Pittsburgh Steelers: Draft Day War Room

As defending Super Bowl Champs, the Steelers should use this draft to stock up on good talent to replace aging veterans.

No one thinks of the Steelers as movers on draft day but they have made deals for picks/players at the NFL draft. 

The 2003 draft saw the Steelers trade their first, third, and sixth round picks to Kansas City for one of the best safeties in the game today, Troy Polamalu. 

They also traded up from the 32^nd pick in the 2006 draft to take Santonio Holmes at No. 25 that year.  

Both of those trades happened after stellar seasons by the Steelers, so I wouldn’t put it past the front office to maybe trade up from that 32^nd pick this year.  The Steelers do have needs at their interior offensive line, defensive line, and corner back.

With that in mind, here are some blockbuster draft day trades that the Steelers could possibly make:

Larry Foote, LB and 32^nd Overall Pick to the Washington Redskins for the 13^th Overall and Sixth Round Pick

This could help both sides. 

The Redskins need a LB alongside London Fletcher.  Larry Foote would be a good pick-up and gaining the Steelers 32nd pick would free up money that the ‘Skins don’t really have to spend on a higher draft prospect. 

Dropping back, the ‘Skins could get an offensive linemen that is good, especially in this deep of a class. 

The Steelers could use this higher pick to address a major need, depending on how the cards fall. 

If Malcolm Jenkins—the CB from Ohio St—is still available, he could be a great addition, especially with the loss of McFadden to Arizona. He could step in right away as the third cornerback.  

Another pick they could make here is Robert Ayers, DE from Tennessee.  Ayers would bring much needed depth to the Steelers' aging D-Line.  He fits the system in Pittsburgh, at least since he can fill the gaps and keep tackles engaged for the outstanding linebacking core.

32^nd Overall, Third & Fifth Round picks to Jacksonville Jaguars for the Eighth Overall Pick

Jacksonville seem like they could be willing to trade back after their signing of Torry Holt. 

Even here, the Steelers could get any number of players at the eighth position. 

The two players that could be available at this time would be BJ Raji, DT from Boston College, or Aaron Maybin, DE from Penn St. 

I’ve seen Raji play during his time at Boston College.  He made life difficult for Virginia Tech throughout his career.  He would give the Steelers a top flight DT/NT in case Hampton gets injured. 

Maybin, even though he only started one year at Penn St, is probably the best Defensive Line prospect in the draft.  He could play at DE or LB with his quickness off the ball.

With the amount of picks the Steelers have, it would be wise not to trade up.  This is a team looking for depth at need positions, but they are notorious for going after a big name following an outstanding season. 

So don’t expect the rest of the AFC to catch up to the Steelers this offseason.