Steelers Were Aggressive During The Draft Nearly Striking A Deal With The Seattle Seahawks

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the best drafts in the NFL in 2024, as their draft class has been lauded by many analysts and football personalities. The Steelers were able to find value at every selection without making a single trade, but that wasn't for the lack of trying. General Manager Omar Khan already said in an interview on The Pat McAfee Show that the organization had the desire to move up in the first round, and now their ideal trade partner has been revealed by ESPN. 

The goal for the Steelers during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was clear: to acquire one of the top tackles in the draft class. They wound up accomplishing that goal by staying at pick 20 and selecting tackle Troy Fautanu, but it was nerve racking for Khan and the organization as they waited to see if he would fall to them. Brady Henderson, a Seattle Seahawks insider for ESPN, recently wrote an article revealing that the Steelers were one of the teams Seattle was talking to about a possible trade on draft night. 

"The Seahawks were discussing trade-back scenarios with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta Falcons, according to sources. The Packers bowed out as Seattle's pick approached, which is why [John] Schneider only referred to having four opportunities to trade back from 16."

The Steelers had an offer on the table to move up to 16, but Seattle inevitably decided to stick and pick, where they selected Byron Murphy II. The 17th overall pick, the next selection after Seattle, was traded. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent the pick to the Minnesota Vikings. In return, Jacksonville received the 23rd overall pick, the 167th overall pick, and a third and fourth round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Vikings moved up six spots, and the Steelers would have been moving up four spots. Compensation would not have been identical, but it would have been fairly similar.

The Steelers did not have a fifth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Seattle probably would not have agreed to either of the two sixth round selections Pittsburgh had to offer. Meaning the possible picks that could have been involved in the deal for Pittsburgh were 119th overall, or their 98th overall pick. Khan used the 119th pick on Mason McCormick and the 98th pick on Payton Wilson, who is considered a steal as he was projected to go somewhere in the second round. 

There would have been additional compensation in next year’s draft included in the deal, which would have put a serious dark spot on the Steelers’ draft. Losing either Wilson or McCormick to move up four spots in the first round could have hurt the Steelers in the future, as McCormick provides good depth at guard, where both of the Steelers starters have their contracts expiring within the next two seasons. Wilson also looks to be a force on Pittsburgh's defense in years to come, as Elandon Roberts is only signed through the 2024 season. 

Steelers Looked To Move Up To Grab A Tackle

The two positions the Steelers were looking at in the first round were tackle and cornerback. The way the board was falling on draft night, Pittsburgh would have had their choice of corners with the 20th overall pick. When they were looking to move up, it had to have been for a tackle, either Fautanu or Amarius Mims who was selected 18th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

When talking about the draft, Khan said Pittsburgh wasn't moving off of Fautanu, so the possibility of trading up was likely just to ensure that Pittsburgh had the opportunity to draft Fautanu. He was projected to go a lot higher than 20, so him still being on the board was a shock. Thankfully, Khan waited it out, and the organization was lucky to welcome Fautanu to Pittsburgh without making any deals to acquire him.

Would you have been happy if Pittsburgh moved up?