The Steelers will soon have to order a new shipment of racks for all the hats that are being hung up in the complex.
The most notable retirement is that of 18-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He isn’t the only one – general manager Kevin Colbert, the man responsible for ensuring Roethlisberger’s replacement, either through the draft or through free agency, is also stepping down after the 2022 draft.
Because these things come in threes, defensive coordinator Keith Butler is also retiring.
Before Colbert vacates the general manager’s chair, he has one more draft to oversee, and possibly a quarterback to select. It’s not exactly the most fortuitous time for this set of circumstances, as the general wisdom is that the 2022 draft’s quarterback class isn’t great. It’s no 2004, when Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers all went in the first round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, the hometown hero, as his best quarterback in the class. It would certainly be a boon to the Steelers to nab the top QB on the board. It would also arguably help the local economy – the Steelers making “Kenny Heisman” the face of the franchise would put the t-shirt presses into overdrive and set cash registers on fire up and down the Strip District.
For what it’s worth, this may not be a pie-in-the-sky fantasy. Pro Football Network projects Pickett to still be around at number 20 and expects the Steelers to pounce on him:
"“Pickett is even more athletic than folks give him credit for. But one thing that makes him fit in with the Pittsburgh way of life is his toughness. Pickett is as gritty as they come, and he possesses every other quarterback intangible you could ask for from a first-round signal-caller. The new era in Pittsburgh begins with the same guy who’s already won the hearts of the Steel City during his five years at the University of Pittsburgh.”"
I’ll give everyone a moment to calm down.
With that said, I’m not quite ready to hang my hat on the notion that a Heisman Trophy finalist who plays the game’s most important position will be available after 19 picks. There are some quarterback-needy teams above the Steelers in the draft order.
The Texans, for one, might be looking to start a post-Deshaun Watson era with a guy like Pickett. The Saints and the Washington Football team may want to improve on Jameis Winston or Taylor Heinicke.
Pickett would be great in black and gold, but I’m not holding my breath. The Steelers may have to look further down the board for their new signal-caller.
It’s entirely possible one of the headliners could still be on the board when the Steelers come calling. Liberty’s Malik Willis, Ole Miss’s Matt Corral, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, and North Carolina’s Sam Howell round out Kiper’s top five.
But the Steelers may be wise to go for a quarterback on the second day of the draft and use their first-round selection to shore up the offensive line for the sake of not only their new quarterback but running back Najee Harris as well. There are some interesting names on the lower half of the list.
If you watched any of the pre-Christmas college bowl games, you may be familiar with Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe, ranked seventh on Kiper’s QB list. Zappe put a bow on his WKU career in the Hilltoppers’ Boca Raton Bowl win with six touchdown passes (shades of 2014 Ben!), bringing his season totals to 5,977 yards and 62 touchdown passes, both FBS records, the latter set by Joe Burrow in 2019. Imagine what Zappe could do with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and hopefully a re-signed JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Nevada’s Carson Strong should also be available if the Steelers choose to go the quarterback route. Strong ended 2021 with 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He led the Wolfpack to an 8-5 record.
The more I think about it, the more I feel the Steelers should beef up the offensive line first, and then look slightly further down the list of names for the quarterback of the future.