At the beginning of the week, Mike Tomlin said he was excited to see if his phone would be ringing about pick #32 come Friday. It sure sounds like it’s done nothing but ring all day. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are “mulling multiple offers” for #32.
Schefter makes it sounds like Pittsburgh has received several concrete offers from teams looking to move up. Ostensibly, it’s for a QB, be it Kentucky’s Will Levis or Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. Both players were potential first-round picks who slipped out of Day One.
According to CBS’s Jonathan Jones and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it appears the four teams in the mix to move up are the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears. The Raiders pick at #38, the Titans at #41, Falcons at #44, and the Bears are #53 in the second round.
The board has broken well for Pittsburgh at the top of the second round. There’s plenty of strong talent for the Steelers to consider, especially in the secondary, a position of need. The cornerback class is impressive with Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. the top name but far from the only one on the list. Alabama’s Brian Branch is a hybrid safety/slot who would be a versatile fit in the Steelers’ defense and could help replace Cam Sutton.
Pittsburgh could trade back a handful of spots and still get one of those good defensive players all while picking up a mid-round pick. The Steelers don’t hold a pick between #80 and #241 after dealing #120 to the New England Patriots to select Broderick Jones last night. It’s almost certain at some point, Pittsburgh will bridge that gap with one or more picks. They’ll begin by deciding if they want to start that process at #32 or hold and make the move down later in the draft.
Tonight’s draft kicks off at 7 PM/EST.
