Steelers tried to trade up to get ILB Rashaan Evans, but failed

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended up selecting safety Terrell Edmunds from Virginia Tech with their first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but it is safe to say he wasn’t their initial target throughout the evening.

After news broke of the team trading wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders for a 3rd round pick, the writing was on the wall for a draft day trade which moved the Steelers up in the process.

It didn’t happen, but according to Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider, they certainly tried.

Evans, a talented and versatile player from Alabama, ended up being selected by the Tennessee Titans, and after Leighton Vander Esch went to the Cowboys, the inside linebacker prospects were suddenly gone.

While the Steelers stuck with their 28th pick, the pick of Edmunds certainly was a shock. Players like Justin Reid of Stanford, and even Jessie Bates of Wake Forest were players the Steelers showed a lot of interest in throughout the offseason process, but Edmunds must have done enough to impress Mike Tomlin and company throughout the process.

Another defender was the Steelers’ top pick, this time a safety, and apparently it wasn’t the player they really wanted.

What did you think of the selection? Let us know in the comment section below!