The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching for the next franchise quarterback, that much has been made very, very clear throughout the offseason.
Whether that’s through the 2022 NFL Draft, free agency, or via trade, the Steelers appear to be willing to do whatever they can to find the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger after 18 Hall of Fame seasons under center in Pittsburgh.
Though the willingness to be aggressive is there, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobelski wants to caution the Steelers when it comes to being aggressive with the 2022 NFL Draft class at quarterback, stating that the Steelers must avoid trading up in this draft for a quarterback, citing the lack of overall talent and franchise-caliber quarterbacks throughout the weakened crop.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers need an heir to Ben Roethlisberger, who retired in January after 18 seasons with the organization. The front office failed to put a proper succession plan in place, thus the team will scramble to find a quality starter this offseason,” Sobelski writes. “The last thing Pittsburgh needs is to press during the draft and gamble on a prospect in what’s considered a weak quarterback class.
Giving up future assets to obtain the best of a bad crop isn’t smart business. So, trying to trade up to land Liberty’s Malik Willis, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral or North Carolina’s Sam Howell shouldn’t even be considered,” Sobelski added. “That five prospects can be named without a clear-cut top option—and that all are questionable first-round possibilities—says everything the team needs to know about the direction it should go.
“Pittsburgh should remain patient, not overspend and see which prospects are available at No. 20. It’d be far more palatable to pick a signal-caller then. If the Steelers aren’t sold on any of them, the offensive line requires significant reinforcements.”
Sure, the Steelers certainly have the need and must figure out the quarterback situation quickly, especially in today’s fast-paced NFL world where teams can be rebuilt on the fly and go from laughing stock to powerhouse (looking at you, Cincinnati Bengals). But smart, well-run teams don’t just trade up for the sake of trading up to grab a quarterback.
The 2022 NFL Draft is rather weak at the quarterback position, at least in comparison to past drafts. While names like Liberty’s Malik Willis, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett are certainly intriguing, there’s a ton of risk there with all three. Then, when you add in a name like North Carolina’s Sam Howell or Ole Miss’s Matt Corral, the risk becomes even greater, which makes trading up in the first round of late April’s draft a real risk for the Steelers, especially with a lack of draft capital already at their disposal.
Instead, what the Steelers should do is sit tight, see if the quarterback that they are enamored with falls to them at No. 20 overall, and grab them there. If that guy doesn’t fall, address the offensive line and build the best possible roster around the quarterback position, leaving the franchise the opportunity to strike at the position in 2023 with better free agent quarterbacks, a better QB draft class, or with whichever star QB is disgruntled next.
