After months of hype and speculation, the NFL draft is finally here, with the festivities kicking off Thursday night.

Offensive line and wide receiver appear to be the most likely Round One targets for the Steelers, with players such as Amarius Mims, Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson, J.C. Latham and Brian Thomas Jr. the most common names mocked to Pittsburgh by various pundits. The odds the Steelers take one of those players with their top selection at number 20 overall are high.

But what if they don’t? What if the draft plays out in a way that causes an unexpected domino effect that changes Pittsburgh’s strategy? Omar Khan has shown himself to be an aggressive general manager who doesn’t often play the hand he’s dealt. If Khan doesn’t like the way the draft is unfolding, or if he sees an opportunity to make a move to acquire a player the team desires, he’s likely to do so.

Here are three scenarios that could see the Steelers moving out of the number 20 spot in Round One.

Scenario One: A Quarterback Frenzy

The latest buzz pertaining to Round One has the class’s top quarterbacks on the move. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, once considered the fourth best signal-caller behind Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels, is now thought to be the top target of the Washington Commanders at number two overall.

If McCarthy goes to Washington, and if New England opts for Maye at number three, Las Vegas, who picks 13th, could try to move up to grab Daniels. Daniels’ connection to Raiders coach Antonio Pearce, who coached Daniels in high school and also at Arizona State before Daniels transferred to LSU, makes him a trade-up target for Vegas.

Meanwhile, University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has seen his draft stock soar in recent weeks. Coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Penix was thought to be a mid-second round pick. But teams have warmed to Penix these past two months, and he’s now in play to be taken in the Top 12 overall. Both Minnesota and Denver, who pick 11th and 12th, respectively, could be in the market for Penix.

How does this affect the Steelers? Let’s say the Bears take Williams at number one, the Commanders select McCarthy at number two and the Patriots grab Maye at three. Then, the Raiders swing a trade to get in front of Minnesota and Denver to take Daniels. The Vikings then select Penix at number 11, and the Broncos, who badly need a quarterback and don’t want to get shut out, take Oregon’s Bo Nix at number 12. That exact scenario might not occur, but six quarterbacks going in the top 12 is a real possibility. Should that happen, some of Round One’s premium talent could get pushed down the draft board.

Las Vegas is thought to be in the cornerback market, but if they trade up for a quarterback, Alabama’s Terrion Arnold and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, two of the best man-coverage corners in the draft, could slide. The Steelers aren’t believed to be targeting a corner in Round One, but if a top talent like Arnold or Mitchell fell, Khan might make a move. If one or both make it past Detroit at 15, the Steelers could trade with Seattle at 16 to get in front of corner-needy Jacksonville (who picks 17th) to select Arnold or Mitchell.

While Pittsburgh’s most glaring need heading into the draft is at center, the absence of a reliable slot corner on their roster is a problem as well. Pittsburgh played 61% of their snaps last season with some sort of slot defender on the field, and most of those snaps went to since-departed Chandon Sullivan and Patrick Peterson. The opportunity to acquire a premium talent like Arnold or Mitchell, both of whom could start in the slot before working their way outside, might be too tempting for Khan to ignore.

Scenario Two: The Surprise Receiver

The Brandon Aiyuk-to-the-Steelers rumors have died down lately but that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh won’t make a surprise move for a receiver.

While there’s no doubt the Steelers are interested in an offensive lineman, their flirtation with Aiyuk suggests a receiver is on their radar as well. We’ve heard reports they really love Washington’s Rome Odunze. Odunze could be selected as high as number six, when the Giants pick, and if that’s the case the Steelers would have no shot at him. The Bears could snap him up at number nine as well. If Odunze makes it past Chicago, though, he could fall into the teens, as QB-needy teams like the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders are unlikely to take him.

If Vegas misses out on one of the top four quarterbacks, they could be a potential trade-back target if they think they can get Penix or Nix in Pittsburgh’s spot at 20. The price of trading up to 13 for the Steelers could potentially be steep, but Khan’s negotiating skills have almost always worked out favorably. Adding Odunze would give the Steelers two elite vertical threats on the outside that would make it difficult for defenses to drop a safety into the box to defend the run. That could be a key to unlocking Arthur Smith’s offense, where the run is likely to set up the pass. And it would give their new quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, both of whom are good deep-ball throwers, tremendous talent with which to work.

I’m not holding my breath on a trade up for Odunze. But as with Broderick Jones last year, or in the potential cornerback scenario above, if there’s a player Khan covets who falls within Pittsburgh’s range, he isn’t afraid to move pieces to acquire him.

Scenario Three: The Trade-Down Option

Of course, if there are no trade-ups Khan finds attractive, and he believes the Steelers can land a player they covet later in Round One, he could be inclined to trade down. Various reports have suggested the Steelers have been approached by teams drafting behind them about the availability of the 20th pick. Turning that into additional assets, which Khan could utilize in a variety of ways, would be a very Omar thing to do.

If the Bengals take Mims at 18, for example, and the Steelers don’t feel any of the other tackles are worth drafting at 20, they could move back in the round and still land their center in either Barton or Powers-Johnson. In doing so, they’d likely acquire an additional 3rd Round pick in the process. A team like Green Bay, picking at 25 and in need of help at cornerback, might want to jump ahead of the Eagles, who draft at 22, to take Iowa standout Cooper DeJean. Green Bay has two third round picks, at 88 and 91, and would likely part with one to swap with the Steelers. Pittsburgh could then take their center at 25, and with three picks between 84 and 98 overall, they’d have the ability to maneuver back up to acquire another player they covet.

In short, Khan has options with the 20th pick, and his track record suggests he will use them creatively. Be prepared, then, for just about anything from the Steelers when things get rolling Thursday night.

Check out my podcast “The Call Sheet,” which airs on Thursdays and look for my film breakdowns on both the SCN and FFSN YouTube channels. You can also follow me on X @KTSmithFFSN and @CoachsCallSheet.