Trade rumors surrounding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have swirled for the past few weeks. Players have begun courting Brandon Aiyuk around the league, although his camp has not officially requested a trade from San Francisco. That hasn’t stopped the betting markets from speculating on Aiyuk’s next destination if he is in fact traded.
According to BetOnline Sportsbook, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorite as Aiyuk’s next team if he does not play for the San Francisco 49ers. Here are BetOnline Sportbook’s top five new destinations along with their respective odds.
- Pittsburgh Steelers +200
- Carolina Panthers +600
- New England Patriots +600
- Arizona Cardinals +700
- Los Angeles Chargers +900
All of these teams share one thing — each is desperate to add a number one wide receiver, and most could stand to add several new names to their receiver rooms.
The Steelers are likely ahead of the pack in betting odds due to their position in the upcoming NFL Draft.
New England, Arizona, and Los Angeles all pick one after the other from picks three through five in the first round, which puts all of them in range for Marvin Harrison Jr. and other elite receivers prospects like Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.
Pittsburgh also makes sense as a favorite in front of Carolina because the Panthers already acquired a wide receiver this offseason. Carolina acquired former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson in March.
After that trade, the Steelers’ top three wide receivers include George Pickens, journeyman Van Jefferson, and young roleplayer Calvin Austin III.Will the Steelers draft a wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Steelers are almost guaranteed to add at least one wide receiver in next week’s 2024 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh’s three biggest needs heading into the draft are offensive line, cornerback, and wide receiver. The Steelers presently have a solid offensive line, so wide receiver and cornerback make the most sense as priority picks for Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the following draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
- First round pick (20th overall)
- Second round pick (51st overall)
- Third round pick (84th overall)
- Third round pick (98th overall) compensatory pick via Philadelphia
- Fourth round pick (117th overall)
- Sixth round pick (178th overall) via Carolina through Arizona
- Sixth round pick (195th overall)
The 2024 draft class aligns pretty well with Pittsburgh’s biggest needs.
This year features one of the deepest and most talented cohorts of wide receivers in recent memory. While the Steelers are likely out of the running for a top prospect, there will still be several intriguing options on the board in all of the first three rounds. Pittsburgh's best receiver options at 20th overall include names like Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Troy Franklin, and Xavier Legette.
The cornerback group is similar in depth to the wide receivers, though there aren’t as many elite corner prospects at the top of the draft. The Steelers’ top options in the second round at cornerback include names like T.J. Tampa, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Mike Sainristil, and Kamari Lassiter.
The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their quarterback room earlier in the offseason, flushing out Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky and replacing them with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. The Steelers will need to give their new QBs some weapons if they want to compete in a highly competitive AFC North, let alone a stacked AFC conference in general.
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