With the 21st overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Steelers have a world of possibilities. The first round should have a lot of movement. The Steelers’ draft plans will likely depend on which position they feel most comfortable targeting on Thursday.
Some have speculated whether Pittsburgh will trade up. Given the fact that there’s a large gap between QB-needy teams in the Saints at the ninth pick and Pittsburgh at 21, there would be good reason for the Steelers to trade up and grab a quarterback. NFL insider Adam Schefter doesn’t think that’s likely to happen.
“I believe they [Steelers] are prepared to go into the season with Mason Rudolph as their quarterback,” Schefter said on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday. “And the fact that Aaron Rodgers hasn’t committed and may not commit by the time the draft occurs, is not going to make them more aggressive in terms of trading up in the first round. I think they’re gonna stay right where they are. If anything, the Steelers are more inclined to move back off 21 to pick up the extra pick they lost in trading for DK Metcalf.”
Aaron Rodgers’ name is woven into everything the Steelers do this offseason. Whether the Steelers have any assurances or not from Rodgers, going into the draft without a decision from him makes everything more confusing. Still, Schefter doesn’t expect Pittsburgh to show aggressiveness in regard to the first round.
Desperation is something Schefter hasn’t sensed from Pittsburgh throughout the offseason, despite the less-than-ideal state of their QB room. The Steelers have made it clear they feel comfortable rolling into the season with Mason Rudolph. Now, that still hasn’t stopped them from meeting with the top QB prospects in this draft cycle. However, the security Rudolph brings may stop them from making any desperate moves that may sacrifice future assets.
The lack of a second-round pick makes it hard to trade up in general. The Steelers did made good use out of that pick, trading it to Seattle for DK Metcalf. Still, only having two picks in the first 100 selections makes things difficult.
Trading down to recuperate that second rounder would make sense. Whether the Steelers take a QB in the first round or not, they’ve got other areas to address. Moving down a few spots and acquiring another Day 2 pick in the process is a good idea.
However, trading down in the draft takes two willing parties, and there may be several teams with the same idea. The Steelers have been active in terms of draft-day trades in recent years. In 2023, Omar Khan traded up, and down, both in the first two days of the draft. It’s possible we could see similar movement this year, but Schefter expects Pittsburgh to move down, if anything.
