Are the Steelers really considering trading up in the first round for CB Quinyon Mitchell?
Here’s a doozy and the eve of the draft. According to insider Tony Pauline, the Pittsburgh Steelers have discussed trading up for CB Quinyon Mitchell. The report indicates they have had conversations with the Denver Broncos to move up from 20 to 12. They previously traded up 10 spots with the Broncos for ILB Devin Bush in 2019.
But is there any truth to this, and if so, to what degree? Do the Steelers have any real interest in moving up, that far, and for a cornerback? The way things work, general managers regularly communicate with each other before the draft about hypotheticals. They get a general sense of who may want to move up or move back and get a loose sense of parameters.
I believe the Steelers talked to the Broncos about what a potential trade might look like. Maybe some names or positions came up. But I don’t buy the idea that they’re actively pursuing Quinyon Mitchell at 12. I just don’t think this is the kind of information that actually reached the public if true. This is six-degrees-of-separation sort of information, or rather pieces of information. A bit of truth here, a bit of truth there, stitched together into a linear narrative that stretches credulity.
Or maybe the Steelers trade up eight spots, give up a second-round pick and a 2025 fourth, and get Quinyon Mitchell to settle their cornerback position for the next decade. There are worse scenarios for this to play out, but frankly I wouldn’t even have them taking Mitchell at 20.
Yes, they need more cornerbacks—and I use the plural intentionally—but trading up in the first? And doing so in one of the deepest first rounds for offensive linemen in years? If Pauline actually has his ducks in a row here, this seems like the biggest smokescreen I’ve ever heard.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
