The Pittsburgh Steelers could be one of the few teams trying to trade up in the 2022 NFL Draft, instead of down. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, multiple teams are trying to trade down. But the issue is that they aren't finding many teams interested in moving up.
The last time the Steelers traded up was 2019 when they moved to pick #10 for Devin Bush / Photo AP
"Within the past week, as the draft has drawn closer, multiple teams in the top half of the draft have inquired with others to try to trade back in the first round, per sources," Schefter tweeted. "So far, the interest in moving back in Thursday’s draft has greatly exceeded the interest in moving up."
Within the past week, as the draft has drawn closer, multiple teams in the top half of the draft have inquired with others to try to trade back in the first round, per sources. So far, the interest in moving back in Thursday’s draft has greatly exceeded the interest in moving up.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2022
There were some reports a week ago that the Steelers and New Orleans Saints were two teams trying to initiate the ground work on a potential trade into the top 12. The rumor said that the New York Giants at #7, and the Minnesota Vikings at #12, could be landing spots if a trade were to happen.
The Giants have been rumored to want out of their pick at #7 the entire off-season. The Giants pick #5, and #7, but because of financial reasons, they'd love to deal the #7 pick. The Giants are close on the cap with only $5.5 million available and they'd need more than $12 million to sign all of their draft picks if they don't trade any away.
A likely reason for the market being slow for teams willing to trade up is the fact that the 2022 quarterback class is believed to be one of the worst in recent years. Multiple players are considered to be the top quarterback available, and some consider the best prospect to be someone that has second round talent. None of the consensus top 4 quarterbacks would be ranked in the top 4 in 2021's NFL Draft.
This draft is also considered to be a very deep class at multiple positions. Trading up requires a team to deal multiple future draft choices, or multiple from the current year. Many teams value their draft picks more than they value one specific player. There are some teams though that haven't been afraid to trade draft capital for proven players lately. It worked for the Los Angeles Rams as they won the Super Bowl this past season, but history hasn't favored that type of behavior.
Should the Steelers love Malik Willis as much as it's been reported that they do, then there should be a clear avenue for them to move up and select him. It's also possible that he will still be on the board at #20 when they come on the clock. It's going to be an interesting draft night. That's for sure.
Today, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin will hold their pre-draft press conferences. We will keep you up to date on all of that once they've concluded.
