Updated Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 draft picks after Kenny Pickett trade

So much for there being a quarterback competition in Pittsburgh. Instead, the Steelers have decided to move on from Kenny Pickett just under two years since using the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

After signing Russell Wilson to a league-minimum contract, the Steelers are trading Pickett to the in-state Philadelphia Eagles for a pick swap. Specifically, the Steelers are getting a third-round pick (98th overall) and two 2025 seventh-round picks from the Eagles in exchange for Pickett and the No. 120 overall pick (fourth-round). The trade details were reported by ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.

So much for the quarterback competition. Instead, it will be Wilson who takes over as the QB1 in Pittsburgh, while Pickett now heads to Philadelphia to be the backup to Jalen Hurts.

Now, let's look at the draft capital that the Steelers have entering the 2024 NFL Draft, beginning on Apr. 25.

Updated Steelers draft picks in 2024 after trading Kenny Pickett to Eagles

Here are the official draft slots that the Steelers own as of this writing, after the Pickett trade:

The Steelers do lose a fourth-round pick in the draft this year as a result of the trade, but they do gain an extra third-rounder. That will allow the Steelers to draft a more impactful player as a result.

With the Pickett trade in the books, that leaves a void at the backup quarterback spot. Besides trading away their 2022 first-round pick, the Steelers allowed Mason Rudolph, who helped lead them to the playoffs late in the season, to hit free agency, only to sign with the Tennessee Titans. The Steelers also released Mitchell Trubisky from his contract, who then signed a two-year pact with the Buffalo Bills.

The Steelers could be in a position to draft a Bo Nix or a Michael Penix Jr. if they so choose. However, they'd have to decide whether to bank on either prospect falling to them in the second round, or use the 20th overall pick in the first round. That is, of course, they don't sign a backup quarterback in free agency.

Pickett is gone, and the Steelers are moving forward with Wilson as their starting quarterback, with the Denver Broncos footing the bill. Now, we wait and see what the Steelers do in the draft to build around Wilson.