With the NFL Draft less than a month away, the Pittsburgh Steelers have many options at their disposal with their first few picks. After trading away wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears during the season last year, they acquired the Bears second-round pick. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the Bears finished with the worst record in the NFL and that second-round pick turned into the 32nd overall pick in the draft which gives the Steelers three picks in the top 49.
George Gojkovich / Getty Images
Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
Under previous general manager Kevin Colbert, the Steelers rarely traded up or down in the draft. Now that Colbert has retired and Omar Khan has taken over the general manager duties, anything could be on the table and we will dive into potential returns if the Steelers were to trade any of their first three picks.
During Colbert's time as general manager, the Steelers were seen as a very conservative organization in terms of trading draft picks. The Steelers only moved down in the first round one time in 2001 when they went from 16 to 19 to draft Casey Hampton. Outside of that, the Steelers only traded back a handful of times with Colbert as their leader with their most recent move down in 2010 when they traded back from round five to round six. Some may remember this trade due to the fact that they also acquired cornerback Bryant McFadden back from Arizona, and they used that acquired sixth-round pick to draft Antonio Brown.
The only example of the Steelers moving down in the first-round was the aforementioned trade in 2001. In return for moving down three spots, the Steelers acquired an additional fourth and sixth-round pick in the same draft. This may not seem like much of a return on investment, but the compensation for trading in the first round has changed over the last two decades. The Steelers could be looking at a much more lucrative haul if they move down with either of their three picks in the first two rounds.
Getty
Pittsburgh Steelers Casey Hampton was the last player the Steelers moved down in the draft to acquire
During the early 1990's, former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson developed an algorithm for NFL teams to help determine the value of a draft pick. The chart gives each draft slot a numerical value with the highest value given to the first overall selection. While this is a great tool for teams to determine what the value of their draft picks are, there are obviously teams that would be willing to pay more or less for a pick depending on the players available on the board.
The Steelers have two excellent things working in their favor for moving back in the draft. They have fielded a team so far that is ready for opening day. The current brass has signed outside free agents that could start right now and they do not have a glaring need on their roster that must be addressed. This is also an extremely deep draft class. The depth in the 2023 NFL draft has some scouts believing it could produce significant starters as late as the fourth or fifth-rounds. Both of these factors should absolutely incentivize the Steelers to move down in the draft and now we will dive into a potential return on investment if they decide to do so.
Getty Images
Steelers' acquired offensive guard Isaac Seumalo has helped them solidify an excellent 2023 free agent class
Perhaps the biggest question is how far down can the Steelers move and also still acquire a player that would still be considered a first-round talent? The answer is not straight forward because this class has a bevy of talent and players are obviously valued more by some teams than others. My answer would be the Steelers should not move down past pick 24 in the first round. According to the chart we previously referenced, the Steelers would be looking at compensation somewhere in the range of a late second-round pick and a day three pick.
If the Steelers wanted to move down far enough to acquire an additional first-rounder, then they would likely have to move to at least 28 or further. With the current prospects, it's unlikely the Steelers would want to move that far, but if prospects begin to fall, then they could be enticed to move back that far.
A lot of speculation has been surrounding the Steelers previously mentioned pick at 32. There is a lot of teams that will likely be calling them regarding the first pick in the second round and they could acquire a lot of capital if they are willing to move back from that pick. If they are willing to move back into the mid-40's, then they could conceivably generate an additional second and fourth-round pick in future drafts. This could be much more likely than moving back in the first round because the Steelers already have a pick in the second round at number 49.
With just a few weeks until the draft, the Steelers will have a lot of options at their disposal. They should absolutely be open to moving down in the draft with a team that's already well equipped and a draft class with numerous prospects that can be difference makers right away.
