Why Steelers must consider trading back in the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is the best place for the Steelers to build upon their young core, and trading back in the first round could be a way for the Steelers to do that.

While many fans obviously are interested in acquiring a top-ranked quarterback or one of the best offensive linemen in this year’s draft, it is possible that the players the Steelers are really interested in will not be there when they are on the clock at pick 20.

Whether it is because the players they like are not there at 20, or because the Steelers think that the guy they really like will be available a few picks later, trading back in this year’s class must be a consideration for Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, and company.

Trading back allows the Steelers to fill more of the holes on their roster

While quarterback and offensive line are the two biggest holes that the team has to fill this season, and are the two that most people have talked about, that doesn’t mean that the Steelers don’t have other holes to fill as well.

In addition to quarterback, some other needs include offensive guard, offensive tackle, wide receiver, cornerback, inside linebacker, and defensive line. However, that doesn’t even tell the whole story, as safety turns into a need if the team opts not to resign Terrell Edmunds, and the team also needs to add depth at the running back position.

While the Steelers do have some phenomenal building block players in place such as T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pat Freiermuth, Diontae Johnson, and Najee Harris, the roster needs plenty of help for the Steelers to get back to being a perennial contender.

So, clearly, the Steelers must first determine how they value this year’s quarterback class. If they truly believe that one of the quarterbacks in this year’s class is their future then trading back should not be what they are looking to do. Instead, they should look to stand pat, or even trade up if that’s what it takes to get their guy.

However, many draft analysts are not convinced that there is a quarterback who can develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the league. While Kenny Pickett is deemed as a safe pick, there are questions about his upside, and while Malik Willis has plenty of upside, there are legitimate questions of whether he’ll ever be able to develop into a starting quarterback. And as for the rest of the quarterbacks, Matt Corral, Sam Howell, and Desmond Ridder all have questions about their size and have other question marks as well.

If the Steelers don’t buy into this year’s quarterback class being high-end then the team should look into moving back. If they can move back to the back of the first round, they can acquire a third-round selection and potentially more, which will allow them to stockpile draft capital so that they can fill even more of their needs.

This isn’t to say that they can’t get a talented player when selecting late in the first round, as they could target players such as Trevor Penning, Zion Johnson, Bernhard Raimann, and Kenyon Green on the offensive line, or could even go the best player available and just select a very good player who doesn’t fit one of their top two needs.

If the team does move back and makes some impact moves this season they can fill out many of the holes on their roster this offseason. They can consider waiting until next season for their quarterback, and with much of their needs already filled, they can use whatever assets it takes to comfortably trade up as high as they need to go to get their quarterback of the future in next year’s class.