For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, hearing rumors of a possible trade-up in a draft brings a bitter taste and unfortunate memories from the events of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Steelers held the 20th overall pick and had their eye on a speedy, hard-hitting linebacker that could fill the gaping hole left by Ryan Shazier's heartbreaking injury in 2017. The Pittsburgh war room felt it was time to make a move when the 10th overall pick came up - belonging to the Denver Broncos.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers ILB, Devin Bush.
The pick was in and suddenly Devin Bush Jr. was a Pittsburgh Steeler; everything seemed to be pointing in the right direction. Fast forward to the current offseason, which finds the Steelers roster without Bush on it, but again with a chance to make a big jump up the draft board.
There had been whispers here and there in the offseason wind about the Steelers looking to move up, but nothing concrete had emerged from the haze. That all changed on April 10th, when Senior Draft Analyst for Windy City Gridiron, E.J. Snyder (also hosted by Brett Kollmann of The Film Room from YouTube), confirmed on the Bootleg Football Podcast that there have been talks between the Steelers and the Chicago Bears involving a move that would bring the 9th overall pick to Pittsburgh, while allowing the Bears a chance to pick up more draft capital and avoid feeling pressured into reaching for a player.
It is practically impossible for anyone outside of the inner sanctum of NFL front offices to give an absolute answer on what a team will do at any point in the upcoming draft, but the words of Snyder made it seem like the whispers were getting louder and more pronounced by the day:
"Bears - Steelers is possible. They've talked about it, I know they've talked about it. It's by no means assured... they have had that discussion. The most likely connect-the-dots moment is that Pittsburgh needs an offensive tackle, and they go up for one because there’s one they like, and they’ll be gone by the time they pick at 17. [Bears GM, Ryan Poles] knows he needs a lot of players and moving down from nine to 17 still gets him a good one, plus additional picks."
Ryan Wilson, NFL writer for CBS Sports, echoed the same sentiment on the Pittsburgh radio station, 93.7 The Fan, saying:
"There's definitely some truth there, from what I've heard. It's more than just smoke."
NFL Draft analyst @ryanwilsonCBS on report of Steelers talking to Bears about moving from 17 to 9:
— Donny Football (@DonChed54) April 13, 2023
"There's definitely some truth there, from what I've heard. It's more than just smoke."
Ryan added that it would likely be for Paris Johnson Jr. (OT - Ohio State).
Photo Credit: Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
Steelers target, Northwestern Wildcats offensive lineman Peter Skoronski (77) prepares to block against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium.
Even though it's been no secret that the Steelers are aiming to go cornerback - offensive tackle in some order when they select at both 17th and 32nd overall (technically the first pick of the 2nd round, due to the Chase Claypool trade with Chicago), this shows another level to the aggressive nature that has defined the entire 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers offseason under Omar Khan thus far. Wilson, speaking to 93.7 The Fan, continued by hinting that the move could be done in pursuit of the stellar offensive tackle, Paris Johnson Jr. out of Ohio State.
If that jump is made, it will have to be done with every single person involved being as sure as they can that in another five years, they won't be referring back to yet another underwhelming player for a rich sum that was paid. Make no mistake, moving from the middle of the draft into the Top 10 is no small action, especially when there is a great deal of shifting and rumors going on at the top of the order. The price will not be something that will be easy to swallow, and fans should expect the Steelers to give up a first-round pick in 2024 to even begin the discussions - that would be in addition to swapping first-round picks in this year's draft.
The Denver Gazette
Steelers target, Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez is an appealing option for the Steelers with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, if he's available.
Pittsburgh has a new attitude when it comes to filling roster spots in 2023, so if the move does occur and it turns out that OT, Johnson, was not their target, the list of other possible players who the Steelers could deem worthy of that kind of move may be Peter Skoronksi (OT), Christian Gonzalez (CB), Myles Murphy (EDGE), or Tyree Wilson (EDGE).
With the days counting down, this kind of legitimate information will certainly add to the ever-increasing intrigue behind the way this "new Pittsburgh offseason" will go about handling an NFL Draft.
Do you think the Steelers should make this move? Let us know in the comments below!
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