It’s no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers have a need at wide receiver. Rumors have swirled since the trade of Diontae Johnson, that “big name” wide receivers will be headed to town from Justin Jefferson to Brandon Aiyuk. Even though the Steelers are turning over every stone to find their answer, one Steelers Insider would be surprised if a trade is made prior to the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I don’t think [Cole] Holcomb’s status will have anything to do with a big trade. The only ‘big trade’ would be for a WR.”
Three trades have already been made this offseason by the Steelers. Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, and acquiring Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears. All these moves will have an impact on the roster, but acquiring one of the receivers still on the trade block would be even more beneficial, especially with the direction Pittsburgh will likely go in the NFL Draft.
The Steelers are likely to go offensive line in round one. This hasn’t been much of a surprise, especially with the recent visits of Duke’s Graham Barton and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier to Pittsburgh. But other than depth signings, a massive hole at receiver still remains. In years past, the Steelers have liked to have capable veteran options at positions of need heading into the draft to help make themselves less predictable. Van Jefferson was brought in with this desire in mind, but Jefferson doesn’t look to demand the same attention from defenses that George Pickens or other high profile receivers will bring to the table.
Free agency is unlikely to produce that level of talent at this stage, leaving a trade to be the only way this occurs. But Dulac doesn’t think that happens prior to Day 1 of the NFL Draft next Thursday.
“You never know (if a wide receiver trade will happen prior to the draft). But I’m guessing not.”
How Do The Steelers Proceed?
In all probability, a receiver will be brought in via trade prior to the beginning of the Steelers season this fall. The timing of a trade happening during, or closely after the draft concludes however, seems like the more likely outcome with two main ways of thinking and planning.
The first is utilizing the draft board to find ammunition for a big trade. If the Steelers were to trade back with a team like the Buffalo Bills and acquire a second round pick in the process, that could be used to pull off a move. In that scenario, trading one of the two second round picks this year and a first round pick swap next year could get the job done.
The other line of thinking is to allow the draft to run it’s course and have the team you’re attempting to trade with show their hand. If a team like San Francisco takes a receiver early, that could indicate that they already plan to move on from Aiyuk, which could bring the asking price down to acquire his services. The draft is a massive game of chess, and at this moment, General Manager Omar Khan is moving his pawns into place.
That being said, Dulac does allude to the Steelers drafting a receiver, regardless of a trade.
“That’s why they (Pittsburgh) wanted to trade for one (a wide receiver) and why they will draft one.”
The Steelers have been doing their homework on receivers in the upcoming draft, with seven receivers making pre-draft visits. Pittsburgh has had a good track record over the last few seasons in selecting impact receivers in the mid to late rounds of the draft. This brings up the typical question surrounding draft picks, and will ultimately be the question Khan will have to answer: Do you take the cheaper unproven option of the athlete out of the draft, or do you take the proven veteran, but pay the price for that proven talent?
