The Pittsburgh Steelers top QB options for the future post-2020
The 2021 NFL draft is set to be held in Cleveland. With the Pittsburgh Steelers likely not selecting until the bottom 10 picks, what are the QB options?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are more than likely not going to receive a top 7 pick in 2021. That means that the current top 3 QB prospects are more than likely going to be off the board by their draft pick. Trevor Lawrence will likely be the number 1 overall pick and Justin Fields will probably not fall out of the top 5. The third prospect as of now is Trey Lance out of North Dakota State. Per CBS’s latest mock draft as of Oct 1st, these are the only 3 QB’s taken in the first round. None of them fell out of the top 15.
That being said, I believe the level of talent that both Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields possess, has really overshadowed the quality group of signal-calling prospects for 2021. I truly see the 2021 draft being a very similar case to the 2012 draft. Andrew Luck and RG3 were the top 2 picks of the draft. Andrew Luck has since retired, while RG3 has been relegated to a backup role. There are still some starting QB’s that were taken afterward that are worth noting.
The 2019 comeback player of the year Ryan Tannehill was selected 8th overall, 2020 MVP front-runner Russell Wilson and Super Bowl 52 MVP were both selected in the 3rd rd, and Vikings’ starting QB Kirk Cousins was selected in the 4th rd. There was some quality talent that had been missed on due to the laser focus placed on both Andrew Luck and RG3. I expect that to be the case again in 2021.
Kyle Trask of Florida is 6’5 and he plays very well. He lit up Ole Miss’ secondary throwing 6 touchdown passes in his SEC opener. He is very smart with the ball and hasn’t missed a lot of throws to start the college season. My biggest knock on him is how fast he can go through his progressions. Watching him against Ole Miss he showed a slight tendency to stare down one option, if it wasn’t there he would hit his check down. I do like that he uses his check down instead of throwing an interception. However, I’d like for him to show the ability to see the whole field as the play develops.
D’Eriq King of Miami is another very intriguing prospect. He is a graduate transfer from Houston, which brings a lot of tape to watch. He hasn’t been asked to carry his team, as Miami has shown a propensity to run the ball. That being said, he has shown a ton of guts. He threw a 40+ yard touchdown strike as he was getting hit. He seems to get through his progressions quicker than Trask but he has a tendency to hold the ball a bit and takes too many hits. I’d also like to see a more consistent ball coming out of him as some of his throws didn’t seem as tight.
Personally, my favorite pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the latter part of round 1 is Trask. He is big and can make every throw the Steelers would ask of him down the road. He is currently playing for a contender in Florida. The ability to lead for the QB position is huge. Having a leader from a winning team is just the cherry on top.