The Pittsburgh Steelers certainty did a lot of work this offseason when it comes to them studying the 2022 quarterback draft class and because of that, you will be hard-pressed to find many major media draftniks mocking a non-quarterback to them in the first round. Even the odds-makers have the Steelers as heavy favorites to draft a quarterback at the end of this week.
A quarterback is currently -150 (2/3) odds favorite to be selected by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft, according to oddsmakers at BetOnline. That’s not a bit surprising overall.
On Monday, Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin both spoke about scouting the 2022 quarterback draft class during their annual press conference, and a lot of those comments continue to lead to speculation that the team will select a quarterback in the first round, which would mark the first time the team has done so since taking Ben Roethlisberger 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Most major media draftniks are expecting the Steelers to take one of Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, or Sam Howell in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis, a Liberty product, seems to have been the favorite of the five as far as mock drafts are concerned. Colbert attended the pro days of all five of those quarterbacks. Tomlin, on the other hand, only missed the Howell pro day.
While the Steelers obviously have needs at other positions besides quarterback ahead of this year’s draft, BetOnline does acknowledge that fact in their listed odds. Following the quarterback position as the favorite is offensive lineman and defensive lineman tied for second at +550 at being the Steelers’ top selection in 2022.
From there, cornerback is next in probability with +750 odds, and that position is followed by safety at +850 odds. Next is wide receiver at +900. Linebacker is next with +2200 odds, while the remaining positions all have long shot odds at +10000.
The Steelers are scheduled to pick 20th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is set to start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday in Las Vegas, NV with the broadcast of the first round on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, and ESPN’s streaming app. The second and third rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft will take place on Saturday, while the final four rounds will take place on Sunday.
