2020 NFL Draft: Top trade-up targets for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Most Steelers fans can be forgiven for not knowing who Netane Muti is. Unless you are a big fan of Mountain West football, you may have never even seen Muti play. But he is potentially the best interior offensive lineman in the entire 2020 NFL Draft class.

The Steelers have been able to stay competitive over the last decade because of a strong offensive line. Even the quarterback tandem of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges kept the team in playoff contention until Week 17 in 2019, the result of which can be directly credited to the offensive line. This unit kept a second and third-string quarterback upright most of the season and gave the offense a puncher’s chance in every game last season.

But this once impenetrable unit is starting to show some cracks. Guard Ramon Foster retired after 11 seasons in the NFL, B.J. Finney left in free agency this offseason and Maurkice Pouncey had the worst season of his career in 2019 and will cost $11 million against the Steelers cap for the next two seasons, according to Spotrac.

While the team brought in Wisnewski, the interior of the offensive line still looks to be lacking elite protection. PennLive.com reports that right tackle Matt Feiler may move to left guard in 2020, as he played the position frequently when on the practice squad for the Steelers. But Feiler will be a free agent in 2021 and what sense does it make to move him for one year when he played well as the Steelers starting right tackle in 2019?

Roethlisberger is coming off a serious injury that saw him sidelined in 2019. With 2020 potentially being his final season before retirement, the last thing the Steelers need is another injury to their starting quarterback. Another season-ending injury to Roethlisberger could convince him it is finally time to hang up his cleats.

Netane Muti showed incredible blocking skills at Fresno State. At 6-foot-3, 305-pounds, Muti is much more than a big body defending the interior of the offensive line. This prospect has the strength and skills needed to play either guard or center in the NFL.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1233161543359107080

On run plays, he can pancake defenders with ease, leveraging his size and speed to run off defensive tackles. He has the strength to toss around defenders and protect the quarterback against delayed blitzes from linebackers and safeties.

Muti has experience playing a variety of positions on the offensive line in college and his versatility would be a big boon for the Steelers as the rest of the line continues to age and more injury-prone.

Any defensive tackles that attempt to bull-rush Muti will find they are sorely mistaken in thinking he can be overcome by quick action. He may have been playing against Mountain West competition, but even the untrained eye can pick out Muti from the action and say “Wow, that guy is tough”.

His biggest downside will be where other teams rank him on their Big Boards. Muti is projected to be a Day Two prospect, according to CBSSports.com, but with his unique draft profile, he is liable to be drafted early in the second round. The Steelers could sit until their first pick at forty-nine but if they want to secure Muti for themselves, Colbert might have to trade up to get him.

With the limited number of draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, Colbert might attempt to bargain a mid-round pick from their pool of 2021 draft selections. If that won’t fly with the team selling their draft pick, the Steelers could add one of their 2020 fourth-round draft picks on top of their second-rounder to sweeten the deal.

Using a third of your team’s draft picks to select one player may not seem like a great usage of draft capital to Steelers fans. But when it comes to a team’s franchise quarterback, you can’t put a price on safety. If Colbert can find a willing trade partner early in the second round, bringing in a player of Muti’s skillset could help shore up the interior of the offensive line for the foreseeable future.