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2020 NFL Draft: 5 teams who could trade for 49ers first-round pick

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the Chicago Bears (from 49ers) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the Chicago Bears (from 49ers) during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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Steelers
Quarterback Mason Rudolph #2 (C) alongside Devlin Hodges (L) and Ben Roethlisberger (R) of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Pittsburgh Steelers

The first two teams were pretty speculative, but here’s where things get interesting.

The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t own a first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, trading it away to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. But they do own the No. 49 overall pick and were just awarded a third-round compensatory selection, No. 102 overall.

It would likely take a bit more than those two picks to move up with the 49ers and grab No. 31 overall, perhaps diving into some of next year’s crop to make it work.

But Pittsburgh has plenty of reasons to want to move up.

Chief among them is finding a long-term replacement for veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who just turned 38 years old and is likely winding down his career. Last year was more than enough evidence Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges aren’t the final answers, either, meaning the Steelers will likely have to sell off a lot of draft capital to land one of the Round 1-caliber quarterbacks in this year’s class.

If that’s what they’re planning on doing.

Either way, Pittsburgh is looking like a team potentially interested in executing such a trade up in the draft, especially considering how hotly contested the AFC North could be in the coming seasons.