Popular Pick: Steelers Being Mocked a 1st Round Quarterback in Many Mock Drafts

[Steeler Nation]

It has been no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in the quarterback class of the 2022 NFL Draft post retirement of future 1st-ballot Hall of Fame QB, Ben Roethlisberger. As I’ve mentioned before, Pittsburgh has, or will reportedly bring in Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, Carson Strong, and Kenny Pickett who doesn’t count towards top-30 visit because he’s a local visit, for top-30 visits. The Steelers are not the type of team to throw out smoke screens to throw other teams off.

Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, many mock drafts had the Steelers selecting a running back, whether it was Najee Harris or Travis Etienne. Ultimately, we all know the Steelers spent their 1st round pick last off-season on Harris. We can all agree that no one knows what the Steelers are preparing to do pre-draft this year, but a lot of signs do in fact make it seem like the Steelers are leaning towards selecting the possible next franchise quarterback. A lot of recent mock drafts by CBS, NFL.com, and ESPN have the Steelers selecting a 1st-round QB.

Tyler Sullivan from CBS has the Steelers selecting Ridder.

He had this to say about The Steelers and their pick at 20:

“It’s no secret that the Steelers need a long-term option at quarterback. It’s possible they trade up to take their preferred signal-caller, but if they stand pat there’s a chance that both Willis and Pickett are off the board, which leads them to Ridder.”

Check out the rest of Sullivan’s Mock.

Kyle Stackpole from CBS has the Steelers selecting Willis.

He stated about this pick, “The Steelers run to deliver the draft card because they land Willis without having to trade up. Willis, with his rocket arm and electric rushing ability, can sit behind Mitch Trubisky until he’s ready to take over an offense full of exciting skill players.”

Check out the rest of Stackpole’s Mock.

MOBILE, ALABAMA – DECEMBER 18: Malik Willis #7 of the Liberty Flames throws the the ball during the LendingTree Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on December 18, 2021 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)


Josh Edwards from CBS has the Steelers selecting Willis and stated:

“Pittsburgh and Carolina [Panthers] stand out as teams most likely to take a quarterback in the first round. It would not be a surprise if the Steelers traded up for their player of choice considering they were aggressive in 2019 to snag Devin Bush. There is a lot of discussion about general manager Kevin Colbert leaving a quarterback as a legacy, much like what Ozzie Newsome did in Baltimore. It would be wise to carry that line of thinking over all seven rounds as Colbert looks to surround that quarterback of choice with the offensive talent capable of allowing success.”

Bryan DeArdo from CBS has the Steelers selecting Willis in his full Steelers’ 7-round mock draft and stated:

“The Steelers will absolutely draft Willis if he is available at 20, but whether or not he will still be is the big question. Carolina is widely expected to take a quarterback with the No. 6 pick, while the [Detroit] Lions (who worked with Willis at the Senior Bowl), Atlanta [Falcons](No. 8), Seattle [Seahawks](No. 9) and New Orleans [Saints] (No. 18) could also use their first-round picks on a quarterback. The Falcons’ recent acquisition of Marcus Mariota, and the Saints’ recent signings of Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton could lead to Willis being there for the taking when the Steelers are on the clock. Considered one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, Willis has the tangibles and intangibles the Steelers covet in a quarterback. His athleticism (he ran for 27 touchdowns during his two seasons at Liberty) makes him an ideal fit for Matt Canada‘s offense. Pittsburgh’s recent selection of Mitchell Trubisky would give Willis a year or two to get acclimated to the NFL while getting snaps in situational packages.”

Pete Prisco also from CBS has the Steelers selecting Corral at 20 in his most recent mock draft and stated:

“They signed Mitch Trubisky, but he isn’t the long-term answer. Corral would perfectly fit what they want to do with their passing game.”

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Matt Corral (2) celebrates after scoring against Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports


NFL.com‘s, Chad Reuter has the Steelers trading up to 12 with the Minnesota Vikings, selecting Ridder in his full 4-round mock draft and stated:

“GM Kevin Colbert was willing to give up second- and third-round picks to move up 10 spots to No. 10 overall for linebacker Devin Bush in 2019. So it’s not a stretch to think he would give up a future first- and third-rounder (equivalent value to those aforementioned current-year selections) for a quarterback with maturity, poise and striding open-field speed like Ridder.”

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has the Steelers selecting Pickett in his most recent two-round mock draft and stated:

“I’d feel much more comfortable taking Pickett here than I would in the top 10. Best-case scenario is that he becomes a Derek Carr, and his floor is an Andy Dalton, which isn’t a bad quarterback by any means. Pittsburgh can win with that. Still, those two were taken in Round 2 and didn’t have Round 1 expectations surrounding them. If Pickett falls into the Steelers’ laps here, he’d be tough to pass up. And he has a little more upside than Mitch Trubisky.”

Todd McShay also of ESPN has the Steelers taking Willis in his most recent two-round mock draft and stated:

“All signs are pointing toward Pittsburgh drafting a quarterback, and in this scenario, it doesn’t even have to move up to get one of the top two passers in the class. Willis is creative outside the pocket and has a rocket arm, and I actually have him ranked one spot ahead of Kenny Pickett at No. 21 on my board. With Mitch Trubisky on a team-friendly two-year deal, there’s no rush for Willis to play right away, and coach Mike Tomlin could develop Willis before turning over the keys. The AFC North is stacked at QB, but Willis has the upside to get the Steelers right back in the mix.”

Conclusion for the Steelers​

It seems like a lot of the talking heads agree that the pre-draft signs point towards the Steelers selecting a first round quarterback in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. A lot of these guys are right, just because the Steelers signed Trubisky doesn’t mean they will pass on a quarterback this year in any round. Signing Trubisky enabled a lot of things for the Steelers this offseason, but it could have done even more for the team’s future first round pick if that pick is in fact a QB. It made Pittsburgh an ideal place for a QB prospect to grow and develop under Trubisky without placing insurmountable pressure on the rookie to come in and start right away. The team has definitely done their due-diligence by investigating many prospects at the position and signing Trubisky could have provided one of these prospects the beautiful gift of time.



Do you think the Steelers will pick any of these quarterbacks in the 1st round? Let us know in the comment section below!

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[stuntmanmike]

I personally don’t see Colbert taking a qb in his last draft… that's got to be the job of the next gm… maybe next gm is already in house I don’t know but hard for for me to believe Colbert would strap the Steelers with another deadbeat qb like he did with drafting the “Oklahoma kid” his last draft… hope he sticks to what he does best, kind of, wrs.

 

[slashsteel]

I would prefer the next GM to get that task too. We shall see in ten days.

 

[Drink IRON City]

I would prefer the next GM to get that task too. We shall see in ten days.

That count down is coming fast but not nearly fast enough to shut these talking heads up. I don't want a QB yet alone a 1st roind QB this draft.

Regardless of what I want the STEELERS may actually do their thing without consenting me first, I know........ hard to believe right?



Salute the nation

 

[SteelerFan448]

I would prefer the next GM to get that task too. We shall see in ten days.

I prefer if the next GM would've already started...

The next GM is basically like a chef on Chopped, having to cook a world class meal out of a list of ingredients he didn't pick out.