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To all of Steeler Nation, welcome to our first Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback controversy in 18 years. Just think, there may be some fans who are reading this who didn’t know a Steelers quarterback before Ben Roethlisberger; no Kordell Stewart versus Tommy Maddox, no Neil O’Donnell versus Mike Tomczak. Needless to say, fans are not alone in this. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has never been a part of this scenario and is swimming in uncharted waters for this first time in his career.
We’ve seen various reports showing different Monte Carlo simulations of the draft, free agency rumors, and watching trade possibilities as we inch closer to March 16th. But of all of these, I am going to take a bit of a different approach.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but listen closely- the Steelers are not going to draft a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Why? Well, here are 5 reasons why:
The Steelers are in ‘win now’ mode, plain and simple. With such an elite defense on the current roster, the last thing Tomlin wants to do is waste that on taking a chance developing a rookie quarterback. We’ve seen studies indicating that an erroneous quarterback draft selection could set a team back several years. This is not a chance the Steelers can, or should, take. The Steelers got lucky in 2004 with Roethlisberger, but haven’t had much success since. For example, I’m thinking of Dennis Dixon, Josh Dobbs, Mason Rudolph, and Landry Jones. All of them have served as mediocre back-ups and it is hard to view them as starters on a ‘Roethlisberger-less’ team. The time is now for the Steelers to not squander an amazing defense by pairing it with an unproven rookie offensive leader.
This 2022 quarterback draft class is one of the weakest we’ve seen in recent years. Sure, you have Heisman-finalist Kenny Pickett at the top of the list with speedy Malik Willis, but neither are clear day one starters, which is what the Steelers need. Not to mention the likes of Matt Corral, Carson Strong, Desmond Ridder, or Sam Howell also fall into that category. With the Steelers never being in “rebuild mode,” they don’t want to waste their first-round pick on a quarterback project. Looking at free agents who could be better bridge quarterbacks (these are guys who could produce about a .500 record), we’re looking at Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky, or even Tyrod Taylor. But to take the Steelers over that playoff hump, this will come at a higher price (in the form of cap space and giving up draft picks) by way of trade. Some realistic names we could see in this conversation are Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, or possibly Carson Wentz. Of course, the Steelers would be more advantageous towards the trade market as opposed to free agency, but any of those names are better than any quarterback in this year’s draft.
As I just mentioned, there are some appealing names on the possible trade block this year. As a part of those, they also come with a hefty price tag in the form of some combination between salary cap space and draft picks. As of right now, the Steelers hold six selections in the 2022 NFL Draft; 20th overall, 52nd overall, 84th overall, 172nd overall, 195th overall, and 211th overall. So, the question is simple; would you rather spend some of your historically-large cap space and the 52nd overall pick on a, for example, 30-plus-year-old proven veteran in Garoppolo or Wilson, or take a chance on a rookie quarterback? Give me Garoppolo or Wilson any day in that scenario. In any case, the Steelers would be best in spending more money and draft picks on top talent this offseason than to bank on a rookie getting them through the playoffs. The Steelers can afford to spend on top talent at the quarterback position and should do exactly that.
The quarterback position is not the only need this offseason. We are finding ourselves in déjà vu of last year; JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent, the offensive line is a mess, the secondary needs help, and the Steelers need an inside linebacker. Therefore, assuming they do land a top quarterback by way of trading their first or second selection in the draft, the Steelers are going to be looking to bolster the offensive line (there is still going to be talent available in the second day of the draft), re-energize the linebacker corps, and pick a solid defensive back in the draft. I’d argue that the offensive line and secondary are a higher priority in the draft than quarterback; even if Pickett or Willis is available. I think it is also important to note that the quarterbacks in this draft are not ones to trade up for.
As a disclaimer, I’m not accusing the Steelers of ageism. But with that said, history has shown the Steelers like to draft younger players as opposed to older prospects with their earlier picks. With that being said, here is a question- who is the oldest player Kevin Colbert and Tomlin have drafted? The answer is a tie between three players, those being Ziggy Hood, Jarvis Jones, and TJ Watt, all of whom were 23 years old. The way I infer that is, the Steelers have a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a diamond on someone over the age of 22 with their first selection. I do not like those odds on a first-round pick. Pickett will be 24 years old by the time training camp comes around. Ryan Shazier even explained in an interview last week that the Steelers like to use their first picks on younger players, and history has proven that. With that logic, that leaves Willis more favorable than Pickett, and Willis simply doesn’t fit the optimal Steelers quarterback profile in 2022.
Do you think the Steelers should draft a quarterback this year? Who do you think they should trade for? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
We’ve seen various reports showing different Monte Carlo simulations of the draft, free agency rumors, and watching trade possibilities as we inch closer to March 16th. But of all of these, I am going to take a bit of a different approach.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but listen closely- the Steelers are not going to draft a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Why? Well, here are 5 reasons why:
1) Steelers Can’t Afford to Wait
The Steelers are in ‘win now’ mode, plain and simple. With such an elite defense on the current roster, the last thing Tomlin wants to do is waste that on taking a chance developing a rookie quarterback. We’ve seen studies indicating that an erroneous quarterback draft selection could set a team back several years. This is not a chance the Steelers can, or should, take. The Steelers got lucky in 2004 with Roethlisberger, but haven’t had much success since. For example, I’m thinking of Dennis Dixon, Josh Dobbs, Mason Rudolph, and Landry Jones. All of them have served as mediocre back-ups and it is hard to view them as starters on a ‘Roethlisberger-less’ team. The time is now for the Steelers to not squander an amazing defense by pairing it with an unproven rookie offensive leader.
2) Talent Available via Free Agency or Trade is Far Better Than What is in the Draft
This 2022 quarterback draft class is one of the weakest we’ve seen in recent years. Sure, you have Heisman-finalist Kenny Pickett at the top of the list with speedy Malik Willis, but neither are clear day one starters, which is what the Steelers need. Not to mention the likes of Matt Corral, Carson Strong, Desmond Ridder, or Sam Howell also fall into that category. With the Steelers never being in “rebuild mode,” they don’t want to waste their first-round pick on a quarterback project. Looking at free agents who could be better bridge quarterbacks (these are guys who could produce about a .500 record), we’re looking at Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky, or even Tyrod Taylor. But to take the Steelers over that playoff hump, this will come at a higher price (in the form of cap space and giving up draft picks) by way of trade. Some realistic names we could see in this conversation are Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, or possibly Carson Wentz. Of course, the Steelers would be more advantageous towards the trade market as opposed to free agency, but any of those names are better than any quarterback in this year’s draft.
3) The Steelers Can Afford Top Talent
As I just mentioned, there are some appealing names on the possible trade block this year. As a part of those, they also come with a hefty price tag in the form of some combination between salary cap space and draft picks. As of right now, the Steelers hold six selections in the 2022 NFL Draft; 20th overall, 52nd overall, 84th overall, 172nd overall, 195th overall, and 211th overall. So, the question is simple; would you rather spend some of your historically-large cap space and the 52nd overall pick on a, for example, 30-plus-year-old proven veteran in Garoppolo or Wilson, or take a chance on a rookie quarterback? Give me Garoppolo or Wilson any day in that scenario. In any case, the Steelers would be best in spending more money and draft picks on top talent this offseason than to bank on a rookie getting them through the playoffs. The Steelers can afford to spend on top talent at the quarterback position and should do exactly that.
4) There are Higher Position Needs
The quarterback position is not the only need this offseason. We are finding ourselves in déjà vu of last year; JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent, the offensive line is a mess, the secondary needs help, and the Steelers need an inside linebacker. Therefore, assuming they do land a top quarterback by way of trading their first or second selection in the draft, the Steelers are going to be looking to bolster the offensive line (there is still going to be talent available in the second day of the draft), re-energize the linebacker corps, and pick a solid defensive back in the draft. I’d argue that the offensive line and secondary are a higher priority in the draft than quarterback; even if Pickett or Willis is available. I think it is also important to note that the quarterbacks in this draft are not ones to trade up for.
5) The Steelers Prefer Younger Prospects
As a disclaimer, I’m not accusing the Steelers of ageism. But with that said, history has shown the Steelers like to draft younger players as opposed to older prospects with their earlier picks. With that being said, here is a question- who is the oldest player Kevin Colbert and Tomlin have drafted? The answer is a tie between three players, those being Ziggy Hood, Jarvis Jones, and TJ Watt, all of whom were 23 years old. The way I infer that is, the Steelers have a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a diamond on someone over the age of 22 with their first selection. I do not like those odds on a first-round pick. Pickett will be 24 years old by the time training camp comes around. Ryan Shazier even explained in an interview last week that the Steelers like to use their first picks on younger players, and history has proven that. With that logic, that leaves Willis more favorable than Pickett, and Willis simply doesn’t fit the optimal Steelers quarterback profile in 2022.
Do you think the Steelers should draft a quarterback this year? Who do you think they should trade for? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
