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Steelers could trade up for elite talent in draft if they upgrade QB

By Michelle Kotts

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield heads to the locker room following a 37-14 loss against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. Baker's streak of 53 consecutive starts will come to an end on Thursday as Case Keenum has been named the starter for the Browns' matchup against the Denver Broncos.Bakertunnel
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield heads to the locker room following a 37-14 loss against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. Baker's streak of 53 consecutive starts will come to an end on Thursday as Case Keenum has been named the starter for the Browns' matchup against the Denver Broncos.Bakertunnel /
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Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

Steelers Then Trade-Up

After acquiring Mayfield, the Steelers should then immediately trade up. Here is the reason why. Acquiring Mayfield gives them time to decide if either of them can be a franchise quarterback. Taking a quarterback out of the draft equation allows the Steelers to select the best player available in the draft allowing the Steelers to become an immediate Superbowl contender. There are upwards of 8 players they could then target.

However, the key is to trade with the right team so they don’t have to part with a king’s ransom to get the draft slot they want. So they should only consider trading with the Jets or Giants. Considering the Giants have picks five and seven and the Jets four and ten, either could part with an early selection and drop back to

However, of the six players they could take, two might require the fourth or fifth picks, two would only require trading up to the 7th, and one would only need the Steelers to trade to the 10th selection.

Considering neither the Jets nor Giants have been visibly active in the trade market, behind the scenes, you could assume both teams have fielded many possible calls from other teams and will get additional calls about a trade for one of their early selections.

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