mocked high may go a little lower and a lot of these guys that are getting mocked a little lower may go higher because I think they're so close this year. There's not this huge gap and huge fall off."
The Steelers certainly have the draft capital to execute a trade up if they want, with 12 total selections and five in the top 100 (Nos. 21, 53, 76, 85 and 99).
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan during a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 15, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
That was Pittsburgh's original plan last offseason, when they operated with the intent of accumulating as many compensatory picks as possible to help them with a potential trade up to grab a quarterback.
However, that crop of quarterbacks has since dwindled, and now only one seems to be a sure thing: Presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza .
That doesn't mean there aren't any players worthy of trading up for, though. The Steelers seem to be out of the range of top wide receiver prospects Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson , who currently rank as the No. 12 and 15 overall players on the NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus big board .
Meanwhile, Penn State offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane , who the Steelers just hosted for a pre-draft visit this week, also ranks as the No. 16 overall prospect.
Only time will tell what the Steelers will decide to do, but it sounds like they will have several opportunities to make a trade if they want to.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : NFL GM Expects a Lot of Trades in First Round of Draft
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