Realistic draft day trades Steelers should consider

Trading during the NFL draft is common practice, as teams move around to secure players they want or to gain more assets. The Steelers are historically less active than most on draft day. While the team shows a willingness to move up and secure a player they like, they rarely move back and secure more picks.

That could change this year, as both Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have expressed some interest in moving around. I am all for it, as gaining more picks when a less-than-ideal board is available is always smart. As well, identifying players that you want and ensuring you get them via a trade-up is also logical.

The team could certainly be more active this year than in years past. Here are the four most realistic trades the Steelers can make on draft night.

4. Steelers could potentially trade Mason Cole

Let me start this off with a major caveat: the Steelers would have to land one of the top centers in the draft in round two in order for this to even be feasible. Mason Cole proved to be a better signing than I, or most people, expected him to be. While he wasn’t an elite player, he was a stabilizing force and was the most consistent lineman for the entire season.

The team has shown a clear desire to get better along the line this offseason, investing a lot of time scouting some of the top linemen and adding Isaac Seumalo. The interior is seemingly set, but that hasn’t stopped the team from further scouting the two top centers and a top guard. Landing either of the top centers in the second round would likely be a long-term upgrade over Cole.

If the team uses a top pick on a center, Cole could be flipped. It would yield very little in terms of cap relief, but it would give the team back another pick and continue the aggressive growth that this line is seeing. This is contingent on a top center being drafted, but if one is, Cole could be flipped.