5 realistic trade back options for Steelers in first round

With the Steelers having plenty of holes to fill in the draft, trading back may represent the best-case scenario for the team.

The Steelers have only ever traded back once in the first round of the Kevin Colbert era. That was in 2001 when the team moved a whopping three spots back and landed Casey Hampton. Colbert did make some remarks this year indicating that a trade back could be on the table if the value is right. This makes a ton of sense given the Steelers’ plethora of needs after a free agency period that destroyed the talent on this team. Here are five realistic trade-back scenarios for the Steelers in the 2021 draft.

Buffalo Bills:

Steelers get picks 30 and 93, Bills get pick 24

This is the most cut and dry of all of these trades, as the Bills and Steelers could do a simple swap of first-round picks with the Bills adding in their late third-round pick to seal the deal. A trade like this would be ideal for the team as they still maintain a first-round pick but add another late in the third round, giving them three total picks on day two.

As for the Bills, the most likely reason they would want to trade up is to secure a falling edge rusher. With this draft deep at so many offensive positions and relatively shallow at edge, a top pass rusher could be available at pick 24. The Bills need someone to get after the quarterback, and if Azeez Ojulari or Jaelen Phillips makes it that far, the Bills could get aggressive to draft their guy. The Steelers have shown interest in some top edge rushers, but the extra third is more valuable than drafting a pass rusher that early.