3 passers the Steelers should take on day three of the NFL Draft

Sam Ehlinger

In the past decade, Kevin Colbert has added a prolific Big 12 passer into the fold twice. It wouldn’t hurt for Texas’ Sam Ehlinger to be the third.

In Ehlinger, some see shades of wannabe tight end Tim Tebow. The decorated Longhorn is a determined rusher who can improvise and work outside of structure when a play breaks down. He’s also one of only two passers in Power Five lore to throw for north of 11,000 yards and run for at least 1,500 more.

He started in all but three of his 46 games wearing burnt orange, racking up 94 passing touchdowns, and putting up a 145.0 rating. Ranking eighth all-time in passing yards in the Big 12, Ehlinger sits ahead of even Patrick Mahomes in that category.

Despite doubts about his arm strength, a video was posted of him launching a 77-yard pass the week of his pro day. Worries still persist that he holds onto the football for too long and needs his accuracy refined.

Some of Ehlinger’s skill set can’t be taught, and he shows enough a lot of grit in his play. If taken, Steelers fans will hope he can do more than Landry Jones and Mason Rudolph have.

With Joshua Dobbs signed, the Steelers currently have four capable quarterbacks on their roster. Unfortunately, three of them (including Ben Roethlisberger) could be gone after the 2021 season. Taking one of these three quarterbacks could give them a quality developmental option.