The Pittsburgh Steelers have a number of glaring needs heading into the offseason, but here’s why Pro Football Focus has them going with a familiar name in the 2022 NFL Draft.
As the NFL post-season approaches its end, NFL mock draft season is in full swing. With 28 teams out of the running and setting their sites towards next season, fans are taking an increased interest in what their organization will do during the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could go in a number of different directions early. The offensive line was abysmal in 2021, and it has been a decade since the team made a first-round investment into their offensive trenches. Likewise, Pittsburgh could really use major upgrades at the cornerback and linebacker positions — two areas of weakness this past season.
However, the biggest weakness of all might be the quarterback position. Currently, the Steelers have just Mason Rudolph under contract for 2022 and Ben Roethlisberger is expected to officially retire this offseason. Bringing back Dwayne Haskins is an option, but not an appealing one.
With arguably the worst quarterback room in the NFL for the time being, it’s not hard to understand why so many outlets are mocking quarterbacks to the Steelers in the first round. Recently, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus released his 2022 first-round mock draft. He had the Steelers going with North Carolina QB Sam Howell. Here’s what Sikkema had to say about the selection:
"20. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: QB SAM HOWELL, UNCLike other quarterback-needy teams in this mock, Pittsburgh is still not a lock to take a signal-caller. But if things stand pat with where the Steelers are currently, they’ll need a first-round-caliber quarterback from this class. Howell feels like a good bet for the team. He posted an elite PFF grade as a passer in 2020, and then an elite grade as a runner in 2021."
In his NFL Stock Exchange show, Sikkema mentioned that trading up for Kenny Pickett is an option, but added that he believes the Pitt quarterback will be out of the Steelers range in the first round.
Howell certainly has some traits to work with. The UNC standout has a strong arm and plus mobility to both extend the play and be an effective runner with the football. However, I’m not yet convinced that this would be a great selection for the Steelers.
Should Steelers pass on Howell?
Assuming that Sam Howell falls to the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, should the Pittsburgh Steelers pass on selecting him? At one point, it seemed like being able to land the former high QB recruit was just a pipe dream. Howell was once considered to be a candidate for the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, but he came back down to earth with an unspectacular season in 2021 in which he led the Tarheels to a record of just 6-7.
The fact that Howell wasn’t able to elevate the play of the team around him no doubt has NFL franchises concerned. Despite his physical gifts, Howell didn’t do enough to even lead North Carolina to a .500 record last season in the ACC, so the question must be asked if he is capable of having more success in the NFL.
Perhaps the best option for the Steelers doesn’t include taking a QB this year at all. Rather, they could use their draft capital to rebuild the offensive line and get some cornerstone pieces in place — essentially laying the groundwork for the franchise QB they will draft in the future.
We still have a long offseason ahead of us, but Sam Howell to the Steelers already seems like one of the most frequently mocked players to a single team in the 2022 NFL Draft. Last year, Najee Harris was the same way. It will be interesting to see how much interest the Steelers have in the young quarterback.