Top quarterback prospect falls to Steelers in latest 2022 NFL mock draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major need for a franchise quarterback and they find it in the first round of the latest NFL mock draft. 

It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to be in the market for a quarterback following the 2021 season. Ben Roethlisberger’s best efforts have been futile this year, and the soon-to-be 40-year-old is likely to retire at the end of the year.

In 2021, Roethlisberger has put up pedestrian numbers through six games. His advanced statistics are even worse as he ranks 30th in yards per attempt, 27th in air yards per attempt, 27th in clean-pocket passer rating, 30th in deep-ball completion percentage, and 31st in true passer rating, according to PlayerProfiler.com.

The end of an era is near, and while some believe that the Steelers will look to restock the quarterback position with a veteran via trade or free agency, others think Pittsburgh will want to start fresh in the NFL Draft.

Recently, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus put together the first round of his 2022 NFL mock draft. He had a fan-favorite in Ole Miss quarterback, Matt Corral, falling to the Steelers at pick 20. Here’s what Sikkema had to say about the selection:

"Corral’s mock draft range is all over the place. I’ve seen it as high as in the top five, and I’ve seen some mock drafts not even include his name at all. This season marks two years in a row where his play and his grade have been good, and for that, I have to think he’ll be a first-rounder somewhere.Pittsburgh would love to pounce on a young promising quarterback of Corral’s caliber. He’s a big moxie guy who brings a ton of fire to his craft. He also has the arm strength to support that gunslinger mentality, though I have some reservations about his ball velocity and overall arm talent."

I first find it interesting that Sikkema has the Steelers picking 20th overall next year. Based on the three-game losing streak they had early in the season, I don’t think many would have seen such a positive outlook on the season. However, Sikkema doesn’t seem so sure about Matt Corral.

Pro Football Focus has some questions about Corral’s velocity on the football and overall arm talent, but that may not be enough to sway the opinion of the Steelers if he’s here at this point. In fact, there are some who believe that Matt Corral still has a chance to be the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Though he’s a bit undersized (6’1”, 205 pounds) Corral meets every other threshold in terms of his mobility, ability to extend the play, accuracy, and ball placement down the field. In addition, he has strung together a thoroughly impressive season so far despite playing against the highest level of college football in the SEC.

Through six games, Corral has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,728 yards and 9.4 yards per attempt, via Sports Reference. His 10.7 adjusted yards per attempt is one of the best marks in the nation while throwing for 14 touchdowns and just 1 interception.

Additionally, Corral has shown the ability to kill defenses with his legs as he has carried the ball 88 times for 450 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) and 8 rushing touchdowns.

Steelers fans are very interested to find out if Matt Corral is indeed a player that will be on Pittsburgh’s radar next April. It will be interesting to see how he does down the stretch in his final college season.