There’s been a lot of talk of the Steelers trading up in the second round to draft a center, as our own Alex Kozora wrote about recently. After all, Omar Khan has shown he’s not afraid to make aggressive moves in the draft and the Steelers don’t have a real center option on the roster.
What exactly would this look like? Let’s talk about the targets, the opposition, and potential trade packages for the Steelers would need to part with move up.
The Targets:
The Steelers second-round pick currently sits 51st overall. The most likely target of a trade-up is West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Frazier has seen himself mocked mostly around the middle of the second round, although that could change as we approach the draft.
Duke’s Graham Barton will likely be on the board too early for the team to trade up for using their second-round pick, leaving the only other potential name to trade up for as Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon. Powers-Johnson was seen as a late first-round pick after a strong Senior Bowl, but has been slipping down draft boards as of late.
The Opposition:
The most obvious team the Steelers want to trade ahead of is the Philadelphia Eagles, who pick one slot ahead of them at 50 overall, Jason Kelce just retired, so the team is looking for a center for the first time in a while.
If you want to get more aggressive, the next team you would want to trade ahead of is the Carolina Panthers, who lost Bradley Bozeman and could certainly be targeting a center in round two.
The Packages:
Here are two potential trades if the Steelers want to make a move up in the second round. All of these trades are slightly negative for the Steelers using a draft pick value calculator, but I wanted to make sure they were realistic options, and that their trading partners had some incentive to complete the trade.
Trade number one is more conservative, and it is with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Pittsburgh Steelers trade 2.51 and 3.98 to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2.48 and 4.114
The Steelers leapfrog the Eagles in this scenario and move back from the end of the third round to the beginning of the fourth. Jacksonville’s needs (WR, CB) go three rounds deep in this draft, and picking up an extra pick on Day Two would be huge if they don’t love anyone on the board at 48. Pittsburgh likely targets Frazier with this trade.
The next trade is the more aggressive option, with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers trade 2.51 and 3.84 to the Los Angeles Chargers for 2.37 and 6.181
It would be a tough pill to swallow to give up their third-round pick just to move up in the second, but they would still have another third-round pick that they got in the Kenny Pickett trade. This option is more likely if Powers-Johnson has a bit of a slide in the draft, or they hear whispers that Carolina is locked in on Frazier at 39. The Chargers felt the squeeze of the salary cap this offseason and would be happy to pick up an extra Day Two pick to add depth.
There are about a million different ways the draft can play out, but I think it’s likely the Steelers want a center in round two, and in turn, would need to trade up to get him. It’s possible with the draft capital Pittsburgh has, and with no veteran presence at the position, it seems like a worthy price to pay.
