Steelers-Cardinals Could Make Draft Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers could look to trade back in the 2024 NFL Draft. It makes sense. They have a lot of needs, and if they want to go get value at a spot like center, trading back could put them in the perfect position to go out there and acquire more draft capital to fill out some of the other holes on the roster.

A potential trade-back partner? The Arizona Cardinals. Arizona holds the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the No. 27 pick in the class, and they may want to move up from the No. 27 overall pick with a litany of day two picks at their disposal to make it happen. Pittsburgh might be the team that could let it happen, too.

Jordan Reid of ESPN has heard that it would be no surprise if the Cardinals were aggressive in making a move up the board to get another talent they covet from No. 27.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Arizona gets aggressive and attempts to move up from No. 27 for a cornerback on Day 1. Murphy-Bunting is more of a CB2. There’s a glaring need for a high-upside CB1, and Nate Wiggins (Clemson) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama) could be Day 1 options for a roster still in the talent collection portion of its rebuild,” Reid wrote.

Another team that made sense was the Buffalo Bills, and they could be a team that looks to come up for a wide receiver like Brian Thomas Jr. Depending on who’s on the board, it seems like this year’s draft could be a perfect opportunity for the Steelers to trade down for the first time in the draft since selecting Casey Hampton in 2001. The Steelers just have so many needs — wide receiver, center, offensive tackle and slot cornerback. Those four feel like the obvious top four needs and could be classified as positions they have to draft in some respects.

Both trade-back scenarios are appealing. The Bills might be willing to give up No. 60 overall, while the Cardinals may be flexible but might be willing to give up a pick near the top of the third round to move up the board. All of these picks would give the Steelers far more security to let the board play out as long as they like who is there in the first round.