Perhaps the most overcooked angle surrounding what the Steelers should do at the NFL Draft is whether the team should make a splashy pick to satisfy the masses in the live audience outside of Acrisure Stadium.
Of course, the answer is no. They shouldn’t. And my sincere hope is that they won’t.
Take the best player. If it’s a guard, it’s a guard. If it’s a nose tackle, it’s a nose tackle. Don’t reach for a quarterback. Don’t take a wide receiver if all the first-round-worthy ones are gone.
Don’t seize the moment at the expense of sacrificing the long-term benefit of a smarter selection.
But if the Steelers really want to get a crowd pop, there’s one sure-fire way to do it that would make complete sense for the organization.
Stick and pick at No. 21 and trade back into the back-third of the first round.
That’s what I’d do if at all possible.
Let’s be honest, the crowd is going to go nuts regardless of who the Steelers select. If it’s Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane, the Black-and-Gold faithful will act like he’s the next Alan Faneca.
Maybe he will be.
If it’s Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, the fans will instantly be saying, “Aaron who?” If it’s one of the many high-profile wide receivers, the instant analysis from the North Shore will be (fill in the blank) is Hines Ward dipped in Antonio Brown and rolled in John Stallworth. If it’s Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the crowd may erupt into chants of “Heeeeeath” out of habit.
Everybody is going to love the first-round pick. What’s better than one first-round pick? Two of them.
Especially since the Steelers have obvious needs at wide receiver and offensive line.
The Steelers have 12 picks. That’s a lot. I’d argue too many, based on the number of veterans the front office is likely to retain. Four of those picks are on Day 2 (one in the second round, three in the third). If a trade partner is willing, use some of them to get back in the first round after taking whoever they select at No. 21.
Employing that strategy is important in my opinion because, for as deep as this wide receiver class is at the top, I’m not sure if any of the six clear-cut, first-round projected pass catchers will last until the Steelers pick in the second round. As of Monday night, ESPN.com has Makai Lemon (USC), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Denzel Boston (Washington), Omar Cooper (Indiana), and K.C. Concepcion (Texas A&M) as top-32 selections.
I bet at least one of them is on the board at No. 21. I doubt any of them will be around at pick No. 53.
If the Steelers really covert a tackle given Broderick Jones’ neck injury, there are four or five blue chippers that could go in the first 40 picks, and the pool thins out after that.
If it’s me, I say read the board, see how fast the wide receivers are flailing off it. Try to draft one of those top six. Then do whatever is possible with the batch of Day 2 and Day 3 picks (or maybe something from next year) to get back into the first round if one of those tackles is available.
If not, maybe try to move up in Round 2 to get a player such as Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor, who could play both tackle and guard — or perhaps guards Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M) or Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) if they escape the first round.
“When the run starts on those positions — like last year with the offensive line — it usually continues to go for quite some time. That’s something I think will be very consistent this year,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday.
Yeah. Exactly. Eight of last year’s 32 first-round choices were offensive linemen. But McCarthy says he’s more inclined to stick with the idea of having a large draft class.
“I believe in draft and develop. I think that’s the bloodline of how you grow your roster,” McCarthy said. “I think we have a very good mix of younger players and established veterans. Then, to add a full draft class — and obviously being above 10 — I think it would be awesome. I’ve always felt that the more players you have to develop, particularly younger players, I think, definitely for the long-term, is a good process.”
Eh, 10 still sounds like too many, especially when using some of them in the name of acquiring higher-quality talent, may be the eventual payoff. But I’ll play along with the new coach here. Even if 10 is what he wants, they can still give away two from this year and something from next year to get a deal done.
Want another way to get the crowd buzzing in a slightly different way that still may make sense? It’s not an idea I like as much, but I still like it.
Trade up in the first round to get one of those wide receivers or tackles in the first round. Track the board and see if it’s necessary based on how quickly the receivers and offensive linemen are disappearing.
If you want a few comps, in 2003, the Steelers traded up from the 27th spot to the 16th spot, originally held by the Kansas City Chiefs, to get Troy Polamalu. All the Steelers had to sacrifice to move those 11 spots were the 92nd and 200th overall picks for the rights to switch first-round selections.
To move up for Devin Bush at No. 10 in 2019, general manager Kevin Colbert traded their first round (20th) and second round (52nd overall) picks in the 2019 draft — along with a third-round pick (83rd overall) in the 2020 draft — to the Denver Broncos.
I’d be in favor of something like that this year, then perhaps using some of those third-round picks to get back into Round 2. The Miami Dolphins are reportedly interested in trading down. They sit at No. 11 right now. Perhaps they’d be a willing partner for Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
“All options are on the table,” Khan said on Monday. “We’re open to whatever is best for the Steelers, but I wish you could ask me that question as the draft progresses. As the draft starts, and we see how things are going. We’ll make that determination.”
Well, if the Steelers are truly determined to help their team for 2026 and beyond, I say be aggressive and move up the draft ladder.
In whatever way possible.
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Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Steelers draft in “Madden Monday.”