Could Steelers acquire All-Pro CB for second-round pick?

The Steelers will likely be buyers at the Oct. 31 trade deadline with aspirations of making it back to the postseason for the first time since the 2021 season. Could they acquire one of the league's top players available for just a second-round pick?

CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo seems to think so as he believes Pittsburgh should trade its 2024 second-round pick for Broncos All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain II.

The former No. 9 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has quickly established himself as one of the best corners in the NFL with 145 tackles, seven interceptions and 31 passes defensed in his first two and a half years.

The belief around the league is that it would take at least a first-round pick to acquire the 23-year-old but if general manager Omar Khan turned WR Chase Claypool into the No. 32 overall pick in 2023, anything feels possible.

The addition of Surtain II would be much needed for the Steelers secondary which has struggled to begin the year. Veterans Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace have been consistently picked on and Pro Football Focus even ranked them among the NFL's worst cornerbacks.

If Pittsburgh could trade just a second-round pick for Surtain II, the team should be sprinting to the phones now. DeArdo can't find a reason it shouldn't happen.

"On paper, this trade makes sense for both parties," DeArdo writes. "The Steelers would acquire an affordable player (Surtain is in the final year of his rookie deal) who can immediately bolster what is currently the league's 25th-ranked pass defense. In return, Denver would get a high draft pick it can use for its rebuild."

It's certainly an intriguing trade as the Broncos seem to be nearing a fire sale. Surtain II paired with impressive rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. would create one of the best tandems in the league for many years to come.