In 2001, Mike Tomlin was in his first season as an NFL assistant coach, hired by Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay to coach defensive backs.
Omar Khan was new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, hired by second-year director of football operations Kevin Colbert to handle business operations and negotiate contracts.
That also was the last time the Steelers traded back in the first round of the NFL Draft, moving down three spots in a deal with the New York Jets and taking nose tackle Casey Hampton with the No. 19 pick.
Khan, entering his third draft as the team’s general manager, admits that drought could end Thursday as he expects the Steelers to field offers for the No. 21 selection. Khan already has traded up in the first round, doing it in his inaugural draft in 2023. That’s when the Steelers took tackle Broderick Jones after moving up three spots in a trade with the New England Patriots.
He doubts the Steelers have enough capital — they hold six picks in the seven rounds — to trade up again.
“I think staying put or moving back is probably a better, bigger option for us,” Khan said Tuesday at a predraft news conference.
After joining the Steelers in 2007, Tomlin waited 13 drafts before the organization made a first-round trade, moving up 10 spots to get linebacker Devin Bush in 2019.
He offered a reason Tuesday for why the Steelers typically stand pat with their top pick.
“Because we do our due diligence, oftentimes there is somebody available that we’re really excited about,” Tomlin said. “In recent years, if memory serves me correct, there has always just been people that we’re really excited about when we’re on the clock. And it’s easy to get excited about prospects when you’ve done the work.”
Draft analysts view the so-called “sweet spot” of this draft being in the second and third rounds. The draft is heavy on defensive line, edge rusher and running back prospects. The Steelers are in the market for a defensive tackle to eventually replace Cameron Heyward and a running back to step in for the departed Najee Harris.
Trouble is, the Steelers don’t hold a second-round pick, having sent it to Seattle in the trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. For the Steelers to try to recoup a second-round pick — or least another one in the third round — they would have to move back from No. 21 on Thursday.
“The way I look at it is you never really want to trade away from a really good player that can help you and the right guy for us,” Khan said. “By the time we get to Thursday, we’ll have identified certain guys that we will not trade away from.”
For the Steelers to trade back, of course, they need a partner willing to trade up. Last year, the Buffalo Bills traded back twice — to No. 32 in a deal with Kansas City and then out of the first round in a trade with Carolina. Those deals involved exchanges of later-round picks.
Dallas dropped from No. 24 to No. 29 last season in a trade with Detroit and picked up a third-round pick while also sending a seventh-rounder to the Lions.
Jacksonville gained a fifth-rounder and two mid-round picks this year by dropping back from No. 17 to No. 23 in a deal with Minnesota last season.
“I like trading down,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “I think that’s the way to do it, stockpile picks and have extra resources — even next year as draft choices. If you have a group of players, and you feel you can get one of those players by moving down and still get one, do it. I’ve always been an advocate for moving down.”
With only two quarterbacks under contract for this season, the Steelers could use an extra pick on Day 2 to address that position. As it stands, they may have to choose between a running back, wide receiver or quarterback in the third round.
That is, unless the Steelers take Shedeur Sanders should the former Colorado quarterback still be available at No. 21.
“If they aren’t in love with a quarterback (in the first round), I could see them being a team that’s more than available and ready and willing to move back to try and get more in that range,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Some of those needs that they have could be filled in that top of the second-round range and then get some extra picks as well.”