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Pittsburgh Steelers Could Land DeShone Kizer, But is He Worth It?

By Noah Strackbein

Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) throws a pass against the Southern California Trojans during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) throws a pass against the Southern California Trojans during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to add a quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft, but probably not until the middle of the draft.

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In Bleacher Report lead NFL Draft writer, Matt Miller’s latest mock draft, Notre Dame quarterback, DeShone Kizer, has fallen to the middle of the second round. As the fifth quarterback taken, Kizer is headed to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 45.

At one point, Kizer was considered arguably the best quarterback in the draft, fighting with Mitch Trubisky and Deshawn Watson for a top 10 pick. Now, after a subpar NFL Combine and more risen questions surrounding how long he needs to develop, Kizer is looking at a potential slide to the second round.

No. 45 is a stretch from Pittsburgh’s second-round pick at No. 62, but still a possibility. Depending on when the other three or four quarterbacks ahead of Kizer go, the Steelers could have the option of drafting the Notre Dame product.

Whether they will or not is a different story. Kizer has everything the Steelers are looking for. He has the strongest arm in the draft, loves to go deep, and it a big bodied passer who’s mobile enough to escape the pocket. Sound a lot like Ben Roethlisberger, right?

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Kizer’s issues come from his lack of mental development and accuracy. If he chose to stay one more year in college, he’d likely be a top 10 pick in next year’s draft. Instead, he decided to leave Notre Dame after a 4-8 season and will finish his growth in the NFL.

He may be the perfect candidate for Pittsburgh’s quarterback issue. With a few years of development needed, Kizer could sit behind Roethlisberger and learn. When he gets his chance to start, he should be ready to lead a team already full of superstars.

The problem isn’t Kizer’s fit in Pittsburgh, but how high the Steelers would need to draft him. He isn’t sliding out of the second round, but the Steelers may not be willing to use a second rounder on a quarterback when they’re so many other options.

In the long run, Kizer appears to be a significant upgrade from Brad Kaaya and Josh Dobbs, but still may not be worth a second round pick for Pittsburgh. Most other teams would be completely willing to take Kizer in the second and would consider him a steal for their franchise. Pittsburgh is only a few defensive players away from completing their team and may not want to use an early pick on someone they won’t use for years to come.

At this point in the draft, if Kizer does fall to Pittsburgh in the second round, it’ll come down to who else is available. If Pittsburgh could draft someone they know can come in and start, they shouldn’t waste a pick on a quarterback.

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If, though, by the time pick No. 62 comes around, and Kizer is the best available, the Steelers could and maybe should be looking to add a quarterback early. But again, it’s last case scenario. All Pittsburgh needs is one solid player sitting around for them to move away from a quarterback.

We won’t know until draft night, but DeShone Kizer could be an option for the Steelers next quarterback.

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