PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers need a quarterback.
Neither Russell Wilson nor Aaron Rodgers are bound for Pittsburgh. Realistically, they never were.
With his trade Wednesday to the Washington Commanders, Carson Wentz is off the table, too.
Only a handful of the top-tier veteran quarterbacks, like the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins, San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo and Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson, remain possibilities, making it more and more likely the Steelers’ hopes on a 2022 quarterback lie in April’s draft or in the secondary free-agent market.
Though this group of rookie quarterbacks has been widely panned, outgoing Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert still believes starting quarterback-caliber talent exists in the class.
“It’s a quality class,” Colbert said at the recent combine. “It might not be the number of players at that position that there have been in the past, but it’s certainly good quality, and there’s going to be starting NFL quarterbacks coming out of this class, for sure.”
Colbert is right, there is quality among the rookie signal-callers, but there’s not much quantity. Because of that, the Steelers could opt to pass on a quarterback in the first round, and instead focus on rebuilding the offensive line with their No. 20 overall pick.
What might seem unfathomable in the search for Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement might be the best thing for the long-term health of the organization.
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett are considered the best prospects in the class, but the Steelers are behind at least two teams who could also be in the hunt for a quarterback.
Though ESPN senior draft analyst Todd McShay has Willis falling to the Steelers in his mock, one talent evaluator at the combine told ESPN he doesn’t believe Willis will stay on the board through the first 10 picks. He’s a work-in-progress with his accuracy and lower body mechanics, but Willis could be a great fit for the Steelers with his mobility and electric plays. To get him, the Steelers might have to make a first-round trade, something they’ve done only five times under Colbert, most recently to select linebacker Devin Bush with the No. 10 overall pick in 2019 in exchange for their first and second-round picks (No. 20 and No. 52) and a 2020 third-round pick.
“You go in with an idea of who might be available via trade through our various calls,” Colbert said of the draft pick trading process. “You’ll continue to gather information on the evaluation of those players. And then you get into the specifics as to what you’re trading away from. We try not to just say, ‘it’s a third and a sixth.’ That third could be Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. So we’re always trying to put a name with a pick in a given year and make sure that’s an equal trade.”
If the Steelers stand pat, and neither Willis nor Pickett is available at No. 20, the organization would be wise to add to their offensive line — as much a priority this offseason as the quarterback position. In 2021, the Steelers averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, despite drafting running back Najee Harris in the first round with the 24th pick, and Roethlisberger was sacked 38 times.
At their current draft position, the Steelers could likely choose between Texas A&M offensive guard Kenyon Green, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum and Boston College center/guard Zion Johnson.
The Steelers are in need of at least one interior lineman, whether at center or guard. Last year’s third-round draft pick, Kendrick Green, converted from primarily playing guard at Illinois to starting 15 games at center in 2021. But Roethlisberger said in a radio appearance earlier this year that he believes Green may be better suited at guard. Green has posted photos of working out with longtime Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey on Instagram, but if the Steelers use a first-round pick on a pure center, he could slide over to the right guard position vacated by soon-to-be free agent Trai Turner. The Steelers could also look for a tackle to replace fellow free-agent-to-be Chukwuma Okorafor, though Colbert has never selected a tackle in the first round.
“There’s good quality at that position in this year’s draft for sure,” Colbert said of tackles. “As of recent years, the tackle position has had unusual depth, and this year is no different.”
If the Steelers opt to strengthen the offensive line in the first round, they could still select a quarterback in the 2022 draft.
McShay’s latest mock draft didn’t have either UNC quarterback Sam Howell or Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder finding a home in the first round. Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe could also be on the board in the second — or even the third round.
And if the Steelers spurn the draft options all together, they could sign a budget-friendly short-term veteran quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater or Marcus Mariota to compete with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins for the starting job during training camp.
“We will look at every potential option to replace any given player at any given position,” Colbert said at the combine. “We will always start with the trade market and unrestricted free agency, the college draft, the players that may get cut throughout the spring, college free agents after the draft. There’s a lot of different avenues that players can come from, and it’s our job to keep up with each and every one of them.”
Source: www.espn.com