So while obsessing over mock draft simulators, I noticed that QB Sanders is dropping in a lot of them, and I keep getting the following trade proposal: Steelers ‘25 R1.21, ‘25 R3.83, & ‘26 R1 for Saints ‘25 R1.9 (and sometimes R6.184). This got me thinking and I’d like to have a little chat with you all about preferences when it comes to potentially trading back. And before someone says, yes I know we don’t trade back usually. So what..?!? We can still chat hypothetical.
This is the first time I’ve consistently gotten proposals for a realistic trade that includes a 1st next year. It’s with PIT to move up 12 spots, and think this is relatively realistic if Sanders slips to 9. For reference, we moved up 13 picks (from pick 27 to 14) with GB and gave up a 1st the next year and a 5th that year for the Davenport trade. Normally the simulator trade proposals are to move back about 5-10 picks. A common proposal is going from R1.9 to R1.14 and getting ‘25 R2.45 and ‘25 R5.151 from Indianapolis.
So the hypothetical topic I’d like to discuss:
Let’s says it’s 100% guaranteed that we will trade back from 9. Would you rather the trade move us further back in the 1st round (into the mid-late 20s) so that the compensation will have a ‘26 1st round pick plus a ‘25 3rd-5th or would you rather only trade back a handful of spots thus having the compensation all fall in the ‘25 draft like the IND trade above?
Personally I’m choosing to trade back into the mid-late 20s for a 1st rounder in 2026 even if the entirety of the compensation is that ‘26 1st and a 5th in ‘25 for R1.9 even if the other hypothetical trade is offering their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in 2026 as compensation for moving back 6 spots (that’d be the Falcons in this hypothetical) or so.
Having 2 1st rounders next year could be the exact resource needed to ensure we that this organization is sets up for the next 20 years if a QB of our dreams just so happens to become available in the draft or for trade.