{"id":857536,"date":"2026-04-06T20:50:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857536\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T20:50:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:50:43","slug":"steelers-2026-nfl-draft-rumor-could-lead-to-blockbuster-dk-metcalf-trade-steelers-2026-nfl-draft-rumor-could-lead-to-blockbuster-dk-metcalf-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/857536\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers 2026 NFL Draft rumor could lead to blockbuster DK Metcalf trade Steelers 2026 NFL Draft rumor could lead to blockbuster DK Metcalf trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

After acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. in a trade<\/a> with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason, the belief was that the Pittsburgh Steelers might be done making significant moves at the wide receiver position.<\/p>\n

That was an understandable belief, as the Steelers finally have their adequate one-two punch with Pittman and DK Metcalf. <\/p>\n

Now, the Steelers just need depth in the room, with a No. 3 receiver as their biggest need.<\/p>\n

The Steelers might use another significant resource at wide receiver: their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Essentially Sports\u2019 Tony Pauline<\/a>, Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. \u201cis in play\u201d for the Steelers at No. 21 overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m told Cooper is in play for the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 21 despite trading for Michael Pittman, and the New York Jets are also high on the speedy wideout, though they would only consider him with the 33rd pick,\u201d Pauline reported.<\/p>\n

Pauline adds that Cooper\u2019s stock is rising. He met with nearly every team in the bottom half of the first round.<\/p>\n

Omar Cooper Jr. scouting report<\/p>\n

\"\"Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) runs against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second half of the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to see why teams are interested in Cooper.<\/p>\n

He saved his best for his last college season after tallying personal bests in receptions (69), receiving yards (937) and touchdowns (13).<\/p>\n

The 6-foot, 199-pound wideout is an explosive and physical playmaker<\/a> and is viewed as a high-character player and person.<\/p>\n

Every sign is there that Cooper could be a massive steal at his current projection, which is middle of the first round to the early second.<\/p>\n

Cooper pick could lead to DK Metcalf trade<\/p>\n

\"5.Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) warms up prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

While the Steelers would love to add Cooper to Pittman and Metcalf, they could trade their top wide receiver.<\/p>\n

After all, Metcalf was a huge disappointment last season and failed to live up to his $132 million contract. <\/p>\n

Metcalf\u2019s 850 receiving yards in 2025 were the fewest of his career.<\/p>\n

Also, we all remember the Metcalf incident<\/a>, when he got into a physical confrontation with a Detroit Lions fan.<\/p>\n

That blunder got him suspended for two of the team\u2019s most important games of the season.<\/p>\n

Cutting ties with Metcalf would be financially painless, as he has no guaranteed money left on his deal.<\/p>\n

If Metcalf isn\u2019t traded this year and fails to rebound in 2026, he\u2019d be a prime trade candidate next offseason.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Steelers can draft Cooper, hoping he develops into a starter and eventual replacement for Metcalf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason, the belief was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[4955,2870,7,6,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-857536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-dk-metcalf","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-pittsburgh","13":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","14":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","15":"tag-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116359742267605380","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}