{"id":276886,"date":"2026-04-20T13:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=276886"},"modified":"2026-04-19T22:58:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T02:58:59","slug":"steelers-expected-to-trade-star-linebacker-during-nfl-draft-3-suitors-emerge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/20\/steelers-expected-to-trade-star-linebacker-during-nfl-draft-3-suitors-emerge\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers Expected to Trade Star Linebacker During NFL Draft; 3 Suitors Emerge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trade rumors are floating around the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team is rumored to trade linebacker Alex Highsmith during this year’s NFL Draft. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports<\/a> predicted the Steelers will trade either Highsmith or fellow teammate Nick Herbig<\/a> this upcoming draft. However, it’s easy to see why Highsmith might be dealt over Herbig, considering he’s eligible for a new contract in 2027 and is coming off a strong season last year. Highsmith recorded a team-high 9.5 sacks, which means the soon-to-be 29-year-old will demand a contract in the future, but they have Herbig, who is younger, waiting in the wings for a larger opportunity.<\/p>\n

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers move Highsmith in the draft. The team just gave TJ Watt a new contract not too long ago, and the Steelers just traded for Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a> this offseason. The Steelers have a lot of moving pieces, and the team could take advantage of the draft capital if they want to trade Highsmith.<\/p>\n

Originally selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the former Charlotte product will receive calls. Between Herbig and Watt, the Steelers will be alright as far as the season goes on, without Highsmith.<\/p>\n

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Steelers Expected to Trade Star Linebacker Alex Highsmith During NFL Draft; 3 Suitors Emerge<\/h2>\n

However, it’s easy to see why Herbig is a part of those conversations. He’s young, hungry and waiting for a starting opportunity to explode. The issue is that Herbig is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Steelers will, of course, prioritize his contract as Highsmith still has two years left, but if Herbig receives a new deal, the likelihood of the team moving Highsmith is high.<\/p>\n

Here are three teams that are expected to take a swing at Highsmith during the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Potential Destinations<\/h2>\n

Dallas Cowboys<\/h3>\n

The Dallas Cowboys need a linebacker in the worst way possible. Despite trading for Rashan Gary<\/a>, there’s no guarantee that he’ll ever be on the level of what Micah Parsons<\/a> brought to the Cowboys’ pass-rush. The Logan Wilson experiment was shattered before it got started, leading to his retirement. Now, the team must figure out what they want in their pass-rushing group. The future is bright for DeMarvion Overshown, but the other linebackers’ future is questionable.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys need a heavy-hitter. Highsmith is the perfect match to deliver what the Cowboys are looking for, so Jerry Jones might have to make the call.<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, expect the Green Bay Packers to take a look at Highsmith. The team sent Gary to Dallas, and even though they have Parsons and new acquisition Zaire Franklin<\/a>, the Packers’ trading for Highsmith would make this defense complete domination. Highsmith, Parsons and Franklin sound like a nightmare movie waiting to happen, so don’t be surprised if head coach Matt LaFleur makes yet another aggressive move.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Eagles<\/h3>\n

After losing Jaelan Phillips to the Carolina Panthers<\/a>, the Eagles are another potential suitor. GM Howie Roseman has been known for ages that he’s aggressive in trades. Highsmith might be the perfect replacement to mold this defense that also lost Nakobe Dean in free agency. Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell are solid, but Highsmith stepping in should get this Eagles defense to forget about Phillips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to receive calls on two star linebackers in the NFL Draft, but Alex Highsmith might be dealt. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":276887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<\/smartframe-embed>","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,19,25,18,1647,6431,21,9],"tags":[33533,6343,7422,7460,7576,32193,7429,6993,246,9880,7393,7366,4775],"class_list":["post-276886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-cowboys","category-packers","category-chargers","category-nfl-draft","category-nfl-teams","category-eagles","category-steelers","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-alex-highsmith","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-green-bay-packers-news","tag-jaelan-phillips","tag-lastest-nfl-news","tag-los-angeles-chargers-news","tag-micah-parsons","tag-nfl-news","tag-nick-herbig","tag-philadelphia-eagles-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers-news","tag-rashan-gary"],"modified_by":"Anthony Palacios","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276886"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276904,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276886\/revisions\/276904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}