The Pittsburgh Steelers always seem to be among the last 10 or so teams to pick in the NFL Draft each year. While fans might be frustrated with Head Coach Mike Tomlin's failure to win a playoff game in recent years, it is impossible to deny that he has kept the team competitive. In his 18 seasons at the helm, the Steelers have never finished below .500. That's a remarkable feat that the national media has latched onto to defend Tomlin for years, even if fans are sick of hearing it.
AP
Steelers' Mike Tomlin always has sky-high expectations of his team.
While that might be impressive, it does mean that the Steelers never get a top draft pick unless they trade up with another team. The franchise has had some draft misses over the past few years, like with quarterback Kenny Pickett, which means they have many current needs. Former Steelers front office member Doug Whaley, who helped Kevin Colbert scout players like LaMarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu, recently said he might trade back to get even more picks.
Whaley spoke with The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan and told them if he was general manager of the Steelers like he once was for the Buffalo Bills, he would sign Justin Fields and pick up some veterans, including a wide receiver and a cornerback. Then, he would use the draft to obtain at least another receiver, cornerback, and defensive lineman. When asked if he would trade their first selection, which is 21st overall, for more picks, Whaley said he would.
"Absolutely," exclaimed Whaley. "Especially if we check off a lot of boxes in the free agency market. Hey, Art [Rooney II], we're going to have to spend, but in the end, it's going to cost us less because we're going to have that foundation of young players that we can start drafting now and be able to compete. And Coach T's going to be like, yes, that's not going to make me strain my coaching staff to try to maximize what we have. Let's just put these guys in positions to keep being successful instead of putting them in position to try to be successful; that's two different things."
It makes sense since this draft is so deep in the areas the Steelers need - defensive line, running back, wide receiver, to get more picks. The other factor is that this draft class does not have a lot of consensus first-round talent. Whaley said that where the Steelers pick, they will be looking at players who could wind up in the second round, depending on how the draft falls.
AP
Steelers' Darnell Washington walks off the field with his teammate Calvin Austin III, all smiles.
What Whaley is suggesting isn't outside the realm of possibility. The Steelers have traded up as they did for Broderick Jones, but have also traded back and gotten additional picks. They did this in 2023 when they sent their 80th overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for picks 93 and 132, which they used for Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig, respectively.
The Steelers Might Use Their First Pick On A Quarterback
Most fans have a visceral reaction to the suggestion that the team use their 2025 first-round pick on a quarterback. After all, they reached for Pickett with the 20th pick in 2022, which was a mistake. Pickett's stock was inflated because of the lack of quarterback talent that year.
This year is very similar. Despite the talk of Shedeur Sanders falling to Pittsburgh, many think that selection would be a mistake. However, if the Steelers cannot work out a deal with Justin Fields or Russell Wilson in free agency, they might not have a choice.
Fox Sports
Shedeur Sanders talks with his dad, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders during his time at Colorado.
The Steelers have already signed Skylar Thompson to a futures contract, who is expected to be backup or even third-string quarterback, so they may look at a rookie to add depth. Some of the names that have been tossed out there are Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, and Jalen Milroe.
Do you think the Steelers should trade back for more picks in this year's draft? Tell us what you think below!
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