The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the quarterback market this offseason, joining a crowded field of NFL teams looking for their next face of the franchise. While a few general managers are focused on trades, Pittsburgh’s next quarterback will likely come from the 2022 NFL Draft.
While Kevin Colbert is leaving the Steelers organization this offseason, he will be sticking around for the NFL Draft. It’s an important note since the highly-regarded general manager rarely trades up in the first round and has only traded away a first-round pick for a player, Minkah Fitzpatrick, once during his tenure.
Because of it, several people around the league told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport that the expectation is Pittsburgh will draft its next quarterback to replace Ben Roethlisberger.
That comes with its own challenges. A playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday would only give the Steelers the 19th overall pick in the best-case scenario. While this year’s quarterback class is one of the weakest in recent memory, at least one of the top passers will be gone long before the Steelers are on the clock.
It’s important to note because there is one quarterback who many believe is a natural target to replace Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett is one of the most pro-ready draft prospects at his position. The Steelers also have strong ties to Pitt’s coaching staff and program, allowing them to have great insight on Pickett.
- Kenny Pickett stats (2021): 4,319 passing yards, 42 p[assing touchdowns, 81.2 QBR, 241 rushing yards
There’s a strong possibility the Steelers would need to trade up for Pickett, which might cost them a future first-round selection in addition to their top-24 pick this year.
But the franchise also doesn’t have a ton of options. Rapoport also noted that the Steelers’ current plan would be letting Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph compete for the starting quarterback job next season, with a rookie also being in the mix.
Considering Haskins is one of the biggest NFL Draft busts in recent memory and Rudolph has a 78.0 QBR rating with a 59.4% completion rate in limited snaps over the past two seasons, starting either quarterback would be a disaster scenario for Pittsburgh’s playoff chances in 2022.