Steelers' GM Omar Khan Reveals The Team Had The Desire To Trade Up In The First Round

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been enthralled in trade rumors for several months now, mainly with teams with top-flight receivers that could be available. There was some speculation the Steelers would make a move draft night, but the only trade they tried to make was to jump up a couple spots in the first round to land Troy Fautanu. Luckily, Fautanu fell to the Steelers with the 20th overall pick and General Manager Omar Khan didn't have to give up any of the organization's draft capital.

Khan made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, where he talked about everything that went on during the 2024 NFL Draft, and gave some insight on what the Steelers are planning to do with the rest of the offseason. Khan also gave glowing remarks about his entire draft class, which had been lauded by many analysts and figures in the football world. The general manager also gave some insight into the first round, and revealed that Pittsburgh was trying to move up a few spots to be sure they would land Fautanu. 

"Yeah, we were in the process of working the phones, hoping the opportunity was there to grab Troy. Fortunately, he was still there at 20, we weren't able to get a deal done. But yeah, we got him at 20 and can't tell you how excited we are to have him. That guy's a Steeler."

The Steelers moved up in the 2023 NFL Draft to make sure they were able to select Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick, as they jumped the New York Jets who were a team that also needed a tackle. In 2024, the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals were two threats to select a tackle that picked just ahead of Pittsburgh. Seattle had the 16th pick and grabbed Byron Murphy II, while Cincinnati picked Amarius Mims with the 18th overall pick. These were probably the teams Pittsburgh was trying to get ahead of, but thankfully they both passed on Fautanu.

Tackle was a serious need for Pittsburgh ahead of the 2024 season. Jones started the majority of the year at right tackle in 2023, despite being drafted as a left tackle. The question now becomes whether or not Jones will be switching back to his natural position on the left side of the offensive line, as Fautanu was a left tackle in college as well. During the pre-draft process, a lot of analysts and teams around the league suspected Fautanu would need to switch to the interior at the NFL level due to his size and speed, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin ensured fans that Fautanu would be playing tackle at the professional level. 

Fautanu comes into the league at the age of 23 with a ton of game experience at the college level, which is something that Jones lacked heading into his rookie year. Jones sat on the bench to start the 2023 season, which could definitely happen with Fautanu as well, but his versatility and experience has him in a good spot to start immediately.

Steelers Could Have Made A Big Mistake Trading Up

Luckily, Pittsburgh could not find a trade partner to move up in the first round and they still managed to get their guy. If they were able to find a trade partner and decided to pull the trigger, they likely would have likely had to give up one of their third round picks. They had the 84th and 98th overall pick, which were each used to fill major holes. Pittsburgh grabbed Roman Wilson with the 84th pick and Payton Wilson at 98, who were each projected to go in the second round. 

If the Steelers made a trade in the first round, the organization would still be facing a hole at wide receiver or lacking depth at inside linebacker. Khan's patience paid off in a big way for Pittsburgh. 

Would you still be happy with the Steelers' draft had they traded up in the first round?