This time of year is always filled with intrigue and anticipation. The Pittsburgh Steelers and 31 other teams are working feverishly to assemble the best roster possible in advance of the upcoming season. Diehard fans simulate mock draft after mock draft while teams prepare for the real one, April’s 2023 NFL draft.
Trade proposals are nearly as plentiful as mocks. Some far-fetched, some feasible. Via Twitter, a potential trade involving Diontae Johnson. The Houston Texans are expected to finally (hopefully) land that franchise quarterback in this year’s NFL draft. Ohio State product C.J. Stroud or whoever Houston selects will need a veteran pass-catcher.
Hoov floats the idea of the Steelers trading Johnson and their second pick of the second round (No. 49) to the Texans for their pick at No. 12. Pittsburgh gets its coveted offensive tackle and still has the pick from the Chicago Bears at No. 32 to grab a defensive lineman or secondary help.
The Steelers would be a receiver down, so Hoov suggests selecting USC’s Jordan Addison at No. 17 or No. 32 to replace Johnson. Most mocks have Addison off the board by Pittsburgh’s pick.
Potential Trade:
HOU:
WR- Diontae Johnson
2023 2nd (via PIT)
PIT:
2023 1.12 (via HOU)
-PIT keeps the 2.01 from CHI
-PIT could look to pair Jordan Addison with College QB- Pickett at 1.17 or 2.01
-PIT drafts a Tackle at 1.12
-Houston gets WR1 to pair with Stroud
— Hoov ()
It’s a fantasy scenario, but the question is whether Johnson would be worth trading for a first-round pick. It doesn’t seem realistic that any team would surrender a day-one pick for his services. It’s a what have you done for me lately league, and, lately, it hasn’t been much. Though he had a rookie quarterback throwing to him, he never found paydirt in a record 86 catches. Per Pro Football Reference, he logged just 882 yards receiving and a career-low 2.7 yards after the catch.
Pittsburgh has paid Johnson’s guaranteed money, so if a trade were actually to go down in the real world, his new team would only be on the hook for $15 million ($8 million in 2023 and $7 million in 2024), per Over The Cap.
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Source:: Heavy.com