After requesting a trade earlier in the week, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf was dealt to the Steelers on Sunday night. In return, the Seahawks receive a 2025 second-round pick.
Before this trade, the Steelers had been projected to draft Ohio State’s wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, as the Steelers did not have a clear WR2 last year. Now, it is clear that they will not need a wide receiver in the draft.
Instead, they need to set their sights on the quarterback and running back positions.
At the moment, quarterback Justin Fields has been talking to the Steelers about returning. Even if Russell Wilson returns as well, it is reported that the Steelers will prefer Fields over Wilson.
If Wilson does not stay, the Steelers should draft a backup quarterback using one of their mid-round picks. Some options in the third round could be Ohio State’s Will Howard and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard.
While it might not be possible, the Steelers could get Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, if he falls into the third round. Dart should be a bigger draft target than most of the rest of the quarterbacks, as he had 4,276 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just six interceptions through 13 games last season.
Although there were reports today that Aaron Rodgers could come to Pittsburgh, Rodgers is getting old and is out of his prime.
The Steelers also need to rebuild their running back position. While Najee Harris broke 1,000 yards, he underperformed. The Steelers are bringing back Jaylen Warren next year. However, it is unclear if Harris will return, as reports have said he will go to free agency.
Moving on from Harris, the Steelers should look to use their first-round pick on another running back.
Some options that might be open in the first round include North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. He had a great season, recording 281 carries for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games.
The Steelers could also wait to use one of their mid-round picks and get Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, who recorded 144 carries for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games, or Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, who had 293 carries for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns in 13 games.
If the Steelers choose to go mid-round, Skabetto would be a great fit. In the last four games of his collegiate career, he averaged 159 yards per game and had two touchdowns in twice, and three each in the other two games.
While the Steelers made a bold move trading for Metcalf, they will need to improve the quarterback and running back positions to be playoff contenders.
