2014 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert Expects Many Teams To Trade Down
By Matt Shetler
The 2014 NFL Draft promises to be one of the deepest in recent memory, so we likely will see a lot of movement in the first round.
Feb 20, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert speaks during a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
While there may be a few teams that may be willing to mortgage part of their future by trading up for the likes of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, wide receiver Sammy Watkins, linebacker Khalil Mack or any of the quarterbacks expected to go within the first handful of picks, there may be even more teams willing to trade down in the draft to stockpile picks in such a deep draft.
That is something that Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert expects to see a lot of.
However, while that theory makes sense on paper, it may be a difficult task for many teams to pull off.
Colbert said at the NFL league meetings that with the available talent in this draft, trading down makes a lot more sense than trading up. Unfortunately for Colbert, he thinks the rest of the league feels the same way, which means that teams looking to pick up extra picks by trading down won’t find many takers.
“It makes more sense in this draft than trading up,” Colbert said of trading down, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m sure everyone shares the same thought.”
The strength of this draft is not necessarily the elite talent at the top of the draft, although there are a bunch of studs that will go off the board early. Instead it is overall depth as some first-round talent will be available in the later rounds.
Accumulating more picks – and in the Steelers’ case not missing with those picks – could be the key to putting together a strong draft when May eventually rolls around.
The Steelers currently have the No. 15 selection in the first round and six selections overall.