The Pittsburgh Steelers’ trade up in the first round with the New England Patriots to secure offensive tackle Broderick Jones has gotten a lot of attention, even a week after the draft ended. A lot of people think a lot of things about it, but few actually know anything concrete. Most likely, neither did the Steelers or the Patriots.
The favored part of the story is the suggestion that the Patriots were motivated to trade with the Patriots, even willing to take less than their selection might be worth, specifically because they wanted to screw over the New York Jets, their division rivals.