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This off-season, specifically this week, might be one of the biggest for how the Pittsburgh Steelers will perform as a franchise for the next decade. With the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger becoming official, the Steelers have been looking at young signal callers all week in Mobile, Alabama. Outside of Matt Corral from Ole Miss, all of the top prospects will be playing in the Senior Bowl this weekend. Below is one thing to watch for in each prospect:
Can he remain calm in the pocket? This isn’t the typical meaning of getting flustered under pressure as Howell has two downsides to his game: his lack of size and being too bouncy in the pocket. For Howell, there is nothing he can do about his size, but he can fine tune his footwork to be an even better thrower. What I am looking for today is how many times is his ball placement impacted by being too active in the pocket. If Howell can minimize that tendency, he can really make a good impression during the Senior Bowl.
Will the unknown of his hand size be a topic of conversation afterwards? Pickett has been on the wrong end of hand size conversation all week. He did not get his hand measured because he has stated he is double jointed, impacting the measurement. He is working on hand stretching techniques to make the measurement more accurate, but it remains to be seen what that result will be. In the meantime, Pickett will have to showcase good ball security today in order to avoid further questioning. If Pickett can avoid turnovers and drive the ball down the field with some zip, he will likely solidify himself as the top quarterback prospect.
How accurate is his ball? Ridder is one of the more gifted talents heading into the draft based on size, mobility, arm strength, but he is also the most raw. Ridder struggled throughout the season with his accuracy on passes and today will be a good measuring point to how much he has worked on fine tuning his mechanics. There will undoubtedly be misfires between him and receivers due to the lack of playing time together, but I will be keeping an eye on the legit passing plays to see how well he is throwing the ball.
How mobile is he? Strong without question has the arm talent, but does he have the mobility the NFL game is gravitating towards? Unfortunately for Strong, the knee injury history is going to be a big topic of conversation. An injury that first came up in high school, he had to have eight biodegradable nails inserted into his knee. The same knee had discomfort during the 2020 college season, which led to a February 2021 surgery where part of his hip bone was inserted into his knee. Then in August he had the knee scoped. This isn’t something teams are going to take lightly given the importance of the position, but even Strong described himself as a “statue” last season. He doesn’t have to run for 100 yards and be Lamar Jackson, but he will have to show today how comfortable he is maneuvering in the pocket to ease some concerns.
Can the physical traits translate on the field? Willis is the most physically gifted prospect in terms of speed and arm strength, but the 2021 season left a lot to be desired. Willis demonstrated questionable decision making throughout the year, routinely trusting his arm rather than what the defense gave him. It could be a similar case to Josh Allen during his final year at Wyoming, where the talent far exceeds that of his teammates, causing him to force plays. That wasn’t the only thing he will need to work on as he struggled at times with accuracy as well. Willis has the perfect opportunity today to showcase improvements in his game, but there’s a good chance teams decide the talent is worth the project anyway.
FBS record holder for passing yards and touchdowns in a season, should have no questions, right? Zappe ended up transferring to Western Kentucky after his senior year at Houston-Baptist (FCS) and proceeded to break records. Although his accomplishments are incredible nonetheless, Zappe has plenty of questions about his arm strength. His inability to really push the ball down the field with zip will make teams hesitant. Also, his deep ball has been described as hanging, which will make teams weary too. He will need to show today that his ball can play up to the speed of the NFL.
Who do yinz think is the next face of the franchise? One of these six? Drop a comment below!
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Sam Howell, North Carolina
Can he remain calm in the pocket? This isn’t the typical meaning of getting flustered under pressure as Howell has two downsides to his game: his lack of size and being too bouncy in the pocket. For Howell, there is nothing he can do about his size, but he can fine tune his footwork to be an even better thrower. What I am looking for today is how many times is his ball placement impacted by being too active in the pocket. If Howell can minimize that tendency, he can really make a good impression during the Senior Bowl.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Will the unknown of his hand size be a topic of conversation afterwards? Pickett has been on the wrong end of hand size conversation all week. He did not get his hand measured because he has stated he is double jointed, impacting the measurement. He is working on hand stretching techniques to make the measurement more accurate, but it remains to be seen what that result will be. In the meantime, Pickett will have to showcase good ball security today in order to avoid further questioning. If Pickett can avoid turnovers and drive the ball down the field with some zip, he will likely solidify himself as the top quarterback prospect.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
How accurate is his ball? Ridder is one of the more gifted talents heading into the draft based on size, mobility, arm strength, but he is also the most raw. Ridder struggled throughout the season with his accuracy on passes and today will be a good measuring point to how much he has worked on fine tuning his mechanics. There will undoubtedly be misfires between him and receivers due to the lack of playing time together, but I will be keeping an eye on the legit passing plays to see how well he is throwing the ball.
Carson Strong, Nevada
How mobile is he? Strong without question has the arm talent, but does he have the mobility the NFL game is gravitating towards? Unfortunately for Strong, the knee injury history is going to be a big topic of conversation. An injury that first came up in high school, he had to have eight biodegradable nails inserted into his knee. The same knee had discomfort during the 2020 college season, which led to a February 2021 surgery where part of his hip bone was inserted into his knee. Then in August he had the knee scoped. This isn’t something teams are going to take lightly given the importance of the position, but even Strong described himself as a “statue” last season. He doesn’t have to run for 100 yards and be Lamar Jackson, but he will have to show today how comfortable he is maneuvering in the pocket to ease some concerns.
Malik Willis, Liberty
Can the physical traits translate on the field? Willis is the most physically gifted prospect in terms of speed and arm strength, but the 2021 season left a lot to be desired. Willis demonstrated questionable decision making throughout the year, routinely trusting his arm rather than what the defense gave him. It could be a similar case to Josh Allen during his final year at Wyoming, where the talent far exceeds that of his teammates, causing him to force plays. That wasn’t the only thing he will need to work on as he struggled at times with accuracy as well. Willis has the perfect opportunity today to showcase improvements in his game, but there’s a good chance teams decide the talent is worth the project anyway.
Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
FBS record holder for passing yards and touchdowns in a season, should have no questions, right? Zappe ended up transferring to Western Kentucky after his senior year at Houston-Baptist (FCS) and proceeded to break records. Although his accomplishments are incredible nonetheless, Zappe has plenty of questions about his arm strength. His inability to really push the ball down the field with zip will make teams hesitant. Also, his deep ball has been described as hanging, which will make teams weary too. He will need to show today that his ball can play up to the speed of the NFL.
Who do yinz think is the next face of the franchise? One of these six? Drop a comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
