With Caleb Williams as the heavy favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday night’s NFL Draft, all eyes are on what happens next. There’s a slew of talent on the board, and the sense is it could be an active night from a trade standpoint.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right in the middle of it.
Pittsburgh is among the teams considering a trade up Thursday night, Rapoport said. The Steelers have “made some phone calls” about such a move as rumors swirl about other teams doing the same, and it could add to the intrigue once the draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.
Rapoport said the fun could start late in the top 10 or shortly thereafter, depending on when the top four quarterbacks go off the board. One of the teams to watch is the New York Jets, who hold the No. 10 overall pick.
“First of all, some of these depends on where the quarterback goes or whether some team – maybe the Vikings, maybe the Raiders – feel like they need to go up into the top 10 to get a quarterback,” Rapoport said. “But let’s go a little beyond that. I would say first of all, one of the bigger pressure points when you get to the back end of the top 10 is the New York Jets. They are gonna be on the clock with some very, very good players there for them. Does a team try to come up? Perhaps the Indianapolis Colts, maybe they come up for a skill guy. Perhaps the Rams, I know they’ve made some phone calls. The Steelers have made phone calls about potentially trading up, as well.
“There’s going to be a lot of action right up in the early part of the teens, mainly because there’s going to be so many highly rated players – offensive tackle, receiver, probably the second defensive player – still on the board.”
The Steelers currently hold the No. 20 overall selection in Thursday night’s draft, and ESPN’s Field Yates projected them to take Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton in his final mock. If they were to move up the board, that could lead them toward higher end offensive line talent such as Olu Fashanu out of Penn State or Taliese Fuaga out of Oregon State.
It’s shaping up to be an interesting night in Detroit when the draft gets underway.
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