There are a lot of teams who are looking O-line who just might be interested in trading their #1 pick for the likes of Faneca. He is a 6 time pro-bowler and is not going to be re-signing in Pittsburgh anyway. Why would a team trade a #1 pick you ask? Because if they wait until next year to grab him as a free agent they will have to win a bidding war to get him. If they trade for him now they could get him locked up in a long term deal for less than what it would take next year in the open market. Same scenario as Branch going to Seattle last year. Seattle doesn't get a first round pick this year but considering where they would be picking, could they have gotten a receiver better than Branch at that spot? Is there a better guard in this years draft who stands to contribute immediately at a pro-bowl caliber level?
Yes, it would hurt us slightly losing someone who knows the offense and plays at that level. But if we came out of the trade with two #1's it would go a long way towards filling that hole with a quality player who would be signed for the next 4 years for a fraction of what we would have to pay Faneca........and without the whine. I say that if there are buyers, we should be sellers! May as well get something out of losing him this year than nothing if we lose him next year!
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