Home Steelers 2015 Season Steelers’ Trading of Two Draft Picks Raises Concerns

Steelers’ Trading of Two Draft Picks Raises Concerns

by Steeldad

It isn’t uncommon for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make a trade every now and then especially when they know they really need to address a position. What is uncommon is the fact that they’ve now traded away two of next year’s draft picks.

As it stands right now, the Steelers will not have their sixth round pick after trading that to Jacksonville for kicker Josh Scobee and they’ll likely be without their fourth round pick as part of the Brandon Boykin deal with Philadelphia.

The Boykin trade was for a fifth or fourth depending upon whether he plays 60% or more of the team’s snaps on defense. As bad as this secondary currently is, I see no way that Boykin doesn’t play more than 60% so therefore we should expect to be without the fourth.

For an organization that has always prided itself on “building through the draft,” the trading of two picks seems strange. Don’t get me wrong, the Boykin deal takes care of itself should he play well and sign an extension but the trade for Scobee is baffling.

It’s hard to argue with Scobee’s success. He’s been a very steady and solid kicker for the Jags over his 11 seasons but he has just one year left on his contract. That means he could walk and the Steelers would be out the sixth round pick and would be looking for a new kicker.

While it was reported that Scobee is willing to restructure (he’s expected to make about $3.4 million), until that happens I have concerns.

Scobee is a great pickup because of his accuracy and his ability to get the ball deep on kickoffs but could the Steelers have gotten him for nothing? He was embroiled in a pretty tight competition and may have been cut anyway. In the meantime, the Steelers could have gotten by for another week with a free agent signing.

It would have required some luck to be sure, but I still would have had a harder time parting with another draft pick. It is what it is however and the Steelers are now looking at a 2016 draft with just five selections as of right now.

That could very well come back to haunt a team who hasn’t exactly drafted well in recent years.

 

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5 comments

John September 1, 2015 - 11:39 am

Let win 1st

steeldad September 1, 2015 - 12:14 pm

I know what you mean John. It’s just so unusual for the Steelers to move picks like this. Hoping it doesn’t haunt them.

Evan Mackenzie September 2, 2015 - 12:27 am

True, losing draft picks is not ideal, but neither is watching two kickers go down in three preseason games. I think that the Steelers can either trade back and re-coup the missing picks. There is another way that Pittsburgh is going to get those picks back; if Boykin doesn’t re-sign then he will be a free agent and go elsewhere. Then his salary and leaving as a free agent will allow the Steelers to pick up compensation picks (roughly 5th round for Boykin alone) and others that will be leaving, as long as PIT continues to not sign big money free agents. I think that the knew they would have extra picks to deal.

Evan Mackenzie September 2, 2015 - 12:29 am

*apologies for grammar mistakes from my phone in an airport…go steelers!

steeldad September 2, 2015 - 1:40 am

No worries Evan. The last thing we are is grammar police! The Steelers appear to be in “win now” fashion and that’s fine with me. It also looks like they’ll get a comp pick that could make up for the loss of the sixth rounder for Scobee. I personally just get concerned when draft picks get traded. They are so darn valuable these days because so many are either hit or miss. Very little in between. Thanks for commenting.

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