The Pittsburgh Steelers are absolutely sitting pretty heading into Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft Friday evening.
Pittsburgh boasts the No. 32 selection to open the second round. It’s a pick that was acquired from the Chicago Bears in the Chase Claypool trade last season.
Typically, this would be a first rounder. However, the NFL stripping the Miami Dolphins of their first-round pick for tampering changes the dynamics some.
As is normally the case, there’s a nice amount of interest in a selection that will open Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, four teams have already engaged the Pittsburgh Steelers about trading up to the 32nd pick with hours to go before Round 2 gets going.
This is actually a pretty big decision for general manager Omar Khan. There are a ton of players available that could have gone in the first round Thursay evening. That includes former Penn State star cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who many had slated as a first-round pick. He fits a need for the Steelers. It also doesn’t hurt that Porter’s father was an all-time great linebacker for the Steelers.
On the other hand, Pittsburgh could acquire additional draft capital with the 32nd pick. It already received a bounty in trading Claypool to Chicago in the first place. Why not extend it to add more picks to that original deal?
Related: Grading the Pittsburgh Steelers 1st-round pick of Broderick Jones
Interest in Pittsburgh Steelers pick is not surprising
It’s safe to say that a majority of the teams calling Pittsburgh right now are targeting former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. During the pre-draft process, he was projected to go as high as No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans. Instead, Levis saw the likes of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson all go within the first-four picks.
There are obvious concerns when it comes to Levis. Despite boasting natural on-field talent, he regressed some for the Wildcats a season ago. There are also some concerns over both Levis’ personality and a toe injury that teams think might require surgery. Even then, Levis is a first-round talent at a prime position.
The Detroit Lions (34th overall), Los Angeles Rams (36th), Seattle Seahawks (37th), Las Vegas Raiders (38th), Tennessee Titans (41st), Atlanta Falcons (44th) and New England Patriots (46th) all did their research on Levis during the pre-draft process.
This is obviously among the storylines to follow around the NFL Draft heading into Friday’s action.