Wednesday evening, the NFL offered a reminder of the Pittsburgh Steelers miss that was taking Kendrick Green in the 2021 draft. Where the Steelers whiffed, the Denver Broncos hit big. Just 11 picks after the Steelers took Green, the Broncos landed D-III stud Quinn Meinerz. He’s become everything the Steelers hoped they were getting in Green and yesterday, signed a four-year, $80 million deal to remain in Denver long-term.
Oh, what could’ve been.
And 99 percent of the time, I hate playing the role of “revisionist draft man.” Every GM with a crystal ball or a time machine would be the greatest of all-time, knowing who the studs and duds of a class would be. It’s shooting fish in a barrel to look back at a list of picks and point out who the team *should’ve* taken. Drafting is hard and every team misses. You just hope to be a little better than the other guy and hit when you need to the most, like anointing a future franchise quarterback.
But I point out Meinerz because the Steelers showed legitimate interest in him. Then-offensive line coach Adrian Klemm attended his Pro Day and pre-draft reports from normally solid insiders connected Meinerz to Pittsburgh. Ultimately, the Steelers stuck to their long-held belief of drafting the “big school” guy over the little one.
In fairness to Pittsburgh, Meinerz was a big-time projection. Not only was he hailing from Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, the 2020 pandemic cancelled his senior season. All teams had to go off of was his previous college tape and the 2021 Senior Bowl, where he impressed with his play (and his belly). And Meinerz has been a guard in Denver, not the center and Maurkice Pouncey replacement the Steelers attempted to find. There was no guarantee Meinerz would’ve worked in Pittsburgh, either.
Still, looking at their career arcs, it’s hard not to wonder. No, this isn’t the Steelers passing on Dan Marino. The Steelers’ offenses of recent years still would’ve been clunky and messy. And Pittsburgh has hopefully found a long-term center in Zach Frazier, strong second round value (of course, like Green or any pick, check back in three years).
But the visceral wince upon seeing the news of Meinerz land the bag in Denver was that last twist of the knife, punch in the gut, kick in the you-know-what of who the Steelers passed over for Green. It’s like the ex-girlfriend who slashed your tires who you bump into at Whole Foods three years later, just the world’s reminder of “oh yeah, that happened and it was miserable.”
Now, the team has neither Quinn Meinerz nor Kendrick Green. Meinerz will put down roots in Denver while Green was dealt to Houston last summer, looking better in brief action before getting hurt against Pittsburgh.
