Let the rumors surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers and 31 other teams begin to pick up some steam as the 2023 NFL Draft approaches. Months of mock drafts and speculation lead up to one weekend and everyone ends up finding out that almost nobody was right. Draft weekend is unpredictable and a combination of surprising picks and trades could drastically swing the outcomes for several teams. It will be interesting to see if General Manager, Omar Khan continues his aggressive offseason and has a potential plan to move up in the first round.
Steelers general manager, Omar Khan speaks to the media. Photo Credit: Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
One of the more respected draft analysts out there, Todd McShay of ESPN, released a breakdown of a team-by-team analysis and what he is hearing from top executives around the league about the 32 franchises. Pittsburgh fans may have flashbacks of a bad memory when the team traded up for linebacker, Devin Bush in 2019, but Khan is reportedly strongly considering it.
McShay noted that he is hearing from sources that the Steelers have been quietly working the phones in an attempt to move up the draft board on Thursday night.
"I've heard Pittsburgh has contacted multiple teams, including the Bears (No. 9) and Titans (No. 11), about trading up for an offensive tackle."
Northwestern Wildcats offensive lineman, Peter Skoronski (#77) prepares to block against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Photo Credit: Brad Mills / USA TODAY Sports
There's no way to know for sure which offensive lineman the Steelers may be in love with, but based on the offseason thus far, it shouldn't surprise anyone if Khan decides to work his way up near or in the Top 10. McShay outlines that one of these prospects could be the future protecting Kenny Pickett.
"The Steelers need a long-term answer as protection for Kenny Pickett, and there are three potential cornerstone left tackles in this class who will be available in that range. It wasn't that long ago that Pittsburgh moved up in Round 1 and took linebacker Devin Bush, and we could see a similar move this year, albeit for a different position."
The likely candidate here would probably be Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. He is likely to go just inside or barely outside the Top 10 and if Pittsburgh sees him as a franchise-altering left tackle, there's no reason to not believe that Khan and co. aren't willing to give up some draft capital to select him. Peter Skoronski will probably already be gone before the ninth pick.
Ohio State offensive tackle, Paris Johnson Jr. blocks during a 2022 regular season game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium. | Photo Credit: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Without a lot of draft capital to begin with, it would be interesting to see how Pittsburgh would set up a trade with the Chicago Bears or Tennessee Titans. Tennessee may be a bit complicated as they could be in the mix for a quarterback and trading back has the potential to hurt those chances.
Steelers Doing Their Homework, Per Usual
Overall, the Steelers always do their due diligence when it comes to the draft and want to be ready for any scenario. Khan making calls shouldn't necessarily be shocking to anyone, but it's clear the interest in left tackle hints what the front office thinks is the biggest need if that is indeed the position they are calling about. Pickett may know who will be protecting his blindside for the next 10 years on Thursday evening.
Do you want Pittsburgh to make a trade up in order to draft Johnson or Skoronski? Let us know in the comments below!
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