Open For Business? Steelers Signal Pick No. 32 Could be Traded

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers seem to be open for business, as Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan pulled no punches as they essentially declared the No. 32 overall pick available for trade in their pre-draft press conference on Monday.

While there have been lots of rumors about the team moving up from No. 17 to make a splash move, one thing that has been overlooked has been the Steelers and their willingness to potentially move back from the first pick on day two. Well, it doesn’t seem like that much of a crazy possibility anymore, as Khan and Tomlin noted in their pre-draft press conference.

“Man, we’re excited about it,” Tomlin said. “I think the thing that we’re least familiar with is the number of calls that we will be or could be getting. That’s what we spend our time looking at. So, how do we organize and prepare for receiving the amount of interest that pick could have? That’s a good and exciting possibility for us.”

While they were asked that explicitly, Tomlin would circle back around later in the press conference, mentioning that the team is hopeful it could be even more quarterback-needy. There is someone, such as Hendon Hooker, who could still be there and check off the box to be the perfect pick for a team with the resources used to move up.

“You mention No. 32, being in that position, we acknowledge we’re not quarterback shopping and that position might be one that attracts quarterback shoppers,” Tomlin said. “So, it’s exciting to see what might transpire with some of those phone calls and the value we may be able to get. It’s an exciting position for us to be in.”

In other words, the Steelers seem to be willing to move the pick for the right price. Could be it part of a two-pronged strategy where the team moves up from No. 17 and then down from No. 32? That is appearing likelier as we approach the NFL Draft on Monday. But make no mistake about it, the team could be wheeling and dealing in a way that they simply have not in recent years with their best player available mentality so far.