The NFL world is slowing down right now as the 2024 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and many organizations/fan bases are wondering what their team will do in the first round. There are some teams who don’t have a first round pick, but when it comes to trades, anything is possible. In other words, teams can trade into Round 1, out of the opening round, and can jockey for position within each round.

As a prime example of how teams like moving throughout the draft, just look at the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft. In the first round the team leap-frogged the New York Jets, trading with the New England Patriots, to select Broderick Jones. To do so they had to give up some draft capital in the later rounds. However, they got that draft capital back when they traded back in Round 3 with the Carolina Panthers and eventually drafted both Darnell Washington (Round 3) and Nick Herbig (Round 4).

With the upcoming draft rapidly approaching, it’s worth wondering what the Steelers might do in terms of staying put at pick No. 20, or will Omar Khan wheel-and-deal like he did in 2023?

Bill Barnwell of ESPN gave his suggestion for what the team should do, and he believes the Steelers should trade down in Round 1. Check out his explanation below:

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

What they should do: Trade down

“The Steelers are perilously thin at cornerback, wide receiver and along the offensive line. They fielded the oldest defense in football last season, and while they moved on from corner Patrick Peterson, there are five starters on that side of the ball who will be on the wrong side of 30 by the end of the season. Pittsburgh is still great at drafting and developing homegrown defensive talent, as we saw with defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and corner Joey Porter Jr. last year; they just need more of it.

“The other position the Steelers are predicted to address most often in mock drafts is the interior of their offensive line, where center Mason Cole was released this offseason. They can hit center later in this draft, and adding extra picks would allow them to both add a pivot and much-needed defensive depth.”

The trading situation is something which was discussed at length on my Monday Morning Conversation on the “Let’s Ride” podcast. I had Roy Countryman on the show, who has a history in scouting and tracking players at the pro level, and he echoed much of what Barnwell did in his article.

Want to hear that podcast? Check it out in the player below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the draft in just a few short weeks.