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

With the departure of Javon Hargrave this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in need of help on the interior of the defensive line in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the nose tackle specialist may not have been the most important player on the defensive line in 2019, he certainly let his presence be known.

Since 2016, Hargrave was one of the most dependable players of the Steelers defensive front seven, racking up 14.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits for the team over his career, according to Pro Football Reference.

After Hargrave, it is hard to know which player will take over the role he played on the team. Stephon Tuitt had a great start to his 2019 season but was injured in Week 6 and was forced to miss the rest of the season. Tuitt has missed 12 games in two seasons, making his dependability as a week-to-week starter questionable.

Cameron Heyward has racked up 54 sacks for the Steelers during his career, making him one of the focal points of the team’s defense. But Heyward is entering his tenth season in the NFL and his time as the long-term starter on the team looks to be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Both Tuitt and Heyward will see significant playing time in 2020 but if the Steelers want to keep both men healthy and available they will need to make sure they have legitimate back-ups in place, both in 2020 and beyond.

While Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott isn’t considered a first-round defensive tackle prospect, he does bring a ton of raw, athletic ability to whichever team drafts him. After sitting out in 2017 as a transfer student, Elliott started seeing action consistently on the defensive line for Missouri. Listed at 6-foot-4, 315-pounds, Elliott is actually bigger than Hargrave (6-foot-2, 305-pounds) and brings many of the same skills to the Steelers.

Elliott became one of the most consistent defensive players for Missouri during his two seasons there. While not exactly built to play nose tackle in the NFL, Elliott brings other skills to the game that are more in line with the modern NFL defense.

Besides being a run-stuffing defensive tackle, Elliott brings consistent pass-rushing abilities as well. Defensive coordinators in the NFL put a premium on defensive tackles who can also pass-rush, which makes a player like Elliott a hot commodity no matter where he is drafted. Elliott racked up 68 total tackles, 16 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks during his two seasons at Missouri, according to Sports Reference.

Elliott’s size and athleticism make him a tough defensive tackle to defend. His height and speed make it difficult for the interior offensive lineman to dig in and redirect Elliott’s energy off the snap. For a player of his size, he sure is fast, carrying almost no bad weight. Elliott is a great manifestation of the dual-threat defensive tackle, a player who can be effective on all three downs.

While Elliott won’t be drafted in the top 20 like Derrick Brown or Javon Kinlaw, there is a compelling argument to say he should be. He will likely be drafted either late in the first round or early in the second round. This means if the Steelers have taken a shine to him during the 2020 NFL Draft scouting process, they might want to consider trading up to bring him to Pittsburgh.

Moving up to draft Elliott late in the first round would be difficult but certainly not impossible. It would likely mean the Steelers would have to at least add a 2021 Day Two draft pick on top of their second-rounder in 2020.

For the Steelers to seriously consider this, it will be important for the team to have an honest assessment of how long they think Heyward will be with the team. While still an effective player on the defensive line, Heyward is 30-years-old and will cost the team $9.5 million in 2020, according to Spotrac. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and their defensive line could be in serious trouble next season if their reserve players do not become quality starters in 2020.

Unless the cap goes up significantly after this season, the Steelers could see the exodus of Dupree, Heyward and Hargrave all in just one calendar year. Not to mention Watt is also eligible to start negotiating a new contract after 2020, making their cap situation even more perilous as they look to replace multiple defensive line spots in one offseason.

If the Steelers want to get ahead of that situation, drafting a starting defensive tackle in the 2020 NFL Draft would be a good use of their draft resources. Elliott is one of the best defensive tackles in this year’s draft class who won’t cost a first-round pick. He could help secure the Steelers defensive line talent for the next several years if Colbert can find a trade partner early enough in the draft process.