Pittsburgh Steelers ‘not closing the door’ on drafting shock position in NFL Draft
The NFL Draft takes place this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has not ruled out the franchise drafting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Khan’s comments come as a surprise as the AFC North side have penned deals with three different quarterbacks during this offseason.
Those moves saw the Steelers sign Russell Wilson, trade for Justin Fields and re-sign Kyle Allen.
While Khan did not rule out drafting a quarterback at some stage during the draft, he said it was “not realistic” that they would do so with their first-round pick.
Speaking at the Steelers’ pre-draft press conference this week, Khan said: “If there’s an opportunity to improve that room, obviously, we’ll look at it.
“We’ve got three guys who are on one-year deals and we have to be open to it.
“It’s not realistic that we’ll be taking a quarterback in Round 1.
“But there are some good players there, and I wouldn’t close the door on anything.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in talks with the 49ers on a trade for their star wide receiver.
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to hammer home their interest in trading for 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk, who could be the missing piece for an offense that needs playmakers in the passing game desperately.
According to a report from Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, the Steelers have even laid out the details of a potentially lucrative trade package for Aiyuk and are simply waiting for the 49ers to reciprocate the interest.
“Sources: The Steelers REALLY like Brandon Aiyuk,” Fillipponi wrote on Twitter. “They’ve discussed what a trade package would look like. And that could include a 2025 1st round pick. They just need the 49ers to show interest in talking trade. That still hasn’t happened. Stay tuned.
After trading away Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers have done little so far to address their void at wide receiver, other than sign veterans Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins, neither of whom seem poised to adequately replace Johnson’s production. Calvin Austin III could be an option but he hasn’t proven much in his one active year of NFL football.
So the Steelers are looking elsewhere for help in the passing game. Either they will be able to land Aiyuk, who has hauled in 153 receptions for 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns over the past two seasons, the latest of which ended in a second-team All-Pro selection, or reach for a wideout in the coming NFL Draft.
The Steelers are eager to get their Johnson replacement sooner rather than later and Aiyuk would almost surely be an upgrade over whoever they could land in the draft, which is why their reported offer includes something as valuable as first-round pick.
