Steelers GM Omar Khan has a new nickname and we're loving it

Steelers Nation is still celebrating over the Pittsburgh Steelers haul in the NFL draft this weekend. There is no doubt that they had an impressive draft. Fans have a lot to be excited about. If there was one star of the Steelers draft, though, it would have to be Omar Khan, and the Steelers took their time before settling on Khan as the replacement for Kevin Colbert, and we all wondered how his first draft would turn out.

We got our answer over the weekend, and no one can say enough good things about the results. The job seemed so amazing that a new nickname for him is circulating around as some call him 'The Khan Artist.' In that, he fleeced the rest of the NFL to get exactly the right player they liked at the right place in the draft at the right value.

How the Steelers GM fleeced the rest of the NFL

DK Sports made an interesting point about Kahn's genius in obtaining Broderick Jones. With the Jets swapping draft spots because of the Aaron Rodgers trade, it left the Jets behind. The result was the Jets drafting behind the Patriots.

As the offensive linemen started going, and the Bears traded back one spot with Philadelphia, they took Darnell Wright instead of the Steelers. Then the Titans grabbed Peter Skoronski. With Jones left on the board, it was either make a move or lose Jones to the Jets. Perhaps they could have orchestrated a trade with the Lions or Packers, yet instead, they chose the best possible trade partner. They called the Patriots the Jets' rival in the AFC East.

While we can’t say what all was said between the Patriots and Steelers you would have to imagine it went like this. “Hey, Bill, Omar Khan here; how would you like to hose the Jets to keep them from getting Broderick Jones.” In which Belichick replies, “If it allows my defense to get to Aaron Rodgers, give me your 4th-round pick, and we will call it square.”  

It made perfect sense for the Patriots. In a deep cornerback class, and only one off the board and no other teams between the 14th pick and the 17th pick needing a cornerback, the Patriots knew they would get  Christian Gonzales. So they get a 4th round pick and still get the guy they like.

Now it was a gutsy call bypassing a cornerback for the Offensive tackle, but again he knew how deep the cornerback class was. His intuition was right. Joey Porter Jr. then fell out of the first round. A major surprise for most of us, but somehow Khan took a gamble, and it paid off.

He then did the same thing in the third round in the decision to trade back and get an extra pick for day three, knowing that while another risk, Darnell Washington would be on the draft board at the 92nd  pick. His intuition paid off again. Then with the extra pick, they found Nick Herbig still available.

Has Omar Khan set the bar to high for himself?

In some ways, this could be the draft by which everyone judges Omar Khan from now on and might come to expect. He has set a high standard for himself. His predecessor had some outstanding drafts and some not-so-good drafts. Will Khan be able to pull off future drafts just like this one?

That’s a tough question to answer. One would have to expect he might miss in a future draft. However, one thing to keep in mind is the success of how you judge this draft is all on paper right now. Reading the stats on the players they drafted, yes, it looks impressive. They have not taken the field yet. The interesting thing about the draft is all GMs will brag about how they had such a great draft in April.

Yet, in 2024 when the NFL season ends, you go back and look at it and see this team or that team's draft ended up being horrible. Will the Steelers be in that category? It could happen, but somehow you just don’t get that feeling. Just do not expect the draft to be as good as the 1974 draft. But wouldn’t that be something?           

For now, we just need to enjoy how the draft unfolded and see how it pans out this fall. However, the draft process has shown Omar Khan knows what he is doing. We would have to expect this will not be his only good draft. It appears the Steelers are in good hands with Khan at the helm.