PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – How does Aaron Rodgers signing or not signing impact the NFL Draft? What about the Steelers potentially trading down, plus insight on how they evaluate quarterbacks. What Steelers GM Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin said about a number of topics Tuesday before the NFL Draft.
Trading down
Admitting it’s unlikely they would trade up, the Steelers said the more realistic option would be trading down. GM Omar Khan believes that because of the amount of depth available at needed, however who is available with the current 21st overall pick could impact the decision.
“You never really want to trade away from a really good player that can
help you and the right guy for us,” Khan said. “By the time we get to Thursday, we'll have identified certain guys that we will not trade away from. And it's just, that's just sort of how it's worked out. A couple of years ago we traded up to get Broderick, he was the guy we wanted, and you know, we're open to it.”
“We're always open, but because we do our due diligence, oftentimes there's
somebody available that we're really excited about,” Tomlin said. “And so, I think it remains the same this year. We're open to moving up. We're open to moving back.”
No Rodgers mean QB early?
If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign with the Steelers before the start of the NFL Draft, and there is nothing to lead us to believe he will, does that affect your draft strategy? Or your potential interest in Rodgers after the Draft?
“I think what you do in the draft oftentimes affects maybe some talent acquisition that happens after but we'll see how the acquisition goes this weekend,” Tomlin said.
Getting back in 2nd round
Khan said they will see how the draft plays out and while they would like to get back in the second round, they wouldn’t rescind the trade of their second rounder for DK Metcalf.
“I'm so excited that we did that,” Khan said. “Having him here is great. And, you know, obviously, when you get to the draft, you get excited about a lot of players, I wish I had 50 picks right now, you know, because there's a lot of good players out there, and you know, we'll see how it shakes out.”
9 running backs, 8 defensive linemen visited
Khan said what to read into the Steelers using over half of the allotted 30 pre-draft visits on tailbacks and defensive linemen is that each are deep positions. They wanted to sort out how they would stack those players. Who would go where in their eyes and who would be available when?
Insight
Tomlin let us behind the curtain a little with what he asks when quarterbacks visit. These guys are often defined by situational football, along with their ability to manage possession downs, red zone, two-minute situations. But Tomlin doesn’t try to put them in his offense or ask about their knowledge of the Steelers.
“I think if you really want to get to know someone, as opposed to talking about what it is that you do, you watch their tape and talk about what it is they've done,” Tomlin said. “I think that's a platform for a more productive day than simply instructing them about how we do business in Pittsburgh.”
No one-fit defensive lineman
About 40% of the recent mock drafts have the Steelers selecting a defensive lineman in the first round. Tomlin said there isn’t a size or style they are looking for, it’s about getting the job done.
“They come in many different shapes and sizes, and I just think that's a
component of it,” Tomlin said. “Some guys are power players who happen to be athletic, if you're talking about elite interior defense alignment. Some guys are oversized athletes, and it's the same in Sunday ball. Some guys are power players who happen to be athletic. Some guys are oversized athletes, and oftentimes that means that they get the job done in a different way. But the job gets done, and it's our job as organizations, and particularly as coaches, to utilize their talents, and so we cast a big net. We appreciate different modes of operations, if you will, and whoever we do business with, we're going to work to highlight their skills and how they play and how they produce plays.