Nobody would argue if you said the Steelers badly need to find a franchise QB. Yet, not many people believe the Pittsburgh Steelers have any shot at landing their franchise quarterback with the 21st pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Not many people aside from Field Yates, that is. ESPN’s Yates recently released a mock draft, in which he had Jaxson Dart going to the Steelers. On Monday, Yates explained his reasoning.
“The streets are definitely talking about the potential for a third quarterback going in round one, and that quarterback being Jaxson Dart,” Yates said via First Draft on YouTube.
We know at least two quarterbacks will be selected in the first round. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the only two prospects who a significant portion of scouts think can turn into franchise quarterbacks. Unfortunately for the Steelers, both will likely be gone long before they’re on the clock. Players like Dart, Jalen Milroe, Will Howard and Dillon Gabriel all have their strengths. However, they’re mostly considered Day-2 selections.
Although the Steelers aren’t in the easiest position to draft a quarterback, Yates thinks they owe it to themselves to take a swing at one. Specifically, the defense.
“I believe, fundamentally, the Steelers must, they owe it to themselves,” Yates said. “They owe it to Mike T[omlin]. They owe it to T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward and all their great defensive players to swing at a quarterback. I’m going to take a risk on Jaxson Dart, who I have a second-round grade on. But he ain’t gonna be there if the Pittsburgh Steelers wait around, because somebody else is going to pounce.”
It seems like Yates’ reasoning for Dart going this high is more due to the fact that the Steelers badly need a quarterback than anything else. It’s possible they end up in a situation like that. Still, some dominoes would have to fall for that to happen. There’s still a decent chance Pittsburgh brings back one of Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers and Sam Darnold will be free agents, and Matthew Stafford’s found his name in trade rumors.
The Steelers aren’t the only team that needs a quarterback, though. There’s a chance Pittsburgh heads into the draft, and all of those players have gone elsewhere. If that’s the case, maybe Dart in the first round gains more steam. There’s still several months until the draft, so his stock has plenty of time to fluctuate. If the Steelers don’t fill their QB room in free agency, though, Dart is a name to keep an eye on.
