Having dropped from the No. 8 pick last year to No. 16 this season, the Steelers would prefer to fall further by the time it comes their turn to draft on Saturday.
They would like to make a trade that would bring them a third-round draft choice in exchange for dropping lower in the first round.
History, though, has shown it can be difficult and disastrous to do so.
The Steelers, faced with the fewest draft choices in their history (six), would like to gain a few more picks. One way to do so is by trading down in the first round.
"We'll be open to trading down," said Kevin Colbert, the Steelers director of football operations. "As long as we are not trading ourselves away from a good player. We are still always going to deal in the quality of a player over quantity."
Draft scholars will remember the only time the Steelers traded down in the first round occurred in 1990. The Steelers switched places in the first round with Dallas, going from No. 17 to No. 21 and receiving a third-round pick for it. The Steelers drafted tight end Eric Green in the first round and defensive tackle Craig Veasey with their extra pick in the third. The Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith at No. 17.
The always difficult art of trading down looks to be even more difficult than it has in past years. Because the first round of this draft seems to be more even in quality, many teams would prefer to trade down, not only to pick up an extra choice but to avoid paying as much money to their rookie.
"I don't think a lot of teams are going to want to move up," said Colbert, whose team forfeited its third-round pick because of a salary-cap violation. "I think everyone is going to want to move down to get more picks, again to address the shortage of players on current rosters."
Colbert virtually eliminated the idea of picking up extra draft choices by trading players or future picks.
No matter where the Steelers choose, they will concentrate on defense, particularly in the first two rounds. They need cornerbacks and more cornerbacks, in addition to defensive linemen and linebackers.
"I would think you can assume that, just with the current structure of our team," Colbert said. "That obviously would make more sense. But, we never say never on a specific player."
No, but they have ruled out drafting a wide receiver, a running back or a quarterback on the first round. They want to get an offensive tackle for depth.
But the big needs are on defense. The Steelers' top four cornerbacks are entering the final year of their contracts and would become unrestricted free agents next year without new ones.
They need someone to replace Levon Kirkland at inside linebacker and need depth inside and outside. And they are not satisfied with the strength of their defensive line.
"We do have a need there," Colbert said of the line. "I would imagine that anybody that we would pick would have a chance to play, depending on their development and how quick they came along."
In other news:
While the Steelers will add a fourth quarterback to their roster, it might not be a rookie. Coach Bill Cowher said they remain open to signing a veteran free agent.
"We are going to add a quarterback at some point," Cowher said. "It does not necessarily have to be a college player."
They will wait until the Friday deadline before they decide whether to match the contract New England gave Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala or let the running back go and receive a sixth-round draft choice in return. The Patriots signed him to a one-year, $700,000 deal with a no-trade contract.
The Steelers continue to negotiate with linebacker Mike Jones, an unrestricted free agent from St. Louis, to replace Kirkland. Colbert said they are "still open" to signing him this week.
Club officials are talking to the agents of their starting cornerbacks, Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott, about extending their contracts.
"We're just talking," said Steve Zucker, Washington's agent. "There's nothing serious right now."
Cowher has told quarterback Kent Graham to stop throwing and receiver Plaxico Burress to stop catching. Both are coming off surgery and were not supposed to throw or catch until May, but jumped the gun eight days ago. "We have to make sure we slow down some of these guys," Cowher said.
Times for two Steelers home games, set last week for 1 p.m., have been changed. They will kick off at 4:05 p.m. against Jacksonville on Nov. 18 and at 4:15 p.m. Dec. 9 against the New York Jets.
Trading down to add picks appealing option for Steelers 
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