Quarterbacks Steelers should target in each round of the NFL Draft

The Steelers could be looking for Ben Roethlisberger’s successor in the NFL Draft. Here are the quarterbacks they should target in each round. 

The Steelers should know as well as anyone that quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. Though they had a couple of solid signal-callers before Ben Roethlisberger in Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart, Pittsburgh went over 20 years without having a ‘franchise’ quarterback from Terry Bradshaw Big Ben. Now we are once again entering a scary period that will once again require the Steelers to find their next franchise passer.

It’s highly unlikely that the player they desire is already on the roster, and the Steelers may not be willing to spend enough draft capital to move up this year to take a player with more upside. When it comes to the quarterback position, it’s important to find a player with traits who could become a future starter. Here are the quarterbacks the Steelers should consider taking in each round of the 2021 NFL Draft:

Round 1: Justin Fields, Trey Lance (Trade up)

In order to land either one of these quarterbacks, Pittsburgh would no doubt have to trade up. While the team may not be willing to do this in 2021 as they will likely try to build a winning team around Roethlisberger this season, it could be well worth their while to do so. Assuming that Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are well out of reach, Justin Fields becomes my favorite long-shot prospect in the draft for the Steelers. He has an array of tools with terrific mobility and an excellent college pedigree. If he starts to slide beyond the 8th pick, Pittsburgh should consider moving up.

Trey Lance is certainly riskier than Fields to me, but his skill set is hard to come by. Lance has a very small sample of production at a small football program at North Dakota state. Still, he is clearly the fourth-best quarterback in this class, and if he starts to slide to pick 10 or beyond, the Steelers need to be ready.