Don’t expect the Steelers to trade up from the 15th overall pick in the NFL draft.
Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said today at the league meeting that with the available talent in this draft, trading down makes a lot more sense than trading up. Unfortunately for Colbert, he thinks the rest of the league feels the same way, which means that teams looking to pick up extra picks by trading down won’t find many takers.
“It makes more sense in this draft than trading up,” Colbert said of trading down, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m sure everyone shares the same thought.”
All it takes is one team to fall in love with a player, however, for the possibility of trading up to materialize. If some team that isn’t near the top of the draft decides that it has to have Teddy Bridgewater or Blake Bortles or Johnny Manziel or Jadeveon Clowney or Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins or Khalil Mack, a team with a high pick will have the opportunity to trade down.
But Colbert seems to think the strength of this draft is in its depth, not in the elite players at the top. Which means accumulating more picks is the key to putting together a strong draft, and trading down is better than trading up.