Does Steelers Colbert have a surprise in store for fans before retirement?

Who could the Steelers trade with?

The nice thing about the 2022 draft is that of picks one through nineteen, the Giants, Jets, and Eagles hold seven of those selections. That gives the Steelers some nice potential trading options.

However, how high do they need to go if they want Willis? Well, at this point, no quarterback is certainly drafted before the 6th selection. Then You have Carolina at six, Seattle at nine, then New Orleans at 18. Still, nothing prevents Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, or Cleveland from throwing a curveball to get Willis. So what are their best options? Well, there are three.

 New York Giants

One would have to think if the Steelers trade with anyone, it would be the Giants. Holding the 5th and 7th selection, dropping back on one of the picks to 20 would not hurt them. The 7th selection would be the obvious choice to trade for; however, with Carolina is in the 6th slot and a wild card in the Willis race, Carolina forces the Steelers to trade for the 5th selection.

Carolina Panthers

Assuming the Panthers are not in the Willis race, it would do them no harm to trade down, especially if they are planning on a lineman. Plus, trading for the 6th pick would be slightly less costly than the 5th pick. Don’t rule it out, in any case.

Seattle Seahawks

Knowing Seattle is now the only other team ahead of the 18th pick that could be quarterback shopping, why not trade with them. It’s hard to say how in love with Willis the Seahawks are, and Pete Carroll did say he really liked Drew Lock. How how much of that is hyperbole it’s hard to say. However, if they still want a quarterback trading back to 20 could still let them get Pickett, Corral, Ridder, or Howell.

Will Colbert swing for the fences and trade up to get Willis? On the one hand, it could just be a fanciful thought. On the other hand, you can bet he wants to prep the Steelers for the future before he leaves the organization. Sure, he could get a wide receiver, London, Olave, or any others.

He could draft one of the many offensive linemen or a cornerback. However, he is leaving at a time when the Steelers are lacking a franchise quarterback. While any of the other positions would help the Steelers, keep in mind that when Bradshaw retired, they could have drafted Dan Marino and chose not to, and it took two decades before they finally found another franchise quarterback.

If Colbert truly believes in Willis, he could be setting things up to make a trade and get him to give the Steelers a lasting legacy.