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The 2022 NFL draft is just two days away and barring a trade back, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a selection on Thursday evening. The buzz around the league and betting odds seem to hint that the team will be targeting a quarterback with their first round pick. While one can’t blame the Steelers for this approach after Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement and the tragic death of Dwayne Haskins Jr., it would not be the right move for the organization at the time being. History is not on the side of a team reaching for a quarterback in the first round.
The NFL has noticeably become a pass-happy and quarterback-driven league over the past 20 years. This has led to several teams reaching for quarterbacks when their best interests may have been elsewhere. Only five quarterbacks drafted in the first round from 2010-2019 are still with their respective teams: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones. Baker Mayfield would be the sixth, but he should be out of Cleveland any day now.
We see many examples of reaches, one being back in 2013 when the Buffalo Bills needed a quarterback and took EJ Manuel back in that draft. The New York Jets have been in shambles since drafting Sam Darnold as recently as 2019. Who knows, they may even have gotten it wrong a second time with Zach Wilson. The Bills got it right with Allen five years later in 2018, but the Steelers don’t have that amount of time to waste the prime talent that is available on the team in T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, Diontae Johnson, among others.
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
The Steelers have not had to worry about this dilemma due to Roethlisberger’s 18-year career, but now they are pressed with what quite possibly is the first franchise QB decision they have had to make in the QB-happy era. The Steelers won Super Bowls with Roethlisberger due to their rushing attack, defense and a clutch drive from the newly retired quarterback back in 2009. The main question becomes: are Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin willing to reach for a quarterback who, in most years would have a second round grade, and take that guy with pick #20, or even, trade up to grab him?
The answer should be no, but it seems like this may be the direction they are headed. Daniel Jones is the perfect recent example in New York about why this can be a dangerous game to play. Jones had a good college career and isn’t a terrible quarterback, but the Giants seemed to be married to him. Quarterbacks are so hard to come by so why not let him ride out his rookie contract and see if he fulfills the expectations of the franchise? This sets back teams years as we have seen with New York since drafting Jones in 2019. The Giants only have 14 wins since selecting him 6th overall.
So what’s the solution? This draft has a ton of talent at wide receiver, offensive line and cornerback. Tomlin’s team tends to have needs at all three of these positions. Mitch Trubisky deserves a shot to excel in the NFL as quarterback and it would go against the team believing in him to draft a rookie quarterback and contemplate playing the rookie at the first sign of Trubisky struggling.
Mitchell Trubisky practices during voluntary workouts in Pittsburgh / Steelers.com
The 2023 draft class in terms of quarterbacks will be full of both potential and talent. A rookie quarterback has never won the Super Bowl. The Steelers are better off with Trubisky and building more of the offense during the 2022 draft and focusing on the future at the signal caller position a year from now if Trubisky does not pan out. This may be unpopular, but getting the quarterback position wrong has proven to set so many teams back for years this century. I trust the talent assessment ability of Tomlin, Colbert and possible future General Manager, Brandon Hunt, but next year is the year to make a run at a quarterback.
Do you think the Steelers could set the organization back years making the wrong choice with #20? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
First Round QBs from 2010-2019
The NFL has noticeably become a pass-happy and quarterback-driven league over the past 20 years. This has led to several teams reaching for quarterbacks when their best interests may have been elsewhere. Only five quarterbacks drafted in the first round from 2010-2019 are still with their respective teams: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones. Baker Mayfield would be the sixth, but he should be out of Cleveland any day now.
We see many examples of reaches, one being back in 2013 when the Buffalo Bills needed a quarterback and took EJ Manuel back in that draft. The New York Jets have been in shambles since drafting Sam Darnold as recently as 2019. Who knows, they may even have gotten it wrong a second time with Zach Wilson. The Bills got it right with Allen five years later in 2018, but the Steelers don’t have that amount of time to waste the prime talent that is available on the team in T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, Diontae Johnson, among others.
Steelers Don’t Have Experience Drafting A Franchise QB in “Pass-Happy” Era
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
The Steelers have not had to worry about this dilemma due to Roethlisberger’s 18-year career, but now they are pressed with what quite possibly is the first franchise QB decision they have had to make in the QB-happy era. The Steelers won Super Bowls with Roethlisberger due to their rushing attack, defense and a clutch drive from the newly retired quarterback back in 2009. The main question becomes: are Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin willing to reach for a quarterback who, in most years would have a second round grade, and take that guy with pick #20, or even, trade up to grab him?
The answer should be no, but it seems like this may be the direction they are headed. Daniel Jones is the perfect recent example in New York about why this can be a dangerous game to play. Jones had a good college career and isn’t a terrible quarterback, but the Giants seemed to be married to him. Quarterbacks are so hard to come by so why not let him ride out his rookie contract and see if he fulfills the expectations of the franchise? This sets back teams years as we have seen with New York since drafting Jones in 2019. The Giants only have 14 wins since selecting him 6th overall.
So what’s the solution? This draft has a ton of talent at wide receiver, offensive line and cornerback. Tomlin’s team tends to have needs at all three of these positions. Mitch Trubisky deserves a shot to excel in the NFL as quarterback and it would go against the team believing in him to draft a rookie quarterback and contemplate playing the rookie at the first sign of Trubisky struggling.
Mitchell Trubisky practices during voluntary workouts in Pittsburgh / Steelers.com
The 2023 draft class in terms of quarterbacks will be full of both potential and talent. A rookie quarterback has never won the Super Bowl. The Steelers are better off with Trubisky and building more of the offense during the 2022 draft and focusing on the future at the signal caller position a year from now if Trubisky does not pan out. This may be unpopular, but getting the quarterback position wrong has proven to set so many teams back for years this century. I trust the talent assessment ability of Tomlin, Colbert and possible future General Manager, Brandon Hunt, but next year is the year to make a run at a quarterback.
Do you think the Steelers could set the organization back years making the wrong choice with #20? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
