The first round of the NFL Draft is in the books, and things are playing out quite well for the Steelers.
Omar Khan kicked off his first draft by trading up three spots to take Georgia's Broderick Jones in the first round, further reinforcing the offensive line. And, after an eventful night that had plenty of surprises, there are still several high-profile names available when the draft continues Friday night at 7 p.m. -- and the Steelers have the first selection when things reconvene.
"I think everyone that was watching the draft would probably say there were several moves that were probably unexpected and surprises," Khan said Thursday night at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "We see these moves pretty much at the same time everybody else does. It was an interesting time. We are just really excited we were able to move up and make that trade."
Perhaps the most notable player still available is Joey Porter Jr., who was thought by many to be a surefire first-rounder, perhaps even with an outside shot at a top-10 pick. Yet, the son of the former Steelers outside linebacker is still available, along with Brian Branch, Michael Mayer, O'Cyrus Torrence, Dawand Jones and Will Levis -- all of whom were in the top 31 of Pro Football Focus' big board.
Of course, that leaves a lot of opportunities for Khan, Mike Tomlin, Art Rooney II and the rest of the front office to further improve their roster.
Right before Khan and Tomlin wrapped up their press conference on Thursday night, Tomlin was eager to get back to work. The draft was falling in a way that truly favored the Steelers, and led to even the possibility of moving back into the first round before the night concluded.
"We're still open for business," Tomlin said. "I think it's just prudent to be. Man, this is a quality draft. We have to get back in the back."
Of course, the Steelers didn't trade up again before the first round came to a close -- and they didn't have to. But, they still have a similar aggressive mindset regarding the first pick of the second round. Tomlin and Khan have been salivating over the endless possibilities with this opportunity, so the "open for business" comment translates beyond Day 1 of the draft.
With the number of talented players remaining, the Steelers have a lot of options going forward.
Probably the most popular choice among Steelers fans is pouncing on Porter, and I don't need to explain all of the reasons once again. As I reported from the Combine, Porter didn't match up against some of the other cornerbacks in terms of what aligns with what the Steelers value at the position in this class: Game speed, ball skills and tackling -- in that order.
But, with Devon Witherspoon, Emmanuel Forbes, Christian Gonzalez and Deonte Banks off the board, Porter truly looks like an ideal fit at 32nd overall. Branch is certainly more versatile and wouldn't be a bad selection here, but Porter's value is much better at this spot in the draft. And, any ties between him and the Steelers in the pre-draft process never went passed the 17th overall pick because virtually nobody thought Porter would still be undrafted by the time the first night wrapped up.
Porter has great physical tools as a man-coverage cornerback, and won't have quite as much pressure on him being a second-round pick instead of a first-rounder. Of course, there is that name on the back of the jersey that invites high expectations, but that's going to be something Porter has to deal with, no matter where he plays.
However, a very realistic scenario heading into the second night of the draft is the Steelers trading down. Among the players still remaining, Levis and Hendon Hooker are among the next tier of quarterbacks, and the Steelers could certainly field calls from teams thinking about moving up to snag one. The Lions are sitting at 34th overall after their Day 1 trades, and they've been in the quarterback discussion throughout the draft process. So have the Seahawks, and they hold the 37th pick as of Friday morning.
Whether or not teams are wanting to trade up for a quarterback, there will be other teams making phone calls about possibly moving up. What makes this particular pick different than the others is the time between it and the last pick of the first round. Players thought to be first-rounders are still available, and team executives have a lot of time to decompress and rationally figure out their next move. Or, some executives might overthink things and get overly aggressive.
Either way, Khan better have his phone on the charger all day. It'll be blowing up.
Another wrinkle to possibly trading down from 32 is a new need to acquire more draft capital. In order to move up and get Jones at 14th overall, the Steelers had to send the 120th pick to the Patriots. That means, without any other trades, the Steelers will pick 80th overall then sit on their hands until the 241st pick. I just don't realistically see that playing out. Khan and Tomlin have talked at length about how much they like the depth in this draft, and it'd be a curious move to see them go that long without making a selection.
Of course, the Steelers could stand pat, take their best player available, pick at 49 and 80, and call themselves still fortunate to have four of their six selections in the top 80 picks of the draft. But, with how aggressive Khan has been in his short time as general manager, it sure seems as if a deal or two will be made before the draft concludes Saturday night.
"I don't know if I'd call myself aggressive," Khan said. "I'm just trying to win a Super Bowl. That's what I'm trying to do."
