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Should the Pittsburgh Steelers Trade Down?
What are the pros and cons of the Pittsburgh Steelers trading back in the first round?
PITTSBURGH -- The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are keeping their plans tightly sealed.
Speculation around the league is that the Steelers could look to make a move in the first round. Unlike last year, however, some believe they are open to dropping back from the number 20 position. While the organization has made no public comment about their intentions, they are clearly weighing their options. So, what are the pros and cons of trading the 20th pick at the draft?
PROS
Acquiring Extra Talent & Draft Capital
The Steelers need to fill holes in several places in the lineup, and this draft is critical if they want to be considered a serious threat in the AFC. This crop of players is loaded at positons like wide receiver, offensive line, and secondary, all positions of need for Pittsburgh. If the goal is to improve the roster across the board, moving back in the first round is the best opportunity to do so. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin need more talent on the roster, and acquiring additional picks in the first 100 selections almost guarantees that.
Lineman Aplenty
The Steelers have made it very clear they want to improve their offensive line at the tackle and center positions. That shouldn't be a problem in this draft, with some mock drafts containing as many as eight linemen going in the first 32 picks. Unless there is only one lineman the Steelers are focused on getting, how much can moving back four or five spots, affect the plan to improve the offensive line?
CONS
There are a few pros to this idea, but there is one crucial con the Steelers must consider. If they trade out of the 20th overall pick, will they miss out on a starting center?
A question continuously asked is: when will the run on offensive linemen begin? The Steelers have been linked to a variety of the ones expected to be drafted in the first two rounds, with basically every tackle projected to go in the 20's meeting with the team in Top-30 visits. They appear to have contingencies in place to strengthen that position specifically.
The issue for the Steelers is that the buzz around some of the interior linemen is growing wildly. Center and guards are usually less coveted in the first round, but with the amount of attention a select few are receiving, there could be an earlier-than-expected run on centers.
If the Steelers did move back to the end of the first round, would it cost them a critical piece of their offensive line? They may feel it's worth the risk with the amount of options available, but those options might not include the likes of Graham Barton, Zach Frazier, or Jackson Powers-Johnson. Is that worth the risk to Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers?
