Bills Emerge as Potential Trade Partners for Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft
The consensus around the NFL is that, come draft day, the Pittsburgh Steelers will likely trade a decent number of their 12 picks, hoping to exchange 2026 draft capital for 2027 draft capital. One team that could be a perfect suitor for Pittsburgh to acquire selections in next year's draft is the Buffalo Bills. The Bills draft late in the first round, as they hold the 26th overall pick. Their next selection doesn't come until the end of the third round, where they hold the 91st overall pick. After the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane and owner Terry Pegula threw him under the bus, blaming him for draft busts such as Keon Coleman. Headlines quickly grew around McDermott's firing following a press conference with Beane and Pegula, yet the root of their comments stands: the Bills need a wide receiver. Many analysts believe that Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion would be a perfect fit for the Bills, but the Rams and Panthers both draft before Buffalo, and have also been deemed as perfect suitors for the five-foot-11 pass-catcher.
Both the Steelers and Bills view themselves as win-now teams, with the Bills showcasing their ability to succeed, as they reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs before losing 33-30 to Denver. Cristopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that "the Bills don't have a second-round pick, so they might be a team that says, 'Look, give us some picks this year. We don't care about next year as much as you do.'" The Steelers are very interested in the 2027 NFL Draft, as it is expected to be a great year for quarterbacks. This year, outside of Fernando Mendoza, there aren't many elite, NFL-caliber quarterbacks. The Bills, on the other hand, need a wide receiver, and the 2026 NFL Draft is full of players with elite, next-level talent. Outside of Coleman and recently acquired former Bears receiver D.J. Moore, the Bills don't have any standout wide receivers, which could easily change if they select one of the top guys, such as Concepcion with the 26th overall pick. This still leaves them waiting, as the talent in this year's recruits falls off drastically, according to many NFL analysts. The Steelers, who have Michael Pittman Jr. and D.K. Metcalf, sit in a much better position than the Bills do, and are still projected to potentially draft a wide receiver with the 21st overall pick, practically guaranteeing that Buffalo will do the same, adding another weapon for Josh Allen.
The Steelers' three third-round selections can act as a buffer for them to trade away their second-round pick, 53rd overall. This would allow Pittsburgh to continue trading those third-round picks to leapfrog back into the second round, or to sit on them and draft highly capable players in the middle rounds. Regardless, the Steelers will likely look to Buffalo for 2027 draft capital, expecting the Steel City to address their other positional needs this year and wait to address their glaring quarterback issue next year. Some rumors even suggest that Buffalo will bid for an early 2027 draft pick, such as their first-round or second-round selection, in exchange for Metcalf. While Metcalf is only entering his second year with Pittsburgh, this could be a potentially perfect situation for both sides. Beane and Pegula get their MVP quarterback another weapon, and Pittsburgh gets the 2027 picks that they will likely value more than their 2026 ones, and Pittsburgh could still upgrade their wide receiver corps by selecting someone such as Makai Lemon or Germie Bernard with the 21st pick. The 2026 NFL Draft is now just six days away from the first round, and Pittsburgh has lots of potential trade partners to think about before that draft day deadline.
