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Reader interaction is important to us here at Behind The Steel Curtain. Send me an email or Tweet me @NealCoolong if you have a question you'd like answered in this segment.
Neal,
Do you hear anything about the Steelers trading a 2015 pick and possibly a player to acquire an additional 1st round selection in this year's draft? Should they?
With an abundance of WR's, CB's and Safeties expected to go early, would it not make sense to give up a future pick to fill two glaring holes instead of one? They could retain all of their regular and compensatory picks this year plus have two 1st's. Your thoughts.
I think they're gonna struggle getting back into the first round this year without giving him pretty much all of their remaining picks. It's a hugely deep draft, I'm not sure I've seen a top 20 so highly coveted. Teams aren't going to want to part with those picks unless they get a huge haul in return this year.
Players don't get traded for high picks very often. The salary cap really ties player movement outside free agency to a minimum. Depending on the deal that gets struck, a player's salary is usually saddled to the team dealing him (cap-wise), so there's some incentive to take a player on, but most teams would rather have a draft pick in the first three rounds than probably 85 percent of the players in the league. Even in that 15 percent, their salaries may make it too much to take on.
But....if someone wanted LaMarr Woodley and his contract, I think the Steelers could be convinced to part ways with him for, say, the 19th overall pick. I mean, it'd be tough, but......
It's sickening to think of how much Cleveland is going to improve in this draft. They have two firsts and two thirds, including ours. That one may come back to haunt us. And St. Louis? They are in a prime position to be pretty much the only team willing to part ways with their first round spot for a lower spot, and they could still end up with the best defensive player in the draft (either Clowney, a complete freak of nature, or Khalil Mack, probably a better player right now than Clowney) or a high-end tackle.
At the risk of hyperbolizing, this could end up being one of the most talented drafts of all time. Teams are going to want all of their picks and more. All buyers, no sellers.