Through all the mocks, predictions and discussions of who the Pittsburgh Steelers will select in the first round, there has been one lingering scenario.
A trade, and one that acquires a second-team All-Pro via Brandon Aiyuk is such a scenario, especially in light of his ties to Mike Tomlin and the contractual impasse between his representation and the San Francisco 49ers.
And in Destin Adams' of A to Z Sports latest mock draft, he has the Steelers doing just that:
Steelers Take A Big Swing
Rumors ran wild over the weekend about the possibility that Brandon Aiyuk allegedly requested a trade. Since then, his agent and multiple NFL insiders have shot down said report, but the 49ers and Aiyuk have not yet been able to come to terms on a contract extension. And if that remains true as the draft gets closer, I think a pre-draft trade to allow the 49ers some flexibility on draft day to land a replacement at WR would make a lot of sense. I considered three teams for this trade: the Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Buffalo Bills. But in the end, I think the Steelers make the most sense on paper.
-Destin Adams, A to Z Sports.
Even with Pittsburgh trading for Aiyuk and giving up their first-round pick, the Steelers still held onto their three remaining picks in the top 100 of Adams' trade scenario, making the following selections:
- Rd 2, Pick 51: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
- Rd 3, Pick 84: Beaux Limmer, C, Arkansas
- Rd 3, Pick 98: D.J. James, CB, Auburn
So if Pittsburgh can pull off a trade and still have three picks that produced a draft bounty looking like this, I think all Steelers fans would head into the 2024 season feeling great about the state of the team.
For Adams' full mock, click here
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