Like it or not, Steelers are taking a QB in the 2022 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be deadset on finding their next quarterback. Here’s why they are extremely like to take one early in the 2022 NFL Draft.

This is typically the time of year when NFL Draft analysts, as well as fans, start to overthink things when it comes to the 2022 NFL Draft. As much as we would like to believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers put out smoke screens, they might be the worst in the business when it comes to hiding their intent in April.

Since the Senior Bowl, there have been reports that the Steelers have a very strong interest in this quarterback class, and Kevin Colbert’s comments this offseason would concur. While I thought there was a strong chance this team was going to draft a QB in the first round back in January, it seems almost inevitable at this point.

On March 23rd, the Steelers brass visited QB Matt Corral at Ole Miss’s Pro Day. Confirmed to be in attendance were Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Brandon Hunt — three huge names for Pittsburgh.

What’s perhaps most telling about this is the other Pro Day’s Pittsburgh skipped out on in order to get a good look at Corral. Tomlin and Colbert elected not to go see a strong Ohio State workout with a pair of talented wide receivers in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson who could have otherwise been first-round picks by the Steelers.

Steelers are drafting a QB

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the Steelers have one goal in mind this offseason: to come away with their next franchise quarterback. This isn’t overly surprising, and I’ve said for months that I worried about Pittsburgh’s front office locking itself into one position this year.

However, all signs seem to be pointing to this, as the Steelers have now had extensive meetings with Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, and Matt Corral. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder and UNC’s Sam Howell have Pro Days coming up quickly, and I would expect them to do the same.

The only top-six QB who didn’t get the Tomlin/Colbert Pro Day visit this year was Nevada’s Carson Strong. This could be due to a scheduling conflict (as the Steelers chose to watch Pickett) as well as the fact that the team may not view him as a ‘franchise’ option.

Here’s where it gets a little scary. There is already a long list of first-round talents that the Steelers have more or less ignored when it comes to Pro Day visits. Based on history, Tomlin and Colbert need to be present at a player’s Pro Day in order to consider drafting them. This goes all the way back to at least 2010.

Sadly, there are numerous players we can already cross off the list as potential options. Players like OG Zion Johnson, OG Kenyon Green, WR Treylon Burks, and OT Trevor Penning are no longer options, based on this evidence. Now add talented receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to this list.

At the very least, we can be confident that Colbert and Tomlin are putting as much work into this offseason as they ever have before — traveling all over the country since Pro Days kicked off.

At this point, I would almost be floored if the Steelers selected any position other than quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Now it might just be a matter of who.