It’s been an interesting offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one that will become even more interesting during next week’s NFL Draft.
The Steelers have seven draft picks, starting with the 20th overall pick. Of Pittsburgh’s picks, four are in the first three rounds. And while Pittsburgh is currently without a fifth-round pick, don’t be surprised if general manager Omar Khan works his way into this round.
On a related note, Steelers fans also shouldn’t be surprised if the man known as “Khan Artist” opts to trade for the 20th overall pick. Even though the Steelers don’t typically trade away first-round picks, Khan’s short time on the job has shown he’s willing to make big moves in hopes of building a team that can bring home another trophy Lombardi in Pittsburgh.
Although this does not imply a first-round pick, another possible trade candidate for the Steelers is Broncos forward Courtland Sutton, who reportedly it was a no show for the start of Denver’s voluntary workouts due to his contractual situation. If Denver is willing to part ways with him, the Steelers have resources via draft capital to make a deal.
The Steelers’ biggest positional needs heading into the draft are at receiver, interior offensive line and cornerback. Pittsburgh may decide to trade up in order to acquire a top prospect at one of these positions, or move back in order to acquire more draft capital. The Steelers could also trade this pick for an already established player.
So what are some possible moves the Steelers could make in the first round? We’ll take a look.
- The Steelers receive: 16th overall pick, WR Tyler Lockett
- The Seahawks receive: 20th overall pick, 98th overall pick
This would help the Steelers in two ways. This would give them the chance to jump ahead of the Jaguars (who need help at the cornerback position) to select one of the top cornerback prospects. That player could be Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, who was recently praised by SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic as “probably the most gifted defensive back prospect in this draft.”
Pittsburgh would also get its coveted veteran in Lockett, who had three straight 1,000-yard seasons in Seattle with Russell Wilson throwing him the ball.
For more coverage of the project, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the first choice” — our all year round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With First Choice” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtubeetc.
Trading with bears
- The Steelers receive: 9th overall pick
- The bears receive: 20th and 84th overall picks
Pittsburgh has recent trade history with Chicago, so the chances of the two making deals in this year’s draft aren’t too slim.
The Bears have picks No. 1 and 9 overall, but they only have two more picks after that (the 75th and 84th picks). This deal would give Chicago another pick and give the Steelers a top-10 pick for only the third time this century.
The Steelers could use the No. 9 pick in several ways. They would have the choice to select one of the best receivers, cornerbacks or linemen in the draft. Possible options include wideouts Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers, offensive tackles Duke Barton and Taliese Fuaga, and Quinyon Mitchell, CBS Sports’ top cornerback prospect.
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Trade with the 49ers
- The Steelers receive: WR Brandon Aiyuk, 31st overall pick, 63rd overall pick, 132nd overall pick
- The 49ers receive: 20th overall pick, 51st overall pick, 84th overall pick
There’s a lot to digest here. You’ve probably read all the reports about the Steelers’ possible interest in Aiyuk, who he doesn’t seem happy with his current contractual situation. The 49ers could choose to trade him, but it won’t be cheap. The Steelers want a veteran, but they probably aren’t willing to give up too much.
A much simpler trade would be Aiyuk in exchange for the Steelers’ second-round pick (with other compensation, likely in the form of future mid-round picks), but for the sake of this exercise, I need to create a trade that could play in the first round.
With the trade above, the 49ers and Steelers swap their first and second round picks (the 49ers get the better pick in each round). Additionally, the 49ers would receive the Steelers’ third-round pick acquired in the Kenny Pickett trade to Philadelphia. This would allow the Steelers to still be able to draft in the first three rounds and, by acquiring the 132nd pick from the 49ers, they would get a pick in what would have been a dead zone between the fourth and sixth rounds.
The best part of this trade would be that the Steelers wouldn’t have had to give up too much to acquire Aiyuk, a talented young receiver whose best football should still be ahead of him.
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place April 25-27 in Detroit. More coverage of the draft can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft ordinancemock drafts and one available regularly look at eligible prospects.