Back in February it was apparent that this years NFL Draft would be middle heavy and that trading back and picking up extra picks in the middle rounds would be beneficial. At that time I discussed the value in trading back for the Steelers and still believe that it may be their best option in the first round of the draft. Of course it is hard to say whether or not the Steelers, or any other team, will be able to find trade partners during the draft.
Right now teams are probably in talks with one another about teams who want to possibly move up or down. What the Steelers will have to do is find out what they would be able to net in a trade if they do decide to trade back and try and figure out if that holds more value than staying at the seventeenth pick and taking the best player on their board with that pick.
Earlier this morning Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Atlanta Falcons, who hold the 30th pick in the first round, will be looking to trade up in the first round. If they wanted to move up to seventeen and trade for the Steelers pick they would be jumping thirteen spots and the Steelers would likely want their first and second picks in return or their first, third, and a fourth or fifth in return for the seventeenth pick in the draft.
For the Steelers that would give them a chance to fill more holes with higher picks rather than waiting for the later rounds to fill those needs. For instance based on WalterFootball.com‘s most recent mock draft (posted yesterday April 16) the Steelers could draft safety Jonathan Cyprien, inside linebacker Kevin Minter and outside linebacker Sio Moore with their first three picks if they received the Falcons first and second in a trade for their first round pick.
That would allow the Steelers to then focus on drafting a wide receiver and running back in the third and fourth rounds. They could do many different things with those added picks and this is just one example, but with more picks in the middle rounds, which are deep with talent, the Steelers would be able to add quality depth to their roster. Many draft analysts agree that the 2013 NFL Draft may not have the standout stars of a typical draft, but it is deep with solid starters. Adding some solid players is exactly what the Steelers need to do right now with depths issues at linebacker, safety, running back and wide receiver.
It will be interesting to see what the Steelers choose to do in the draft and they could go many different ways which makes this draft even more exciting than in normal years. The Steelers best option may be to trade back in the first round, perhaps even twice, and pick up more mid-round picks. However, if they stay at the seventeenth pick, which they probably will, they will have multiple options on their board.
The Steelers could look at a receiver, linebacker, safety, offensive lineman, or defensive lineman with their first pick and right now it is near impossible to know just where they will go with their pick. Last year we knew they would take DeCastro if available and if not look at inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower. This year, however, is one of the most difficult drafts to predict in recent years which will add even more excitement to the first round next Thursday night.
